Karnataka Men's basketball team in Malaysia for 3rd Penang Chief Minister Cup

Karnataka State's Men's basketball team will represent India at the 3rd Penang Chief Minister Cup International Basketball Championship, set to be held from June 3-7 at the Han Chiang Indoor Stadium in Penang (Malaysia). The championship will feature six teams from six different Asian countries. Karnataka took part in this championship last year and finished fourth out of the six squads.

This year, the Basketball Federation of India (BFI) has ensured that Karnataka sends a power-packed squad, which includes international stars Arvind Arumugam and Rajesh Uppar from the state as well as two international players from Chennai - Aravind A and Akilan Pari - who were given permission to join Team Karnataka by the BFI.

The participating teams in the 3rd Penang Chief Minister Cup are:

• Malaysia Dragons (Malaysia)
• Zhejiang Golden Bulls (China)
• Chien Hsin University of Science & Technology (Chinese Taipei)
• Karnataka State (India)
• PEA Basketball Club (Thailand)
• Blackwater Elite (Philippines)

Penang Basketball Association president Ooi Khoon Yeong added that basketball clinics would be conducted at selected schools by foreign coaches to mark the tournament.

Karnataka's Coach G Dilip, who played for India's 1980 Olympics Basketball team, told to Ekalavyas that the team was ready to prove their credentials. "The boys have trained well and I am sure they will perform very well," he said.

Karnataka Roster for 3rd Penang Chief Minister Cup

• Arvind Arumugam (Vijaya Bank)
• Rajesh Uppar (Vijaya Bank)
• Roby Thomas (Vijaya Bank)
• Karthickeyan S (Vijaya Bank)
• Ganesh S Gowda (Forest Sports Board)
• Chethan Kumar (Beagles)
• Mufeez Ahmed (Sports Hostel, Bangalore)
• Abhishek (NGV)
• Shivaraj Kumar (IBBC)
• Prajwal Shetty (Beagles)
• Aravind A (IOB)
• Akilan Pari (Income Tax)
• Head Coach: G Dilip

India's 3x3 Men's squad in Sri Lanka for South Asia qualifiers of 2015 3x3 World Tour

India's Senior 3x3 Men's basketball squad is currently in Colombo, Sri Lanka, to take part in the South Asia qualifiers for the 2013 3x3 World tour. The South Asian Basketball Association (SABA) championship are being held on August 1-2 in Colombo. The winning team will qualify for the 2015 3x3 World Tour, set to be held in Beijing (China) on August 15-16.

Team India roster consists of four players - three to start and one substitute.

Roster

• Basil Philip (Kerala)
  
• Rajesh Uppar (Karnataka)
  
• Siddhant Shinde (Maharashtra)
  
• Jeevanantham Pandi (Tamil Nadu)
  

India didn't participate in the inaugural 3x3 SABA championship, which was held in Bangladesh last year and won by the hosts.

Basil Philip has made it to the Indian team for the second time, after representing the national side during the 2013 SABA 5x5 Championship in New Delhi. The remaining three, Uppar, Shinde and Jeevanantham are all first timers in the senior side.

"3x3 is a fast paced game in which Indian players have a chance to compete against the top countries in the world as we develop the 5x5 version of the sport," said Chander Mukhi Sharma, Secretary General of the BFI. "This is a great opportunity for these players and if they compete hard and win, they'll have the opportunity to play in China for even more and greater exposure."

Elaborating further, BFI President K Govindaraj said, "We wanted to give these four players, who worked extremely hard during the coaching camp prior to SABA, the chance to obtain valuable international experience. They didn't make the SABA 5x5 team but all four are young, talented and extremely hard working. They will certainly be part of future Indian teams and this will be valuable exposure for all of them."

Participating Teams: Sri Lanka Blacks, Maldives, Sri Lanka Whites, Colombo BC, Avant BC, Sri Lanka Blues, Nepal, Sri Lanka Reds, India, Colombo Bulls.

India's Schedule

• Aug 1: 11 AM - India vs. Sri Lanka Blues.
  
• Aug 1: 4 PM - Sri Lanka Reds vs. India.
  
• Aug 1: 6 PM - Avant BC vs. India.
  
• Aug 2: 9 AM - India vs. Nepal.
  

Semi-Finals and Finals are scheduled 5 PM onwards on August 2.