10th Savio Cup - one of India's top national tournaments - tips off in Mumbai tomorrow

As it is usually the tradition in the early Indian basketball calender, rivalries that are born at the Senior Nationals are settled just a few days later, when India's best players meet again in Mumbai at the Savio Cup. Now entering it's 10th edition, the Savio Cup is one of India's top national invitational tournaments, where the most stacked club and state/unit teams compete for the prestigious title. This year's Savio Cup will tip off tomorrow, Sunday January 11th with seven Men's and four Women's teams. Sponsored by United Phosphorous and Tridhaatu Realty Infrastructure, the tournament will be held at the Don Bosco School's basketball courts in Matunga with the finals on January 18th.

ONGC - the Men's club side featuring several of the same players who won the Senior National Championship in Bhilwara (Rajasthan) a few days ago - will return to the Savio Cup as the reigning champs with hopes to lift the title again. In the Women's division, Southern Railway will look to continue their dominance at this tournament after winning gold the past four years. National and international stars like Vishesh Bhriguvanshi, Amrit Pal Singh, Riyazuddin and Yadwinder Singh, Amjyot Singh, Anitha Pauldurai, Anju Lakra, and many more will be in action through the course of the next week.

Savio Cup 10 participating teams

• Men: ONGC, Indian Railways, Maharashtra, Indian Overseas Bank (Chennai), Punjab, Services, Bhavnagar Youngsters.
  
• Women: Southern Railway, Punjab, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh.
  

ONGC (Men) and Southern Railway (Women) win 9th Savio Cup in Mumbai

Although they started as favourites to hold on to their title, Southern Railway had to battle till the very end and use every bit of their talent and experience to outlast the spirited hosts Maharashtra in the Women's final of the 9th Savio Cup on Saturday, January 18th, at the Don Bosco High School in Mathunga, Mumbai. Familiar foes ONGC and IOB met in the Men's title game, with ONGC continuing their hot stretch in recent tournaments to add another trophy to their glittering cabinet.

Photo Courtesy: Ekalavyas.com

The 9th Savio Cup tipped off in Mumbai on January 11th, featuring participation by seven Men's and four Women's squads. The tournament was sponsored by Tridhaatu Realty and Indian Oil.

Southern Railway were playing without superstar Geethu Anna Jose and hadn't been their usual convincing selves, after already dropping a game to their final opponents Maharashtra earlier in the tournament. Maharashtra on the other hand have been enjoying a string of relative success in their Women's division. In the Final, Maharashtra - led by Manisha Dange - wanted to stamp in their authority and a dominant first half saw them go into the break with a 33-19 lead. Southern Railway fought back in the third period, and a back-to-back fourth quarter finally saw them take the lead in the game's last minutes. Southern Railway inched ahead to survive for a 67-62 victory behind 19 points by Apoorva Murlinath. Dange had 30 for Maharashtra in a losing effort.

ONGC (Uttarakhand) were back in the Final after losing to American side Sportspower USA in the previous edition of the tournament. With Chennai's IOB starting off on the right foot, it seemed like ONGC would face a final defeat once again. But they fought back to take a halftime lead, and then completely dominate proceedings in the game's second half en route to a 70-52 victory. Veterans Trideep Rai (22) and Yadwinder Singh (19) were the game's leading scorers.

Photo Courtesy: Ekalavyas.com

The Men's winning side were rewarded Rs. 1.5 lakhs and the runners-up were given Rs. 65,000. For Women, the winning side was given Rs. 50,000 and runners-up Rs. 25,000.

Sportspower returned this year without the former NBA players who helped them lift the title last year. Their roster was short this year, so two Indian players - Vinay Kaushik and Prakash Mishra - were added to the team. Ex-NBA player David Wood was supposed to be a part of the team but didn't make it. Jahaziel Howard - the younger brother of NBA star Dwight Howard - came to Mumbai as part of Sportspower's roster.

2013 Ramu Memorial Basketball Tournament to tip off on April 14

One of India’s premier basketball competitions – the Ramu Memorial Basketball Tournament (RMBT) – is set to be launched again for this year’s edition at the Indian Gymkhana in Mathunga, Mumbai from April 14-21. The 28th edition of the tournament will feature 11 of India’s top state and club teams participating in the senior category for Men and Women combined. In addition, a Youth (U21) Development tournament featuring teams from Maharashtra will begin on April 12.

The RMBT is one of the most prestigious basketball tournaments in the country. It started off back in the 1960s as a small scale competition between the local teams. In the 70s, it mushroomed into an all India tournament. While it was discontinued for a few years between 1993-2005, it was revived in 2006 and has since firmly established itself as one of the top competitions for Indian basketball players and fans.

In the last edition of the championship, Western Railway (Men) and Southern Railway (Women) emerged as champions. Many of India’s top players are currently participating for their states and units in the National 3x3 Basketball Championship in New Delhi, and they will head straight to Mumbai for the Ramu Memorial trophy after the Delhi tournament ends on April 11th.

Western Railway and Southern Railway will both be back to defend their trophies. Hosts Maharashtra is also fielding teams in both Men’s and Women’s categories. The teams participating in the tournament this year are:

Women: Southern Railway, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra

Men

Pool A: ONGC, Punjab, RCF – Kapurthala, Karnataka.
Pool B: IOB Chennai, Western Railway, Maharashtra, Air Force.

In addition, here are the eight Maharashtra club teams taking part in the Youth (U21) Men’s Tournament:

Pool A: Savio Club, Mastan YMCA, Fr. Agnel’s.
Pool B: Indian Gymkhana, NNH, Ghatkopar YMCA.

Although dates are yet to be confirmed, a Dunk Contest and a Three-Point Shooting Competition will be held at the event on April 19-20. It was also recently announced that all games of the tournament will be streamed live on YouTube on the channel: RMBT Basketball. Check updates on the tournament's Facebook page closer to the tip off for more updates.

Stay updated with all the information regarding this tournament via it's official website.

Savio Cup 8 ends with Sportspower (Men), Southern Railway (Women), & Savio Club (U20 Men) celebrating victory

The Savio Cup – one of India’s most popular and well-respected club basketball tournaments – ended its eighth edition on Sunday, December 9th, at the Don Bosco School in Mathunga, Mumbai. After eight days of exciting action, the Finals were played out in front of an excited capacity crowd that watched Women’s side Southern Railway won the tournament for the fifth consecutive year by beating hosts Maharashtra in the Final. In the Men’s Final, first-time participants Sportspower from the USA – featuring three former NBA players – defeated reigning champions ONGC to lift the trophy.

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8th Savio Cup – featuring ex-NBA players – tips off in Mumbai today!

One of the most-respected club basketball competitions in India – the Savio Cup – is set to tip off for its eighth edition at the Don Bosco School in Mathunga, Mumbai, on Sunday, December 2. The finale of the eight-day long tournament will be held on December 9th. Organised by the Don Bosco Recreation Centre, the tournament will feature some of the best teams and players from all across India in both the Men’s and Women’s divisions. In addition, for the first time this year, a Men’s team from the USA will take part featuring three former NBA players – Jerome Williams, Paul Grant, and Anthony Bonner.

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3 Former NBA Players to take part in Mumbai’s Savio Cup Tournament this year!

The Savio Cup - the most respected club basketball tournament in India - will welcome three former NBA players for the first time: Jerome 'Junk Yard Dog' Williams, Paul Grant, and Anthony Bonner. The three will play for the team 'Sportspower'. The tournament will be held at the Don Bosco High School in Mathunga, Mumbai, from December 2-9.

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