Jayasankar Menon: Hoopistani Indian Basketball Hall of Fame

Jayasankar Menon has been crucial to the development of Indian basketball both on and off the court. As a player, he set new records for individual performances with the national team in the 1980s-90s. After retirement, he has been involved with the welfare and growth of the game as the IBPA founder and a coach. Today, he is named into the Hoopistani Indian Basketball Hall of Fame.

Originally from Wadakanchery in Kerala's Thrissur district, Menon got his start in Kerala, but eventually came to be associated closely with basketball in the neighbouring state of Tamil Nadu. In Chennai, he played for Southern Railways from 1987 and played a major role in the dominant Indian Railways side from the late 80s to the 90s that were always the favourites in the national championships. In 15 Nationals with Railways and TN, he won five golds, a silver, and a bronze.

On the international circuit, the power forward rose to become of the country's top players. He was the first Indian to be chosen for an Asian All Star team in 1997, was nominated for the Arjuna Award, won 2 gold medals for India in the South Asian Games, played in four FIBA ABCs, and captained Team India to the ABC in Korea where he was at his dominant best.

Over the years, Menon received various accolades for his influence on the sport, from the Tamil Nadu government, from Indian Bank, and more. However, despite all his accolades, the Arjuna Award has eluded him. He continued to play at the domestic level until his late 30s with Indian Bank. He found himself in controversy when a scuffle in 2005 left him with a 3-year ban on the game.

After retirement, Menon rebounded to give back to the game. He was the founder and General-Secretary of the Indian Basketball Players Association (IBPA), former member of the FICCI sports committee, and former director of Chennai's Professional Basketball Academy (PBA), among many more coaching and operational connections with the game. Menon is married to a former Indian national women's basketball captain, Prasanna Jayasankar.

Click here for more of the Indian Basketball Hall of Fame.

2015 Kerala Basketball Championship: Title for Ernakulum Men and Thiruvanthapuram Women

Although the 60th Kerala Senior State Basketball Championship for Men and Women started off with multiple contenders and exciting talent from across the spectrum of districts in the state, the conclusion of the 2015 edition of the tournament was much like how the tournament concluded one year ago. The championship ended on the evening of Tuesday, December 15, at Kanhangad with familiar faces raising the winners' trophy. With victories in their respective Finals, Ernakulum Men and Thiruvanathapuram Women repeated their feats from last year and retained their titles to be crowned champions of Kerala once again.

The championship was held at the Green Valley School in Kanhangad.

Anchored by three Senior Internationals - Jeena PS, Anjana PG and Stephy Nixon - Thiruvanathapuram defeated Palakkad 57-44 to retain the Women's title on Tuesday. Nixon scored 18 while Jeena added 17 for the winning side. Thiruvanathapuram led by 39-28 at halftime and held on to their lead in a defensive second half to secure the victory.

In the boys' final, spearheaded with the experience players from Customs and Central Excise in Kochi, Ernakulum defeated the young outfit of Kozhikode 54-38. Internationally-experienced player Basil Philip was the lead scorer in the game, pacing Ernakulum with 18.

In the bronze medal games earlier in the day, Thiruvanathapuram Men defeated Kottayam 46-32 to finish at third place. Thrissur Women were paced by Grima Merlin Varghese's 22 points en route to their 50-45 bronze medal victory over Kozhikode.

The Kerala State Basketball Association (KSBA) honoured the state's representatives to India's national teams in the 2015 calendar year, including coaches Sebastian PJ and Aju Jacob and players Jeena PS, Stephy Nixon, Anjana PG, Poojamol KS, Basil Philip, Muhammed Shiras and Joshua J George.

Former Indian football legend IM Vijayan now collecting basketball medals

When Thrissur District's veterans' basketball team needs a strong body off the bench to contribute for a few minutes off the bench, grab some rebounds, notch up some hustle points, and give the starters a rest, they turn to IM Vijayan. The 46-year-old is by no means a star on this team, but he did enough to earn himself a spot on the team which eventually went on to win the All Kerala Veterans' Basketball Tournament in Kottayam last week.

The star of the victory was Sunny Thomas, who scored 32 points for Thrissur's final triumph over Vijayan. And yet, in many ways, it was this bit-playing bench-warmer - Vijayan - who stole the show. Of course, that was always bound to happen, for Vijayan was a basketball bench-warmer like none other.

In a different life, in a different time, Inivalappil Mani Vijayan is a superstar, a legend. He has played 79 senior international games for India and scored 40 goals, starring as one of the team's most exciting and dangerous strikers for 14 years. He has been crowned Indian Player of the Year in 1993, 1997 and 1999, the first player to win the award multiple times, and was also awarded the prestigious Arjuna award in 2003.

And he did all of that for Indian football.

A decade after his retirement from competitive football, Vijayan's athletic motivation has gone nowhere, and now, he finds himself dabbling with another spectacular team sport: basketball. Vijayan joined his hometown team Thrissur, who still have talented veterans competing at a high level in their own championships in the state. The Indian Express' Rajeeb Mukherjee caught up with Vijayan after the tournament in Kerala to ask him about his love for basketball. Excerpts below:

Via The Indian Express

“I started playing basketball when I joined Kerala Police in 1986. I would also play a bit of volleyball. But then football took over and I forgot everything,” Vijayan said.
Ever since returning to the Kerala Police force a few years back, Vijayan has rekindled his affair with basketball.

“For the last couple of years he has been training with us every Saturday-Sunday morning at the indoor stadium,” said former India basketball player and Customs coach Sunny Thomas... “Vijayan was a great football player but he could have excelled in other sports as well if he tried,” Thomas said.
“As far his basketball skills are concerned, he may not be outstanding, but he is good.” Vijayan didn’t score any points for his team but would provide vital support during the entire tournament. He would come in as a substitute and help pick up the rebounds, Thomas explained.
“That’s because of my height,” Vijayan would say. Not one to gloat over his achievements, the three-time AIFF Player of the Year revealed that he also plays basketball during the inter-battalion tournaments of Kerala Police. Ask him about whether, during his days as a football player, he had ever dreamt of switching over to basketball, and pat comes the reply. “Never. Football was my first love, how could I ever think of dumping it.”

Great to see a legend from one sport try and his hand and find some small spurts of success in another. Indian football fans will be thankful that Vijayan didn't switch over to basketball earlier, as he proved to be one of the greatest that the nation has ever seen with the ball on his feet, not on his hands. But we can only wonder how his skills would've translated had he focused more on basketball earlier in his career: could he have become a national team star for the Young Cagers, too?

Thiruvanthapuram (Women) and Ernakulum (Men) retain their titles at 59th Kerala State Basketball Championship

After six days of intense basketball action at the 59th Kerala State Basketball Championship for Men and Women in Aluva, the cream rose to the top once again. On the tournament's exciting final day at Aluva's temporarily-built Carmel Club indoor stadium, the reigning champs from last year - Thiruvanathapuram (Women) and Ernakulum (Men) - both defended their crowns to lift the Kerala state titles.

Thiruvanathapuram's Women's side were led by Indian international Jeena PS as well as rising star Stephy Nixon. After last year's triumph, Thiruvanathapuram met familiar foes in the final once more - Palakkad - marking it the third consecutive year that these two teams had played each other in the tournament's finale. The match was evenly contested in the first quarter but Jeena (23) Grima Merlin Varghese (16) did enough to help Thiruvanathapuram pull away to a massive 47-24 lead. Thiruvanathapuram held on to their comfortable advantage, and despite a 16-point performance by Palakkad's Neenumol PS, went on to win the game 58-47.

The Men's final was also a rematch in it's third year running, between Ernakulum and Thiruvanathapuram, and Ernakulum were bidding to win the contest for the third year in a row. But unlike last year, this was no cakewalk for the holding champs. Boosted by their young talents like Arjun GK (18) and Umesh Krishnan (16), Thiruvanathapuram took an early lead and were up by 38-31 at halftime. But Ernakulum chipped away at the advantage in the second half and made a spectacular fourth quarter comeback to take the lead and secure a 69-62 victory for a three-peat of titles. Shinumon Augustine and Monish Wilson scored 18 and 16 points respectively to help Ernakulum in their triumph.

Thiruvanathapuram's duo of Jeena PS (Women) and Umesh Krishnan (Men) were adjudged to be the best players of the tournament and handed the P S Viswappan Gold Medal. The award of most promising player - named in memorial of P Paremeswaran Pillai - was handed to Thiruvanathapuram's Grima Merlin Varghese (Women) and Ernakulum's Nikhil KR (Men).

This year's Lifetime Achievement award name din honour of PC Thomas (former Coach, international referee, and technical officer of Kerala State Sports Council) was handed by the Kerala Basketball Association to PP Varghese, the secretary of the association, in recognition for his achievement in the field of basketball.

Earlier in the day, Thrissur had no problem dominating Ernakulum en route to a 48-29 victory and the bronze medal in the Women's division. The Men's bronze medal game was won by Kollam, who defeated Palakkad 58-38 behind 16 points each by Rahul Krishnan and SS Deepu. Palakkad's Shabu Kumar also added 16 in the loss.

The best performers of the championship will comprise of the state team to represent Kerala at India's Senior National Basketball Championship.

Thrissur teams lift 31st Kerala State Youth Basketball Championship trophies in Irinjalakuda

Thrissur's boys and girls under-16 teams both celebrated on Monday as the city bagged double titles at the 31st Kerala State Youth Basketball Championship, held at the Christ Vidyanikethan indoor basketball court in Irinjalakuda from August 14-18, 2014. In two close finals, Thrissur's girls scraped past Kozhikode while the boys survived an intense finish against Ernakulum.

In the boys final, Thrissur held on to a double digit lead at halftime, but Ernakulum made a brave comeback in the second half behind stellar performances by Ebin Wilson (20) and Joshua J George (18). In the end, Thrissur held on to a close 70-64 victory. Gokul Babu (20) and Gineeb Benny (17) led the scorers in the winning side.

In the girls final, it was Thrissur who were left to fight back after going down by eight at halftime to Kozhikode, the tournament's reigning champions. But behind a team-high 18 points by Aleea Seby, Thrissur never gave up and bounced back to edge for a 65-61 victory as the final horn sounded. Anusha IP led the game with 19 points for Kozhikode in the loss.

Gineeb Benny and Nimmy George - both of Thrissur - bagged the Best Player award in the boys and girls divisions respectively, instituted in memory of PKS Naidu, the former Technical Committee Chairman of Kerala Basketball Association.

In earlier games, Niya Scaria scored 18 points as Kannur secured the girls' bronze medal with a 57-44 victory over Pathanamthitta. Bronze medal in the boys' competition went to Kottayam, who had no trouble blowing past Alapuzha for a 45-25 win. Jacob Jaimon led the winning side with 16.

Punjab Police retain All India Police Games basketball title in Thrissur

Defending champions Punjab Police retained their basketball title at the 62nd All India Police Games with a win over hosts Kerala Police in the final at the Kerala Varma College in Thrissur on Friday. The four-day basketball tournament featured 25 state/unit police teams from all over the country.

The final was an evenly-contested affair between the Police teams from Punjab and Kerala. Kerala held on to a small lead half way into the third quarter, but Punjab surged to regain the advantage, and held on for a 79-69 victory. India's young international star Amrit Pal Singh led Punjab with 19 points, while Harminder Singh added 18 for the winners. Jomon Jose (27) and Shan A (21) had big games for Kerala but came out on the losing end.

CRPF took home the bronze medal after defeating BSF Jalandhar in a tightly-contested third-place game, 69-66.

Ernakulum (Men) & Thiruvanathapuram (Women) win 58th Kerala State Basketball Championship

After five days of exciting basketball action, the finale of the 58th Kerala State Basketball Championship came down to a few familiar faces. On December 8, the Sree Kerala Varma College in Thrissur hosted a repeat of both the Men's and Women's Finals from last year. In the Men's competition, Ernakulum repeated their triumph from last season by thumping Thiruvanathapuram en route to a 89-48 win. Thiruvanathapuram were able to save some face in the Women's division though, when last year's losing side defeated reigning champs Palakkad 71-54 to snatch the gold medals.

Teams from 14 districts from Kerala battled for the honors in the Men's section and 12 teams in the Women's division at the state championship. The tournament was organized by the Kerala Basketball Association under the auspices of the Thrissur District Basketball Association.

Thiruvanathapuram's Women's team - led by India internationals Jenna PS and Stephy Nixon - showed no trouble getting some revenge on last year's loss for their big victory. Jeena was fearless throughout, leading the way with 37 points. Neenumol PS and Liji Mol of Palakkad added 18 and 17 points respectively in the loss.

An onslaught of offense led by Abhilash (27) and Monish Wilson (20) led Ernakulum to a repeat title victory over Thiruvanathapuram, who were paced by Vijobi Vakkachan's 19 points.

Earlier in the day, Kannur's Women side secured third place in the championship with a close win over Kottayam, 68-63. Premi P. Lal had an impressive 32 point outing for the victors, while Kottayam were led by young star Poojamol KS (19) and Minnu Marium (17). In the high-scoring men's third-place game, Pathanamthitta - led by Nicewin M (28) and Edwin Irvin (19) - outlasted Kottayam to score a 86-78 win. Akhil Mathew Sunny had a strong 30 point outing for the losing side.

The best performers of the championship will comprise of the state team to represent Kerala at India's Senior National Basketball Championship, slated for February 2014.

Kerala's 58th Senior State Basketball Championship to tip off in Thrissur

The 58th Kerala State Senior Basketball Championship is set to be held at the Sree Kerala Varma College in Thrissur from December 3-8, 2013. The best performers of the championship will comprise of the state team to represent Kerala at India's Senior National Basketball Championship, slated for February 2014. Teams from 14 districts from the state will battle for the honors in the Men's section and 12 teams will take part in the Women's division.

The tournament will be organized by the Kerala Basketball Association under the auspices of the Thrissur District Basketball Association. The Municipal Stadium in Thrissur will also host some of the games of the tournament.

Ernakulum (Men) and Palakkad (Women) will be looking to defend their titles from their victories last year.

Participating Teams

Men

• Group A: Ernakulum, Kollam, Palakkad, Kozhikode.
  
• Group B: Thiruvanathapuram, Pathanamthitta, Alapuzha, Kottayam.
  
• Group C: Thrissur, Kasargod, Wayanad.
  
• Group D: Kannur, Malapuram, Idukki.
  

Women

• Group A: Palakkad, Kollam, Kasargod.
  
• Group B: Thiruvanathapuram, Ernakulum, Wayanad.
  
• Group C: Kannur, Kozhikode, Malapuram.
  
• Group D: Thrissur, Kottayam, Alapuzha.
  

Ernakulum (Men) & Palakkad (Women) win 57th Kerala State Basketball Championship

Riding on with their newly recruited players from Kerala Police, the Palakkad Women's team took their first ever Gold at the 57th Kerala State Senior Basketball Championship at the Govt Higher Secondary school at Manjeri. Ernakulum Men dethroned defending Champion Thiruvanthapuram to take the Men's title.

In an exciting final Palakkad took their maiden title as they beat Thiruvanthapuram, who were represented by members of Kerala State Electricity Board, 57-51. Neenumol PS and Surya PR top scored with 18 points each for the winners.

In the Men's battle, Ernakulum - comprised of players from Central Excise, Kochi - had to fight hard to beat Thiruvanthapuram 66-54. Ernakulum had a close 33-29 lead at half time. Monish Wilson came up with 17 points for the winners. Eudric Pereira had 15 points for Thiruvanthapuram.

In the Women's 3/4th place game, Kannur Defeated Thrissur 66-40 with their prolific scorer Jeena PS scoring 35 points. Pathanamthitta Men took the third spot after defeating Kollam 69-48.

The Kerala Basketball Association felicitated the members and coaches of Kerala teams which won the titles in the National school Games and National Youth Championship.

Awards were also distributed to individual players from the State rewarding their performances through the year. Eudrick Pereira and Neenumol PS won the P S Viswappan Memorial Gold Medal for the best player. Basil Phillip and Poojamol KS were given the Parmeswaran Pillai Memorial Cash award.