Indian basketball legends unite to launch Basketball India Players Association; announce nationwide inter-school league

After several years preparing in the background for the big moment, the Basketball India Players Association (BIPA) formally launched on Saturday, July 29, at the Constitutional Club in New Delhi, in the presence of Olympians, former captains and distinguished awardees of the game. Registered as a non-profit company, The BIPA will be an organisation hoping to promote the game without being in “confrontation or competition” with any federation or association - which means, of course, the Basketball Federation of India (BFI).

Straightaway, BIPA announced the launch of a massive 16-city, 1,024-team inter-school basketball league, which will begin next month all across the country.

The attendees at the launch event included chief guest Yogeshwar Dutt (India's 2012 Olympic Medalist Wrestler), Gyan Sherawat Singh (1984 Olympian), Ajmer Singh, Hanuman Singh (both Arjuna Awardees and 1980 Basketball Olympians), Zorawar Singh, TS Sandhu (1980 Basketball Olympian), Gajendra Singh (Member of Parliament and BIPA President) Ram Kumar (Dhyanchand Awardee, Former Captain of Indian Men's Basketball Team, Secretary General of BIPA), Divya Singh (Former Captain of Indian Women's Basketball Team and Treasurer of BIPA) and many more.

The BIPA have several objectives for current and former players, listed on his blog by Aruneshwar Gupta, including lifelong security, medical coverage, pension benefits, marketing, help with contractual rights, and mentoring of players and their families. According to Gupta, BIPA is the one of the largest players association in the country and possibly in the world with about 2,800 members who are basketball players, coaches, referees, ground officials, physiotherapists, dietitians, and other stakeholders. The membership is likely to increase to 20,000 by the end of the year.

Dutt, the chief guest at the launch, said at the event, "In any game, the voice of the players, has to be heard. It is great that all the great players have got together."

More details of the BIPA launch and future plans via The Hindu:

The Inter-school tournament will feature events for boys and girls in the under-14 and under-17 sections, in Bengaluru, Bhopal, Bhubaneswar, Chennai, Delhi, Dehradun, Gurugram, Hyderabad, Indore, Jaipur, Kolkata, Mumbai, Noida, Pune, Raipur and Thiruvananthapuram. It will be played from August 23 to September 6.

There will also be clinics by the leading players of the game to inspire school kids and strengthen their bond with the game.
On the occasion, Olympians Ajmer Singh, Hanuman Singh, Paramjit Singh, Zoravar Singh, Baldev Singh, T.S. Sandhu and Gyan Singh were honoured, along with a host of other players like Ram Kumar, Trideep Rai, Divya Singh, Prashanti Singh, Akanksha Singh, Pratima Singh etc.

Japan win threepeat at FIBA Asia Women's Cup 2017; Undefeated India win Division B in front of home fans!

The biggest women's basketball tournament in the continent - and beyond! - was held in our very own shores as India hosted the FIBA Women's Asia Cup 2017 from July 23-29 in Bengaluru. The top teams from the Asia and Oceania region took part in a week of memorable action at the Sree Kantaveera Indoor Stadium. The event came to a breathless end with two huge moments on Saturday: Japan defeated Australia in a nail-biter to win their third straight gold medal; and India were lifted in spectacular fashion with a game-winning shot to the Division B title and promotion to the higher Division A.

The FIBA Women's ABC was the first time India hosted a major FIBA event since the same championship was held in Chennai in 2009. A total of 15 teams took part this year in the two Divisions, featuring, for the first time, teams from the Oceania region, too. It was was the qualifying tournament for FIBA Asia at the 2018 FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup in Spain.

Japan landed in India as two-time holders of the title, including the most-recent win in 2015 at Wuhan, China. In Bengaluru, they finished another magical run with a thrilling final victory over Australia. In a contest truly befitting a final fight for the crown, Australia and Japan went through seven lead changes and several ties in the final. Shooting guard Saki Mizushima ended up being Japan's unlikely hero, exploding for 26 points in the final including a clutch three that broke the deadlock in the game's dying minutes. Australian superstar Kelsey Griffin scored 30 in the final, but her efforts weren't enough and Japan sneaked by to a 74-73 victory at the end of regulation.

This was Japan's fourth title overall and third in succession, cementing their place atop Asian women's basketball. Griffin was named the tournament's MVP. Australia's Griffin was named tournament's MVP.

China won the bronze medal on Saturday with a comfortable 75-51 victory over Korea. Sijing Huang and Yueru Li each scored 16 for China in the victory.

The top four teams from Division A - Japan, Australia, China, and Korea - qualified for the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2018.

After falling out of the top division at the tournament's previous iteration in 2015, India had to begin the 2017 competition at home from Division B. They would have no chance to compete for the title, but a Division B victory could secure them a place in Division A for the next FIBA Asia Women's Cup. With this mission in mind, India hired Serbian head coach Zoran Visic to lead a healthy and talented squad, featuring important players like the veteran Anitha Paul Durai, Jeena Scaria, Shireen Limaye, Kavita Akula, and more. India were placed in Group A of Division B along with Sri Lanka, Uzbekistan, and American Samoa, but American Samoa pulled out of the tournament before it began.

India opened their account on home floor against Uzbekistan in their first game, and captain Anitha Paul Durai ensured that the team got off to a positive start. A 19-9 run in the first quarter proved to be the big difference in the game. Paul Durai led all scorers with 28 points, five rebounds, and five assists. Grima Merlin Varghese, a late replacement to the squad in place of Poojamol KS, was India's surprise x-factor, scoring 17 in the victory.

India showed no mercy to South Asian neighbours Sri Lanka in their second preliminary group game, flying off to another quick start 23-10 and holding Sri Lanka to just three points in the second quarter. Varghese continued her dream run, pouring in 19 points and 10 rebounds for India's 88-42 win, which put them through to the Quarter-Final as group leaders.

The knockout stage began with another easy rout for India, an impressive 93-51 win over Fiji. Captain Paul Durai led India with 19, while Fiji's star player Miji Koiyamainavure (24) fell short despite a strong individual performance.

The semi-final presented India with their toughest challenge yet, against Lebanon. India had a hesitant start to the crucial match, and Lebanon, the more confident team from the get-go, marched to a 38-33 halftime lead. With Lebanon still leading by 2 at the end of the third quarter, India needed one last boost to carry them to the final stage. They got just that from Kerala's star Jeena Scaria, who went into beast mode in the fourth quarter, ultimately finishing with 20 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists to help India go on a late run and win the game 79-69. Raspreet Sidhu added 17 in the win. Lebanon's Rebecca Akl and Chirin El Charif scored 20 and 17 respectively in the loss.

India's biggest test, appropriately, came in the Division B final against Kazakhstan. Playing in-front of a sell-out home crowd in Bengaluru (which was a relief, after several days of sparse audience at the event), India once again started slow, and fell down by 14 points midway through the second half. Led by the amazing Nadezhda Kondrakova (who finished with 30 points and 18 rebounds) and Zalina Kurazova (17) Kazakhstan were up by 8 at the end of the third quarter. Once again, Scaria came to the rescue (20 points, 6 assists), helping ignite India's big comeback in the fourth quarter. In crunch time however, India's hero turned out to be All-Around talent Shireen Limaye. Limaye hit two huge baskets in the game's last minutes, including a memorable game-winning shot with just five seconds left on the clock that gave India the 73-71 victory. The heroics capped Limaye's biggest game of the tournament, as she finished with 17 points, 10 rebounds, and 6 assists.

73-73. 23.6 seconds left. Coming out of a time out. This happens. @shireenlimaye95 was a freaking beast! What a game. @india_basketball . #india #basketball #indiabasketball #fibaasiacup2017 #beastmode #comeback

A post shared by Jonathan Rego (@regosjonathan) on Jul 29, 2017 at 10:36am PDT

The victory earned India promotion into Division A for the next iteration of the tournament in 2019. They will replace North Korea, who will fall to Division B.

This well be a tournament that basketball fans won't easily forget. Even though India played in the lower division, they delighted the fans and the Basketball Federation of India (BFI) by going 5-0 with incredible performances, and then winning the division in dramatic fashion. BFI announced a reward of Rs. 15 lakhs for the team for their efforts.

Coach Visic's contract technically expires at the end of this tournament, and the BFI will now decide whether or not they will choose to extend this successful coach to stay and build up Indian basketball for a longer period.

The BFI counted another major win as they hosted Hall of Famer and Chinese basketball legend Yao Ming, who attended the FIBA Women's ABC in the knockout stages, too.

Paul Durai, who returned to this team after maternity leave, ended up as India's top scorer at the tournament (16.4 ppg). 22-year-old Varghese was the surprise package for the squad and should now feel confident of playing a major role in the team in the future, too. Raspreet Sidhu, Kavita Akula, Jeena Scaria, and Rajapriyadarshani Rajaganapathi were all part of India's main rotation throughout the tournament. And Limaye can return home safe knowing that she hit one of the biggest shots in Indian women basketball history!

Final Standings

• 1. Japan
• 2. Australia
• 3. China
• 4. Korea
• 5. Chinese Taipei

All Tournament Team

• Manami Fujioka (Japan)
• Lim Yung-Hui (Korea)
• Moeko Nagaoka (Japan)
• Kelsey Griffin (Australia) - MVP
• Li Yueru (China)

India needs to make home support count for the FIBA Asia Women’s Cup 2017

This article was first published in my blog for The Times of India Sports on July 19, 2017. Click here to read the original piece.

One of the theories of how ‘Bengaluru’ gets its name dates over a millenia ago. An inscription found in Begur village, 14 kilometres from the city, states that the place – called ‘Bengaval-uru’ was part of the Ganga Kingdom till 1004. To face the battles fought at this spot, the inscription means ‘City of Guards’ in Halegannada (Old Kannada).

A few hundred years, many more kingdoms and governments, and a couple more name changes later, the city named Bangalore became Bengaluru again. And in 2017, some of the best guards on the continent- the basketball-playing kind- get set to invade India’s third-largest city.

Starting from Sunday, July 23, Bengaluru will host Asian basketball’s most-prestigious women’s trophy- the FIBA Asia Women’s Cup 2017-at the Kanteerava Indoor Stadium, situated in the heart of the city’s Central Administrative Area. This will mark the first time that India will host a major FIBA (the International Basketball Federation) tournament since the same tournament was held in Chennai back in 2009.

Basketball is still a niche sport in India, but a major tournament like this should shine a spotlight not only on the beauty of the game itself but also on India’s potential. With the help of home support, India’s national squad will be hoping to rise back to the elite division of teams in Asia.

India have never finished better than fifth-place in Asia, after the continent’s usual powerhouses: China, Japan, South Korea, and Chinese Taipei. This year, the addition of Oceania squads like Australia and New Zealand will add the two squads among the long-list of title contenders, too.

Following a miserable performance at the same tournament in 2015 in Wuhan, China, India fell to the lower level-Division B-of the championship, meaning that the home team will not have a chance to contend for the title with the Division A teams. But there is a silver-lining to this cloud: with most of the top teams in the continent in the tougher division, India will have a chance to put out winning performances against lower-ranked teams to delight the home fans.

The team’s hope will be to finish top in Division B and qualify for Division A for the 2019 iteration of the championship. India were drawn in Group A of Division B, along with southern neighbours Sri Lanka, Uzbekistan, and American Samoa, but the latter eventually pulled out of the competition. For India to be promoted to Division A, we will have to win Group A in our division, and then defeat the top ranked team from Group B, likely to be Lebanon or Kazakhstan.

To help see India through this task, the Basketball Federation of India (BFI) appointed veteran Serbian Zoran Visic as Head Coach of the Women’s squad a month before the championship. Although Visic will face the challenge of getting the team prepared for this big challenge in such a short span of time, he will have a good mix of veteran and youth players on the roster to help lead the brigade. Team India will be captained by Tamil Nadu’s veteran star Anitha Paul Durai, and she will definitely be one of the stars to watch in the tournament. India’s best player is most likely Kerala-born Jeena Scaria, a multi-talented forward who was our leading scorer at the tournament in 2015. Others likely to play major minutes in this team will be Raspreet Sidhu, Kavita Akula, Rajapriyadharshini Rajaganapathi, and Shireen Limaye. Our tallest-ever women’s player-the 6’11” Poonam Chaturvedi-will hope to shrug off her injuries to play an important role, too.

Visic’s squad stammered in their first exposure against international challenge at the William Jones Cup in Chinese Taipei earlier this month, finishing without a win in five matches against all higher-ranked squads. But the experience should definitely pay dividends when the team returns home to face more beatable competition.

The last time India hosted a tournament of this stature, Arjuna Awardee Geethu Anna Rahul ended up finishing as the leading scorer in the entire tournament. There is no game-changer like Rahul in the squad anymore, but between Scaria, Paul Durai, Akula, and more, India has players who will hope to make their turn towards superstardom in Bengaluru.

But as important as India’s performances on-court will be the performance and participation of fans off of it. This tournament is going to offer a chance for Indian sports fans to watch some of Asia’s best basketball talent competing at the highest level. Reigning champions Japan will return to defend their title with stars like Asami Yoshida and Yuka Osaki. Australia will feature many players that starred in their team for the Rio Olympics like Mariana Tolo, Belinda Snell, and Abby Bishop. Other players to watch will include China’s Sun Mengran, Chinese Taipei’s Lin Yu-Ting and Huang Ping-Jen, and South Korean superstar Danbi Kim.

The priority for home fans, however, will obviously be the home team. For those who are based in or near Bengaluru, the tickets to watch high-level basketball action for a whole day are going to be just ?100. The games can be followed online via the tournament’s official website. And there is hope that a domestic TV network (most likely Neo Sports) might show some of the games live in India.

So, watch the games, cheer on the team, and support the other stars showing up in India for the championship, too. Tournaments like these don’t come often in Indian Basketball, and it is a responsibility for fans like us to make them count. A successful performance by our home team – whom I like to call ‘Desi Heights’ – will just be the cherry on the cake. Let’s make the ‘City of Guards’ showcase its skills on battles on the hardwood, too.

Sports Ministry grants recognition for Basketball among India's National Sports Federations

The Basketball Federation of India (BFI) has been having a busy week. While organising what has arguably been the biggest basketball event ever hosted in India - the FIBA Asia Women's Cup 2017 - the BFI received some good news. A year after the Indian government's Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports removed BFI from the list of National Sports Federations (NSF) of the country, they have reinstated recognition to the basketball body, announced the BFI itself on Thursday.

If you recall, this whole ridiculous drama began when the BFI split into two separate executive committees, each competing to be the rightful BFI body in India. The committee led by president K. Govindraj were eventually able to gain recognition by FIBA (the international basketball association) and continue to hold domestic and international basketball events over the past two years. But because of political backing, the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) and the Sports Ministry both backed away from this committee as a favour to the other.

Two weeks ago, the IOA finally granted affiliation to this "new" BFI, and this week, the Sports Ministry did the same, as the BFI has fulfilled all the conditions laid down by the National Sports Development Code of India, 2011 for grant of recognition. This is a major step forward as the committee which has been working to develop basketball in India without official national support can now move forward with the government in hand, instead of being at odds with it.

Speaking about the ministry's decision, BFI's Secretary-General Chander Mukhi Sharma said, "This positive step is in recognition of the continued service to the game under the leadership and guidance of our President Shri K Govindaraj. I’m thankful to all the stakeholders who have stood by us and supported us in the last two and a half years. We will take the game to new heights."

Since the election of Govindraj, Sharma, and V. Raghothaman as President, Secretary General and Treasurer, respectively, of the BFI in March 2015, the committee has been federation has kept the ball bouncing in Indian basketball. The Indian national teams have participated in 16 prestigious international competitions across various age groups in both the men and women sections. In terms of competitive events, BFI has hosted two South Asian Basketball Association (SABA) Championships and important FIBA gatherings such as the FIBA Asia Central Board Meeting and the FIBA New Competitions System Workshop. The BFI has also been conducting regular National Championships and various FIBA Coaching Certification courses. This year, the BFI has been entrusted to conduct two major FIBA Asia events: the ongoing FIBA Asia Women's Cup and the future FIBA Asia Championship for U16 Women.

Glad to see a chapter in this long, nasty soap opera finally come to a close. Basketball needs all federations and associations working together to grow in the country. Hopefully, the BFI can now move forward and secure funding to develop the game at all levels.

Hall of Famer Yao Ming is in India for the FIBA Women's Asia Cup in Bengaluru!

In what turned out to be a pleasant surprise, Chinese basketball legend and Basketball Hall of Famer Yao Ming arrived on India on Wednesday night to attend the FIBA Women's Asia Cup 2017 in Bengaluru. Yao, 36, indisputably the most successful Asian basketball player in history, retired from the game in 2011 and is currently the president of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA).

The FIBA Women's Asia Cup 2017 is the biggest competition for teams from Asia and Oceania, and is being held in India for the first time in eight years from July 23-29. Yao's country-women from China are once again one of the favourites at this tournament and have most-recently defeated the Philippines at Bengaluru's Sri Kantaveera Stadium to make it to the semi-finals.

This is huge news, metaphorically and literally. Despite ending his playing years early to chronic foot injuries, the 7-foot-6 Yao enjoyed a successful career. He excelled in the CBA with the Shanghai Sharks in his youth, became number one pick in the 2002 NBA Draft by the Houston Rockets, dominated the paint to become one of the league's best big men (he just happened to be playing in the Shaq era, unfortunately), and became one of the most popular basketball players worldwide. The Chinese sports icon won three FIBA Asia gold medals for his country and carried China's national flag for his delegation during the opening ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympics. In 2016, he was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame.

This is Yao's second trip to India. Before he got into the fast-lane to superstardom, Yao took an early step to success in Calcutta at the FIBA Asia U18 Championship back in 1998, as an 18-year-old. Yao was the best player in Team China at the tournament and helped with win the gold medal and took home the tournament's MVP trophy. He was a rookie with the Shanghai Sharks then, and a few years later won the CBA MVP award, the CBA title, and was drafted to the NBA, and the rest is history. During an interview I did with Yao in Shanghai for SLAM Magazine in 2014, he told me that he still harboured great memories of India because of his early success.

China will be hoping that Yao's presence proves to be their good-luck charm as they look to end Japan's recent dominance at this competition and win the gold medal. Meanwhile, India is in Division B of the tournament and have a starkly different ambition: just to qualify for the higher Division A.

What makes Yao's trip even more special is that he arrived in India less than 24-hours before another worldwide super-duper basketball star, Kevin Durant. Durant, however, is spending in time in the north, where he will be training players at the NBA Academy India in Greater Noida.

3D Canada win 2017 William Jones Cup for Men - India (0-9) finish at last pace

At the 2017 William Jones Cup for Men in Chinese Taipei, an invitational tournament held mainly among Asian squads as preparation for the larger FIBA Asia Cup next month, the two best teams ended up being dominant club squads from outside the continent. The squad from 3D Global Sports Canada and Atletas All-Star Lithuania finished with the tournament's best records (8-1) after nine days of breathless action concluded on July 23rd. With the best point-differential, 3D Canada lifted the championship trophy on Sunday at the Taipei Peace International Basketball Hall.

India, led by brand-new NBA-experienced head coach Phil Weber, suffered from injuries and absences and sent a depleted squad for the tournament. With most of the squads present ranked higher, India were always going to be underdogs at this event, and despite a few standout individual performances, they returned from Taipei without notching a win and finishing at ninth (last) place.

Captained by Rikin Pethani, Team India's best player, as expected, was the 6-foot-8 forward Amjyot Singh. Amjyot had to carry the heavy load for India's campaign in the absence of Vishesh Bhriguvanshi, Yadwinder Singh (injuries), Satnam Singh, Palpreet Singh, and Amritpal Singh (international obligations). Their absence will give other veterans and up-and-comers like Pratham Singh, Basil Philip, Prudhvi Reddy, Baladhaneshwar Poiyamozhi, Gurvinder Singh Gill, and Prasanna Sivakumar a chance to shine.

India's final scores at 39th William Jones Cup

• July 15: Iraq beat India 86-68.
• July 16: South Korea beat India 92-67.
• July 17: Chinese Taipei Blue beat India 101-80.
• July 18: Iran beat India 88-44.
• July 19: Atletas All-Star Lithuania beat India 102-79.
• July 20: Chinese Taipei White beat India 117-87.
• July 21: 3D Canada beat India 121-72.
• July 22: Philippines beat India 101-70.
• July 23: Japan beat India 77-61.

The 0-9 record will cause some sullen faces for the national team stars, but the silver lining to the dark cloud is that Weber was able to get his first outing in rapid-fire succession and get a crash course in competitive basketball for India and our opponents. Leading India with 18.1 points per game, Amjyot Singh finished as the tournament's fifth-highest scorer. Muin Bek Hafeez and Anil Kumar Gowda also earned valuable playing time for India in the course of the nine games.

India will now turn their gaze to Lebanon, which will be hosting the massive 2017 FIBA Asia Cup from August 8-20. India is placed in Group A with Iran, Jordan and Syria. The loss to Iran will give Weber some scouting knowledge to build upon, and at full-strength, India has the talent to challenge for second-place in their group. Hopefully, Weber has the squad at the best of their health at his disposal and finally get this debut victory as national team coach under the brighter lights next month.

Hoopdarshan Episode 50: FIBA Asia Women's Cup preview with Geethu Anna Rahul

Hoopdarshan - the Indian Basketball podcast - celebrates their half-century in style. With the FIBA Asia Women's Cup 2017 around the corner, set to be held in India in Bengaluru, hosts Kaushik Lakshman and Karan Madhok are joined by Indian basketball legend and Arjuna Awardee Geethu Anna Rahul. Rahul helped us preview the tournament, talked about her past experiences with Team India, playing pro in Australia, the WNBL, discussed the chances of her comeback to the national team, and much more!

Tune in to the latest episode for our thoughts on India's campaign at the FIBA Asia Women's Cup, on how Indian Men are preparing under new head coach Phil Weber, catch up with news our performances from the William Jones Cup, and hear an amazing David Robinson story.



Hoopdarshan is the truest voice of Indian basketball, and since we're such hopeless fans of the game, it will become the voice of everything basketball related we love, from the NBA to international hoops, too. On every episode of Hoopdarshan, we will be inviting a special guest to interview or chat to about a variety of topics. With expert insight from some of the brightest and most-involved people in the world of Indian basketball, we hope to bring this conversation to a many more interested fans, players, and followers of the game.

Make sure to follow Hoopdarshan on Soundcloud or search for 'Hoopdarshan' on the iTunes Store! Auto-sync Hoopdarshan to your preferred podcast app NOW!

Hoopdarshan can be found on...

• - iTunes: Hoopdarshan 
• - Hoopdarshan on Soundcloud 
• - On Twitter: @Hoopdarshan 
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May the rings be with you

How Warriors vs. Cavaliers in the NBA Finals was the greatest trilogy since Star Wars

This article was first published in my column for Ekalavyas on July 10, 2017. Click here to read the original piece.

Illustration by Eshita Munshi for Ekalavyas

Even George Lucas in his prime couldn’t have conjured up a better tale of suspense, greatness, dominance, revenge, and heroism: for the first time in the NBA’s 70-year history, the Finals over three consecutive years featured a trilogy of the same illustrious matchup of the Golden State Warriors vs. the Cleveland Cavaliers. The three-peat of Finals featured future Basketball Hall-of-Famers, MVPs, All NBA talents, memorable role-players, and enough basketball ‘force’ to put the greatest Jedi to shame.

As a matter of fact, Warriors-Cavaliers from 2015-17 has been the greatest trilogy since the original Star Wars movies, released between 1977-1983. As an ardent fan of both mediums of entertainment, please allow me to explain.

The Prequel

Let’s set up the world before 2014-15, or in Star Wars terms, revisit the later films: Episodes I-III. In The Phantom Menace, a young child with prodigious gifts named Anakin Skywalker is recruited by the Jedi for having unnaturally strong powers of the Force. Qui-Gon is convinced that Anakin is the “chosen one”. By Attack of the Clones, Anakin is living up to his potential as the true heir to the Jedi greatness.

Sound familiar? In the early 2000s, a teenager with prodigious gifts named LeBron James emerges in the international basketball consciousness. James gets a “Chosen One” tattoo over his back and becomes the first pick in the 2003 NBA Draft by the Cavs. By the end of the decade, he has already won two MVP awards despite being dented a little in the 2007 Finals because of 4-0 sweep by the robotic clones, I mean, the San Antonio Spurs.

But by 2010, LeBron has realised that there is a greater, darker level of power available that the Cavaliers couldn’t provide for him. In spectacular fashion, he joins the Dark Side with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, taking his talents down to South Beach, and immediately becoming the NBA’s biggest villain. Speaking of villains, Anakin in Revenge of the Sith has had enough of the Jedi and joins the Dark Side, too. He puts on a mask, speaks in a heavier voice, and is now hated by everyone.

Anakin is now Darth Vader, and his dominance supports the Galactic Empire, which is ruling over the rest of the galaxy. LeBron is now in the Miami Heat and spurs a mini empire of his own with four straight Finals, two championships, and two more MVP awards. He returns to Cleveland in 2014 and immediately makes them the favourites in the East again.

A New Hope

Rebellions come from unexpected places. A ragtag bunch of underdogs, including a son of a farmer in the quite planet of Tattooine (Luke Skywalker), an imprisoned princess who is actually his twin sister (Leia), a trash-talking pilot (Han Solo), his weird Wookie friend (Chewbacca), and two ever-confused droids (C3P0 and R2D2) lead an unlikely Rebel Alliance. No one expects much from them against the bigger badder lord of the Force Vader or the Empire.

Meanwhile, an innocent, harmless-looking hero just like Luke is called to action and realises that he, too, has some special powers of the force. His name is Stephen Curry, and his power is the three-point shot, and he has a sibling like Leia blessed with the force, too, except this sibling is a brother-in-splash and his name is Klay Thompson. With the rise of second-round pick and legendary trash-talker Draymond Green, this alliance of rebels – or Warriors from the Golden State – end up having the best record in the NBA in 2014-15 to go against the “Chosen One”.

Skywalker and the Alliance find a weakness in the Death Star and set out to destroy this vulnerable exhaust port to take down the Empire’s weaponised ship. For the Cavaliers, injuries to Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love leave them vulnerable in the finals, and even Lord Vader LeBron wasn’t enough to stop Curry and the Warriors from snatching the victory. At the very end of A New Hope, the heroes of the Alliance are honoured on a pedestal just like NBA champs are handed the trophy on centre-court.

The Empire Strikes Back

Considered by many to be the finest Star Wars film ever made, the second of Warriors-Cavaliers clashes in the Finals was also the most entertaining. In The Empire Strikes Back, the champion Rebels are now gaining more ground and setting up a legitimate base on the planet Hoth. Luke Skywalker spends much of this film improving his Jedi powers under the tutelage of Master Yoda. Before the final clash, it seems like he’s becoming, unanimously, the greatest Jedi around. The Millennium Falcon ship, brags Solo, can make hyperspace faster than the speed of light.

Oh, and the Warriors, their owner brags, are “lightyears ahead” of the rest of the NBA. They start 2015-16 on a 25-game winning streak and end up the season as the greatest regular season team ever, with a 73-9 record. Jedi Stephen dominates historically on all fronts to become the NBA’s first regular-season MVP. He is popular and likeable, and over in Cleveland, Lord LeBron is troubled by his rise.

The finale sets up another classic clash of the two warring sides. Just when it seems that all is going right for the Warriors, Draymond Green gets suspended for a nut-punch at LeBron in the Finals. His spiritual twin in Star Wars, Han Solo, is locked up in suspended animation in a block of carbonite. Things go awry for Golden State as LeBron reasserts his greatness, “strikes back” at the Warriors, and leaves them in tatters. By leading the Finals in all categories as the Finals MVP, he literally “sons” the unanimous MVP Curry and reminds him who is the greatest. Curry is injured and lost, and at the end of Empire, so is Luke Skywalker: Vader makes the big revelation that he is Luke’s father, cuts off Luke’s hand, and brings him down. After suffering a surprising loss in the previous Episode, Vader regains his place at the top.

Return of the Jedi

Luke Skywalker has to bring down his father, but he can’t do it alone. Han Solo is rescued, Princess Leia is in top form, and the gang is back together. In the previous instalment, Lando Calrissian betrayed his friend Solo; this time around, he has joined the Alliance, too. A bunch of Ewoks are destined to play a small but important role. The Jedi in the final film return more stacked than ever, and are determined to defeat the Empire.

Kevin Durant joins the Warriors, but he is no Lando: he is more like a mixture of Yoda’s smooth style and Luke Skywalker’s heroism. Our original Luke – Curry – now grows a beard to try and look more menacing. The rest of the gang is at the top of their games, role players like Iguodala, Livingston, and West play an important part, and the Warriors have yet another dominant season. Oh yeah, and JaVale McGee is Jar Jar Binks. No matter how much they Shaq’t-a-fool, you can’t knock on those rings.

The finale of the trilogy is the 2017 NBA Finals, or the final battle on the moon Endor and the Death Star. Despite predictions that this will be the most epic end to these “Wars”, the final doesn’t have the tension and excitement of the previous episode. Kevin Durant, the newest Jedi, returns to the final after being defeated by Lord LeBron in 2012, and this time – along with Curry – he gets his revenge. The Warriors win 4-1 while the Rebel Alliance blow some shit up. LeBron or Vader, despite excellence performances, lie lost in the end and defensively begin to look their age. There is a touching moment of mutual respect between LeBron and Durant, who is the former’s spiritual successor/son as the greatest of his generation. As the Warriors celebrate centre-court on their home floor, there is an Ewok party in Endor.

The Next Episodes

The latest episodes of Star Wars showcase a new generation of young rebels going against the newly-strengthened First Order. The son of Leia and Solo, Kylo Ren, is the new bad boy in the galaxy. Despite the new characters and plotlines, a lot of the themes of The Force Awakens provide nostalgia for the original trilogy.

The Warriors are sure to remain dominant for many more seasons, and despite some rise of talent in the East, odds are that it will be LeBron and the Cavs in the finals again next year. Some things will be different, but the general themes of this legendary rivalry will remain the same. Meanwhile, the NBA continues to change and evolve in reaction to the Warriors’ greatness and every team is starting to look for the next superstar player to usurp them, someone who can be a versatile defender like Draymond and shoot like Klay – or the child of Leia and Solo.

As for the next Star Wars film releasing later this year: I don’t know anything about The Last Jedi, but in NBA terms, it sounds a whole lot like Russell Westbrook. May the rings be with you all!

Kevin Durant to visit India to coach NBA Academy prospects and donate basketball courts

Kevin Durant's 2017 Summer Checklist:
- Win his first NBA title? Check.
- Win the Finals MVP award? Check.
- Re-sign with the Warriors on a bargain? Check.
- Visit India? Almost there!

Yes, Durant, who has been the brightest star under the scorching headline of NBA news since he joined the Golden State Warriors last year, will cap off a memorable twelve months by visiting India next week. The NBA announced that Durant will visit New Delhi and Greater Noida on July 27th to support the continued growth of basketball in the country. Durant will coach top prospects at the NBA's elite India Academy, host a large-scale clinic for thousands of young players around the country, and donate two basketball courts to a local school through his charity foundation.

Durant will begin his official trip on July 27th in New Delhi with a visit to the Ramjas School, where he will donate two new basketball courts to the school as part of the Kevin Durant Charity Foundation’s "BUILD IT AND THEY WILL BALL" Courts Renovation Initiative. Durant will then visit The NBA Academy India at the Jaypee Greens Integrated Sports Centre in Greater Noida, becoming the first active NBA player to visit the academy. Durant will coach the prospects through a series of shooting, passing, dribbling and defensive drills. On July 28, Durant will lead a large-scale basketball clinic for 5,000 youth from the Reliance Foundation Jr. NBA programme – 1,000 of the athletes will be onsite while the other 4,000 boys and girls will join virtually from Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad and Kolkata via a satellite link. Durant will conclude his trip with a visit to the Taj Mahal in Agra on July 29.

"I’m excited to travel to India to help promote the game of basketball and meet the prospects at The NBA Academy India," said Durant. "I’ve wanted to visit India for a long time, and I can’t wait to experience the country’s unique culture and share my knowledge with the kids there."

"We are thrilled to host 2017 Finals MVP Kevin Durant in India," said NBA India Managing Director Yannick Colaco. "Kevin is coming off an historic season with the Golden State Warriors. Having one of the very best players in our league interact with the basketball playing youth of India will serve as great inspiration to the next generation of players here, especially the high-performing prospects at The NBA Academy India."

Indeed, Durant is one of the best players - if not, the absolutely best player (with apologies to LeBron, Curry, Westbrook, Kawhi, and Harden fans) - in the NBA at this moment. That previous point might be debatable, but what is definitely not up for debate is that Durant will instantly become the most-talented basketball player to ever step foot on Indian soil. On a Hoopdarshan podcast last month, we discussed the history of NBA players to visit India, and KD's presence will be historic because he will clearly be at top of that totem pole.

By now, Durant's story is well known among NBA enthusiasts. He was the second pick by the Seattle Supersonics back in 2007, and moved with the team to become the leading star for the Oklahoma City Thunder a year later. Over the years, Durant has developed into one of the greatest scorers in NBA history, winning the 2008 Rookie of the Year, making seven All NBA teams, gathering four scoring titles, reaching his individual pinnacle with the 2014 MVP Award, winning two gold medals for USA in the Olympics and one gold at the FIBA World Championship. Last season, he spectacularly and controversially left the Thunder to join the unstoppable Golden State Warriors, whom he helped to the 2017 NBA Championship as the Finals MVP.

Durant's visit to the NBA Academy will be the highlight of the trip. The Academy, which I wrote about in detail for the most recent issue of the SLAM Magazine, opened in May and hopes to employ a "holistic, 360-degree approach to player development with focuses on education, leadership, character development and life skills". The NBA will be hoping that, through this Academy, they can help players with basketball promise reach their full potential.

Welcome to India, KD. Hope you survive that Delhi summer - it might be tougher than any defense you've faced in the NBA all season. Take back some curry for Steph.

Australian College of Sport ties up with Pursuit to boost Indian sporting talent

Earlier this year, Indian basketball received a pleasant surprise: four of our top players - Amjyot Singh, Amritpal Singh, Vishesh Bhriguvanshi, and Yadwinder Singh - were invited to Melbourne, Australia to take part in the country's National Basketball League (NBL) Draft Combine. The four players made quite a positive impact with the coaches and scouts from the NBL squads and their performances led to an almost instantaneous reaction: Amritpal was given a chance to take part in the Sydney Kings rookie camp and preseason, while Bhriguvanshi became the first Indian to be signed to an NBL contract, by the Adelaide 36ers.

Photo via: Australian College of Sport

The growing Indo-Australian sports (and particularly, basketball) connection hasn't just been conjured out of thin air. In the background, Indian sports management company Pursuit have been working hard as the mediums between the athletes and their athletic destinations.

Now, Pursuit takes another major step forward in their growing relationship with Australia: On Wednesday, the Australian College of Sport (ACS) formally announced that they have entered a tie-up with Pursuit to act as the ambassador for ACS in India and the rest of the Indian subcontinent. Pursuit will represent ACS for the purpose of scouting and recruiting student athletes to be admitted to the ACS Programme across basketball, football, cricket, badminton, swimming and golf. This tie-up is intended to facilitate India’s most talented athletes to train and study in ACS’s world class facilities in Australia.

The Australian College of Sport was established in Adelaide, Australia in November 2006, and focuses on individualized athlete development combined with formal education to prepare athletes for a professional playing career. In 2011, ACS launched its golfing programme in Melbourne and in 2015, expanded its basketball programme and opened a second campus in Sydney.

This tie-up is a direct result of the Australian Prime Minister, Malcom Turnbull’s visit to India in April 2017, when the Indian and Australian Governments signed several MoUs, including one on sports. This MoU endeavours to connect Australia’s global reputation for sports excellence and expertise with India’s ambition to improve its sports administration and infrastructure.

“This tie-up is significant as it provides another pathway to young Indian athletes to develop their craft in a world-class environment," said Vishnu Ravi Shankar, Director of Pursuit. "What’s more, the classroom education that ACS offers on sports development and management creates an opportunity for the student-athlete to build a career in the global sports industry."

“Through this tie-up, we aim to get exposed to the right pool of talent in India and provide the right platform to aspiring athletes in India that are willing to compete professionally and exploring the sporting industry," said Stuart Roberts, the CEO of ACS. "Our High Performance Training Curriculum enables the athlete to achieve superior results."

From an Indian perspective, this tie-up is intended to address the lack of coaching and training facilities in the country, allowing India’s most talented athletes to train and study in Australia’s world class facilities. The focus is on finding players in the age group of 17 to 22, where player development is crucial. Besides honing of pro athletes, ACS also delivers vocational education through its degree pathways with top tier Australian Universities such as Deakin University, University of South Australia and Torrens University.

Shankar added that the programme in ACS should increase the future scope for Indian players to have an opportunity to play in Australia. "Doors are opening up for Indian players now," said Shankar. "Australians already know that Indians can play sport because we compete with them in cricket. After Amritpal, they will be looking at Indian athletes as viable options for basketball, too."

Recently, Pursuit also finalised a deal with the IMG Academy in the USA for a different programme to promote Indian athletes. "Both of these things are just the beginning stage," said Shankar. "We need to do a lot more, we need to tie up with more colleges and academies and with the right kind of people. The point is that kids should have multiple options. Eventually they should have options in different parts of the world with different types of affordability. World class training is important. A course like ACS which comes with a sports development programme can be a great starting point."

Guards of Honour

This article was first published in my blog for The Times of India on July 7, 2017. Click here for the original piece.

With no shortage of talented bigs, India’s immediate basketball requirement is in the backcourt

In the very first game of the BRICS Games in Guangzhou last month, India were down by 10 to China, 38-28 at halftime. The deficit, considering the circumstances, wasn’t really a worry up: China were always going to be heavy favourites over a developing Indian basketball team and the BRICS Games were largely serving as practice for the larger challenge ahead, the FIBA Asia Cup in August. India were playing in the tournament without star big man Amritpal Singh, but had seen good early performances by their other two stars Amjyot Singh and Vishesh Bhriguvanshi.

But early in the second half, tragedy struck. Bhriguvanshi, India’s most experienced player, a former captain, and one of the best shooting guards in Asia, took a hard fall and then writhed on the floor clutching his right knee. It took the help of medical staff and teammates to carry him back to the locker rooms. His night was over.

India were outscored by 30 points in the second half and ended up losing the game 97-57 to the hosts. But the larger concern for the team – and for the Indian basketball fans following the tournament from home – was Bhriguvanshi’s health. Medical staff feared an ACL tear. He was ruled out of the rest of the tournament, and crucially, India faced the daunting possibility of heading out to Lebanon for the FIBA Asia Cup without their best wing player.

There is a common belief that basketball is a game for tall players, and scouts in India have long been in the hunt for the most talented bigs around from around the country to hone and develop them into game-changers. The swing towards looking for those athletic bigs took such a turn over the past decade that India now enjoys a glut of tall talents. The Men’s national team is loaded with a logjam of frontcourt riches, featuring Amjyot Singh, Amritpal Singh (set to return to the team for the FIBA Asia Cup), Satnam Singh (India’s first NBA draftee who will return for the championship, too), Yadwinder Singh, Rikin Pethani, Ravi Bhardwaj, and our first NBA G-League draftee, Palpreet Singh Brar. With a variety of skillsets and experience levels, these big guys will ensure that India will have the might to go up against any frontline in the continent.

The real problem for India, however, lies in the backcourt. Any regular player or fan of basketball knows that, while the big guys are the muscle on the court, the “smaller” guys (relatively) are the engine. It is the guards and the “wing” players who are usually every team’s best ball-handlers, creators on offense, shooters, and perimeter defenders. Even in teams where the big guys are the best and highest-scoring players, it is the players in the backcourt that set the pace of the game.

In recent years, especially with the way that the game has developed in the NBA and worldwide, there is now an urgent need for elite guards and wings for every successful team. Over the past few decades, guards have been faster, stronger, better shooters, and more athletic. A team with great big players will only be half as useful if it doesn’t have creative and talented options in the backcourt, too.

A great current example of this unbalance in the NBA is with the New Orleans Pelicans. The Pelicans’ frontline features arguably the two best big men in the league: Anthony Davis and DeMarcus Cousins. But without too many backcourt options to set up plays for the big guys and stretch the floor for them to have space in the middle, the ‘Twin Towers’ experiment hasn’t worked so far.

The Pelicans will serve as a good learning experience for India’s rumoured new men’s basketball team head coach, Phil Weber. Weber has been a long-time NBA assistant and most recently finished working with – you guessed it – Davis and Cousins in New Orleans. In India, he will get a sense of déjà vu in that first practice, as Amjyot and Amritpal (and Satnam and Palpreet and Yadwinder etc. etc. etc.) will provide limitless options for dominance in the post, but the backcourt will continue to be a point of major concern, from New Orleans to New Delhi.

The good news is that Bhriguvanshi’s injury has turned out to be less serious than initially diagnosed; the player I fondly like to call the ‘Banarasi Mamba’ is now likely to return to the team in time for the FIBA Asia Cup next month. Bhriguvanshi will be asked to excel at multiple backcourt positions for India as both our best creator and best scorer at the FIBA Asia Cup. He will be a little rusty, and even if he’s at his best, India has no other players in the guard or wing positions who can match the best backcourts in Asia.

While Akilan Pari, Hafeez Muin Bek, Prasanna Sivakumar, Anil Kumar Gowda, Arjun Singh, Arshpreet Bhullar, and the aging TJ Sahi are all great players at the domestic level, they will struggle against the top guards and small forwards in the continent, such as China’s Guo Ailun, Philippines’ Jayson Castro and Terrance Romeo, Iran’s Samad Nikkah Bahrami, Lebanon’s Wael Arakji and Fadi El Khatib, and many more.

A couple of talented young perimeter players, like Baladhaneshwar Poiyamozhi and Prudhvi Reddy, are in the pipeline for India already, but still need to add muscle and match experience to be ready for the biggest stages. In the long run, however, India needs to begin focusing on developing young talent all across the board, and not just the “readymade” big players.

So, start dribbling kids: India needs a point guard. Keep working on that outside shot, on those passing skills, on your court vision, and learn to put the ball on the floor to drive and dish or to take it all the way to the hole. Basketball is as much a game for the quick and dexterous as it is for the big and strong, and India’s future excellence depends on finding elite-level talent to cover all ends of the spectrum.

IOA finally grants affiliation to the "new" Basketball Federation of India

From a distance, it might seem like Indian Basketball has been bouncing around just fine. India has seen improvements in our national performances over the past few years and have hired a couple of respected international coaches for the senior men's and women's squads. Our stars are starting to make waves internationally and we are even hosting a couple of major FIBA events - the FIBA Asia Women's Cup and FIBA Asia U16 Women's Championship - on our home turf this year.

But true fans know that basketball's mere existence in India since 2015 has been an act of rebellion. Two years ago, the Basketball Federation of India (BFI) broke apart into two opposing factions, each claiming to be the rightful committee to lead Indian basketball. The faction led by President K. Govindraj, formed in Bengaluru, was granted affiliated by the international basketball association FIBA because they held their annual general meeting legally as per the BFI constitution. But the faction led by President Poonam Mahajan, formed in Pune, contested this decision, and were supported by the the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) and the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports of the Government of India. Because of this division, the IOA and the Sports Ministry didn't recognise the Govindraj-faction BFI under the umbrella of Olympic sports and sports federations in India. All of the progress in the sport has since been propelled by the Govindraj-BFI without direct support or affiliations from these higher associations.

Anyways, it's now mid-2017, and the IOA - who had earlier appointed an "ad-hoc" committee to oversee Indian Basketball - have finally done the right thing and granted affiliation to the BFI, coming to terms with the federation that is recognised by BFI and who have been running the show for Indian basketball for the last few years.

The Times of India reported on Friday that, in a letter dated July 13, 2017, the IOA's General Secretary Rajeev Mehta wrote, "In accordance with the directives of the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) and honouring the rule 29 of Olympic Charter, the IOA grants affiliation to the BFI with K Govindraj as president and Chander Mukhi Sharma as secretary general." Mehta added that the affiliation is "subject to ratification by the executive council / general body of the IOA."

Apparently, it was the leader of the opposing faction - Poonam Mahajan - that finally urged the IOA to end the impasse. More reporting on this issue by Amit Sampat for The Times of India:

The reason to revise the decision and grant recognition to the other faction was the initiative of Poonam Mahajan informed Mehta. "On the initiative of Poonam Mahajan we took this decision. She wanted to end this impasse and was eager to see basketball as one of the top sport. She was always positive for basketball and informed me that she has no problem if IOA grants recognition to the other group. On her positive approach the IOA took this decision and the issue will soon be resolved," Mehta told TOI.
The sports ministry, however, has not granted recognition to either of the factions. Ever since June 12, 2015, the sports ministry has put on hold the conduct of any official basketball event in India until the office bearers of the BFI are recognized by the government.
Even the IMG-Reliance group, which signed a 30-year contract with the BFI in 2010, has stopped all activities including sponsorships until the office bearers are recognized. In that historic deal in 2010 the IMG-Reliance group was given the commercial rights of basketball in India.

Officials of both the factions and IMG-Reliance group have been fighting their respective battles in the court. Mediation is in progress to resolve the issue.

The IOA's affiliation is good news, as the rightful committee atop the BFI can now clear one obstruction on their way to full legitimacy. Hopefully, the government can now follow on this decision and extend their recognition towards the BFI, too. The ball is now in the court - literally, as it is a courtroom battle now - but fans will be hoping for a quick mediation so that the BFI can look for new sponsors beyond IMG Reliance and help move the game forward.

India's Men squad head to Chinese Taipei for 2017 William Jones Cup: Roster, Schedule, Preview

India's big summer of international basketball action continues. After the women's team's experiences at the William Jones Cup last week, the Senior Men's squad will have their chance at the prestigious invitational tournament in Chinese Taipei. Under a new, experienced head coach, but minus several of our top players, India heads to Chinese Taipei for the 2017 William Jones Cup - the Men's tournament - to be held from July 15-23 at the Taipei Heping Basketball Gymnasium in Taipei. The tournament will serve as crucial practice for India as they prepare for the summer's biggest extravaganza: next month's FIBA Asia Cup in Lebanon.

India's squad from the 2017 BRICS Games last month

This year's large fray of the round robin championship will feature ten teams, including international squads from Asia and a couple of club teams from the rest of the world. India's schedule will be jam-packed, with nine games in nine consecutive days. Participating teams include two host Chinese Taipei teams, Asian champions Iran, Philippines, Japan, South Korea, Iraq, and club sides from Lithuania and Canada.

Last year's the Philippines' club squad Mighty Sports won the William Jones Cup. India showed potential but finished with a 1-7 record. Memorably, a couple of important Indian players arrived late to Chinese Taipei because of a visa issue.

India will not be held back by visa problems this year, but injuries and travel will reduce the team to a more depleted squad, compared to what the coaching staff will hope will be the full team for Lebanon. India is being led by Rikin Pethani as captain and will feature international star Amjyot Singh. Missing from action will be Vishesh Bhriguvanshi and Yadwinder Singh (injury) and Amritpal Singh, Palpreet Singh, and Satnam Singh (busy with international club obligations). Their absence will give other veterans and up-and-comers like Pratham Singh, Basil Philip, Prudhvi Reddy, Baladhaneshwar Poiyamozhi, Gurvinder Singh Gill, and Prasanna Sivakumar a chance to shine.

All the spotlight, however, will be on Phil Weber, newly-hired coach of the Indian Men squad - even though at the time of writing, the Basketball Federation of India (BFI) is set to finalise his contract or make an official announcement. Weber is an experienced NBA assistant coach who is currently working for the New Orleans Pelicans alongside Alvin Gentry and has worked in the past for the Phoenix Suns and the New York Knicks. This will be the first opportunity for Weber to put to test about ten days of practice time with the national team and get an idea of how India will shape up against top-ranked teams from the region (and beyond). Assisting him in India's coaching staff will be experienced national coaches Bhaskar Sappaniambalam and Sebastian Padipurakkal Joseph.

India Men's roster for 2017 William Jones Cup

• Prudhvi Reddy
• Anil Kumar Gowda
• Arjun Singh
• Pratham Singh
• Basil Philip
• Jeevanantham Pandi
• Rikin Pethani - captain
• Amjyot Singh
• Baladhaneshwar Poiyamozhi
• Gurvinder Singh Gill
• Prasanna Venkatesh
• Muin Bek Hafeez
• Head Coach: Phil Weber
• Assistant Coach: Bhaskar Sappaniambalam
• Assistant Coach: Sebastian Padipurakkal Joseph
• Manager: Devender Kumar

India Men's schedule for 2017 William Jones Cup - all timings IST

• July 15 - Iraq vs. India - 8:30 AM
• July 16 - India vs. South Korea - 8:30 AM
• July 17 - Chinese Taipei Blue vs. India - 4:30 PM
• July 18 - India vs. Iran - 12:30 PM
• July 19 - Atletas All-Star Lithuania vs. India - 8:30 AM
• July 20 - India vs. Chinese Taipei White - 12:30 PM
• July 21 - 3D Canada vs. India - 8:30 AM
• July 22 - India vs. Philippines - 10:30 AM
• July 23 - India vs. Japan - 12:30 PM

India's last international outing was at the 2017 BRICS Games in Guangzhou, China, from where they returned with a 0-3 record. Without Amritpal and Bhriguvanshi on the roster for the William Jones Cup, a lot of hopes will be on Amjyot Singh to be India's star man. Coach Weber will be putting a lot of trust on relatively inexperienced role players beyond the core of Amjyot, Pethani, Pratham, and Venkatesh, but that is why a tournament like this can be crucial to help the team get big match practice.

India's most winnable challenge will be in their very first game, against Iraq. The rest of the national teams are ranked higher than India and the club squads are likely to post a major threat, too. Playing against Iran will give India a good idea of the team they are also scheduled to face in their preliminary round stage at the FIBA Asia Cup.

The 2017 FIBA Asia Cup will be the biggest-ever iteration of the event, featuring the top teams from both the Asia and Oceania regions, held from August 8-20 in Beirut, Lebanon. India are in Group A of the tournament with defending champions Iran, Jordan, and Syria. Hopefully, Weber and the team are able to learn important lessons at the William Jones Cup over the next ten days and have a full, healthy squad available for the bigger challenge ahead.

William Jones Cup 2017 (Women): Japan win; India finish 0-5

Under the leadership of a new, foreign head coach, India's women's team got off to a bumpy start in their first outing - the 2017 William Jones Cup in Chinese Taipei - but gained valuable experience against much-better squads to bring back home with them for the bigger challenge ahead.

India were one of six Women's teams that took part in the 39th William Jones Cup, a round robin tournament at the Changhua Gymnasium in Changhua in Chinese Taipei as a preparatory outing before the FIBA Asia Cup for Women destined to be held back at home in Bengaluru at the end of July. India were the only Division B team (the lower pool of the FIBA Asia Cup) at William Jones and lost all of their games to end at the bottom of the table. Nevertheless, the tournament turned out to be crucial for new Serbian head coach Zoran Visic to tinker with the team's lineups, instill some of his coaching style and philosophies, and provide the women with necessary competitive-game experience.

Three teams - Japan, New Zealand, and Chinese Taipei Blue - finished with identical 4-1 records to top the tournament fray, with a total of 9 points each and identical 1-1 records against each other. Japan, the current Asian champions, held the tie-breaker differential between the three teams with +1.07, and thus were named champions.

India's squad was captained by veteran star Anitha Paul Durai and feature other talents to watch like Jeena Scaria, Kavita Akula, Poojamol Subhashmon, and Shireen Limaye. Visic was joined in the coaching staff by veteran coach Shiba Maggon.

India's final scores at 39th William Jones Cup

• July 5: New Zealand bt. India 75-52
• July 6: Japan bt. India 93-42
• July 5: South Korea bt. India 56-51
• July 5: Chinese Taipei Blue bt. India 113-59
• July 5: Chinese Taipei White bt. India 79-41

India's 0-5 record dropped them to sixth/last place in the tournament. India were definitely a pace slower than all of their Division A opponents, but played a great game against South Korea in the close loss. Visic relied on the team's eldest players - Raspreet Sidhu and Anitha Paul Durai - to play the bulk of the minutes for the team. Paul Durai, Jeena Scaria, and Sidhu were India's top three scorers. Kavita Akula, Rajapriyadharshini Rajaganapathi, and Shireen Limaye also got to play major minutes through the course of the tournament.

India will now come back home for the FIBA Asia Cup in Bengaluru from July 23-29. In an interview a few weeks ago, Coach Visic had told me that the team will have to overcome their relative inexperience if they hope to win Division B and be relegated to the higher division for the Cup's next iteration. After playing against tougher opponents in Chinese Taipei, India should find their group - with Sri Lanka and Uzbekistan - a little easier. They will have to overcome Division B's Group B winners next, most likely to be Lebanon or Kazakhstan. With a home crowd cheering behind him, let's hope that the team can bounce back to Asia's higher level.

India are participating in the men's William Jones Cup, too, set to begin in Chinese Taipei on July 15.