St. Peter's Boys and Vidyodaya Girls win Chennai's inaugural IMG-Reliance School Basketball League

The finals of the IMG-Reliance School League in Chennai were held on Saturday, December 11th, as both the boys’ and girls’ games were won handedly by St. Peter’s Hr. Sec. School (Perambur) and Vidyodaya Hr. Sec. School respectively. Both teams remained undefeated throughout the tournament en route to this victory.

For the first time in India, IMG-Reliance, along with the Basketball Federation of India (BFI), have been organising a home-and-away Inter-School basketball league system for Indian youngsters. It was first conducted in New Delhi from August 16-October 20th. Featuring a total of 20 school teams in the Girls’ and Boys’ divisions, the Chennai league had tipped off on the 22nd of November.

In the Boys’ final, Gopal from St. Peter’s scored a team high 23 points to lead his team towards an easy victory over Sherwood Hall, 88-66. Sam Sunder of Sherwood pitched in 29 points in a losing effort.

In the Girls’ final, a balanced effort by Vidyodaya saw them blowing out Lady Sivaswami by 26 points, 70-44. Niranjana scored 24 points for the losing team.

Earlier on Saturday, the 3/4th place match-ups were also held for teams both in the boys and girls divisions. In the Boys game, MCTM won 20-0 in a walkover by their opponents PSBB (KK Nagar). In the Girls’ game St. Joseph’s defeated St. Raphael’s 62-49 to clinch third place.

IMG-Reliance awarded a cash amount rupees 75000, 50000, 30000 was given to the 1st, 2nd and 3rd place teams for both boys and girls respectively. This amount was designated to be used for the development of basketball in their schools. Additionally, a cash amount of Rs 2000, Rs 1500, Rs 1000 was given to each individual player of the winning teams (boys and girls), runners-up, and third-place team respectively.

The tournament’s top scorers in both boys’ and girls’ division were also awarded with Rs. 2500 each. Arjun of PSBB (175 points) and Deepika SM of Chettinad Vidhyashram (128) points walked home with this prize.

Scores

Third/Fourth Place Matches

Boys: MCTM 20 bt. PSBB KK Nagar 0 walkover.
Girls: St. Joseph’s 62 (Rachel 13, Devi 12) bt. St. Raphael’s 49 (Divya 15, Sowmiya 14).

Finals

Boys: St. Peter’s 88 (Gopal 23) bt. Sherwood Hall 66 (Sam Sunder 29).
Girls: Vidyodaya 70 (Kiruthiga 15) bt. Lady Sivaswami 44 (Niranjana 24).

Final Standing

Boys

1. St. Peter’s Hr. Sec. School
2. Sherwood Hall Hr. Sec. School
3. MCTM Hr. Sec. School

Girls

1. Vidydodaya Hr. Sec. School
2. Lady Sivaswami Hr. Sec. School
3. St. Joseph’s Hr. Sec. School

Winning and Grinning

It doesn't take much time in getting to know me to know that I'm a New York Knicks fan. I tweet about them all the time, I relentlessly read about on Knick box scores, recaps, news, scouting reports, rumours, everything, even ex-Knicks stuff (shout-out to Starbury), most of the basketball gear I own is in Knicks orange-white-blue (Marbury jersey, Knicks T-Shirt, cap, hoodie, even shoes), and the very first NBA game I watched in person was Knicks vs. the Warriors, in the mecca of basketball, the Madison Square Garden, the Knicks' home-court.

Through the good years and the bad years (mostly bad years), I have stuck with them for the past decade, ever since the Allan Houston-Latrell Sprewell-Marcus Camby squad battled their way to the NBA final in 1999. And ever since then, life as a Knick fan has been mostly depressing. After winning 50 and 48 games respectively in the 2000 and 2001 seasons, the Knicks have been a below .500 team, winning 30, 37, 39, 33, 23, 33, 23, 32, 29.

Worse than those dismal win numbers was the dismal management of the team. Knicks became the laughingstock of the league, thanks to failed owners (Scott Layden, Isiah Thomas), under performing coaches (Lenny Wilkens, Herb Williams, Larry Brown, and yes, Isiah Thomas again), a lot of players who were overpaid, underperformed, bad draft picks, bad trades, or plain and simple, sucked - Shandon Anderson, Howard Eisley, Stephon Marbury, Keith Van Horn, Tim Thomas, Jerome James, Michael Sweetney, Jalen Rose, Steve Francis, Penny Hardaway, Renaldo Balkman, Zach Randolph, Larry Hughes, Darko Milicic, and Eddy Curry.

No wonder, despite being a team with passionate fans in a major city, no one could take the Knickerbockers too seriously.

But things have changed this season - I was skeptical of the 2010-11 Knicks roster when I first saw it, something looked incomplete about it. Knicks missed out on the LeBron, Wade, Bosh sweepstakes, and managed to rope in Amar'e Stoudemire and Raymond Felton. They missed out on trading for Chris Paul and Carmelo Anthony, but traded away their only recent all star (David Lee) for three players who are either injured (Kelenna Azubuike), barely getting any minutes (Anthony Randolph) and didn't impress me, at first (Ronny Turiaf).

But oh, have they made proved me wrong! For the first time in nearly a decade, the Knicks stand 6 games over .500, with a 15-9 record after yesterday's win over the Wizards. They are amongst the hottest teams in the league right now, after having won 12 of their last 13 and currently, on a seven game winning streak. Like 'Clyde' Frazier, Knicks legend and announcer said in one of his famous linguistic alliterations, "The Knicks are winning and grinning"!

Felton is looking like the bargain of the summer, Stoudemire is getting MVP consideration, and rookie Landry Fields, the 39th pick has been the team's surprise glue-guy, and was rewarded for his efforts by being named the Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month in November.

So what went right? Well, a host of things. To start off with the top, Stoudemire has been an absolute beast this season, capitalising on the opportunity to play with old Suns' coach Mike D'Antoni again. He has become the most dominant Knick since Patrick Ewing, and has had a stretch of seven straight games of 30 or more points. Currently averaging 26.1 ppg and 9.1 rpg, Amar'e has become the star that he always wanted to be, the star that the Knicks needed, and an attractive piece for the Knicks to have when other stars consider joining the squad. He is also a true a bonafide MVP candidate in the NBA so far.

There was a lot of talk about the Knicks needing serious point guard help, but Raymond Felton, an off-season free-agent acquisition from the Bobcats, has put that talk to rest. Felton has perfected the pick-and-roll with Stoudemire and has been putting up a career high in scoring (18.3) and assists (8.4). Plus, he has been a steady hand at times of trouble, and shot this clutch, super clutch 3-pointer to win the game against the Raptors a few days ago.

He was supposed to be a piece for the Carmelo trade, but for now, it seems that Danilo Gallinari will remain and Knick and remain shooting the lights out. To be honest, despite averaging a career-high 'Gallo' hasn't been wholly consistent or convincing this season, but there are few better shooters of the 3-ball in the league, and as the youngster gains confidence, he is sure to find his stroke again.

Whether he's starting or coming off the bench, Wilson Chandler remains an enigma and an x-factor for the Knicks team. He is not brilliant in any one thing, but does a host of things well enough to clock big minutes in each game. Chandler has been the team's third-highest scorer and a force on D. No matter what trade comes calling, it is unlikely that the Knicks will let him go.

The surprise addition to the starting lineup has been rookie Landry Fields. Barely known in the draft, Fields, a shooting guard, has become a rock for the Knicks this season. He's averaging an impressive 10.3 ppg and 7.5 rpg, while shooting at a blistering 51.4 % from the field.

Off the bench, the Knicks feature Ronny Turiaf, who I now admit is an important defensive piece to the puzzle, energizer bunny Toney Douglas, Russian giant Timofey Mozgov, who has been underwhelming so far, but carries a lot of potential, Shawne Williams and Bill Walker. With the return of do-it-all shooting guard Azubuike, the Knicks will have another important weapon in their arsenal.

Now, I admit that the Knicks haven't really been challenged by the league's best in the 12 out of 13 run. The 12 wins have come against the Kings, Warriors, Clippers, Bobcats (twice), Pistons, Nets, Hornets, Raptors (twice), Timberwolves, and Wizards. That is one hell of an easy schedule: the only team above .500 in that group were the Hornets, who themselves have been an overachieving surprise so far this season.

But this is when the real test starts. From now until the end of December, the Knicks will face the Nuggets, Celtics, Heat (twice), Thunder, Bulls, and Magic, and their only 'easy' game will come against the Cavaliers. The next week will be especially testing, as the Knicks will host Nuggets, Celtics, and Heat at the MSG.

The Knicks will only be considered a good team if they can get some decent results against these squads. For Amar's push to remain in the MVP race, and maybe for D'Antoni's push to put himself in the Coach of the Year talk, the Knicks have to perform well against the quality teams.

For now though, one thing is for certain, like the Knicks' teams from previous years, this one, if not a great team, has finally pulled away and separated itself from the bad ones. For too many years have I seen my team battle for decency amongst the worst teams in the league. The Knicks will make the playoffs this year, and probably not do much else, but hey, it's all about baby steps, right?

After all, a certain Denver Nugget can't be too far away, can he?

Indian Men's team at the Super Kung Sheung Cup in Hong Kong

The Indian Sr. National Men’s team will be amongst seven countries and clubs invited to participate in the 18th 3-D Gold Super Kung Sheung Cup Basketball Tournament for Men, set to be held in Hong Kong from 14th-19th December. A 10-member India squad, accompanied with a coach and a manager, will be heading to Hong Kong on December 11th to compete for this cup.

The Men’s team selected for this tournament is:

Dinesh Coimbatore Venugopal
Dishant Vipul Shah
Prakash Mishra
Kiran Pal Singh
Vishesh Bhriguvanshi
Sunil Kumar Rathee
Bobby Singh
Jairam Jat
Yadivinder Singh
Ajay Pratap Singh
Kunal Maria
Coach: Keshav Kumar Chansoria
Manager: PJ Sunny

The participating teams have been divided into two groups. India has been grouped alongside the hosts Hong Kong and the Southern California Fukienese Association (SCFA) from the USA. The teams in the second group are: Xin Cheng Holdings (XCH), GCC Group, Thailand, and Philippines. The matches will be held at the Queen Elizabeth Stadium in Hong Kong.

India’s tentative schedule for the group stage of the tournament is:

India vs. Hong Kong on December 14th @ 8:45 PM
India vs. SCFA on December 15th @ 8:45 PM

The top two teams from each group will move on to the Semi-Final round, which will be held on December 18th. The third place teams in each group will play on the 18th in a 5th-6th place classification match. The final will be held on December 19th.

In the previous (17th) edition of the Super Kung Sheung Cup was won by the hosts Hong Kong, who beat Philippines 100-61 in the Final. India finished at 4th place.

The Men's team has recently returned from an unsuccessful but improved performance at the 2010 Asian Games, where they were led by American coach Bill Harris. At Harris' departure, experienced national coach KK Chansoria has taken charge of the squad.

Amongst the players, leading scorer Jagdeep Singh and Trideep Singh are two of the most glaring stars who haven't been able to make this squad due to injury. Hareesh Koroth, and Eudrick Pereria are also missing in this squad. Bobby Singh and Ajay Pratap Singh have been recalled to the Indian squad for this cup.

FIBA 33: A boon or a curse for hoops?

When the first ever Youth Olympic Games (YOG) took place in Singapore earlier this year, there was no sign of a proper basketball tournament. I use "proper basketball" deliberately, because the tournament showcased the large scale debut of FIBA's latest brainchild, the FIBA 33.

Maybe I used correct the "latest brainchild" statement - after all, every ball player alive (no really, EVERY ball player alive) has played a less formalised version of FIBA 33. If you don't know, FIBA 33 is half-court basketball, played 3-on-3, first one to 33 in regulation time wins. Regulation time is just 10 minutes (with five minute halves), and if no team reaches 33, the one leading when time expires wins. Each team has three players plus one substitute. There is just a 10 second shot-clock, and like the international unspoken rules of basketball half-court play, if the defensive team gains possession of the ball, they have to first pass it outside the three-point arc before starting their offense.

It sounds suspiciously like every pick-up game ever played, except with referees and timers - plus I'm not sure if FIBA would be too hot on the Shirts vs. Skins idea.

Anyways, due to the fast-paced and exciting nature of the game, it was a roaring success at the YOG, capturing the largest (and loudest) crowds. Even India had a four-member squad present at the games - they failed to win any of their group games, but beat a couple of teams in the 17-20 classification to end at 18th spot.

The success prompted FIBA to discuss the format at the FIBA World Conference in Istanbul during the World Championships. Now, FIBA are hoping to take the 3-on-3 format to a bigger stage.

“We are all very excited about FIBA33, and in view of its popularity after just one day, it isn’t too far fetched to imagine it one day making it into the Olympics in its own right,” said FIBA Secretary-General Patrick Baumann.

Baumann has even said: "The US will always be able to have 12 players of the same quality which India would not be able to have. But India can have three, four or five players who can play three-on-three and they will be at the same level as the US"

FIBA president Bob Elphinston has added: "We want to use FIBA 33 to encourage more young girls and boys to play the game, to get started in basketball. We also want to create FIBA 33 as a separate discipline, not dissimilar to what we see at the Olympic Games with volleyball, in that we have beach volleyball and we have volleyball."

Is there anyone else here who thinks this new concept sounds a bit too familiar? Let's see, what is that one sport in India that involves a lot of players and goes on for five days? There is a one-day version of that sport, too, but it goes on for hours and hours. People love this sport in our country but the organisers and some fans (but mainly, the advertisers) felt the show was too long and too slow to be enjoy / capitalised on fully. So they introduced a much shorter version of the game, inspired by the version played on the grass-root level, and gave it a nifty name with a two-digit number and soon, this version became so big and popular that those who fell in love with the original version of the sport said that the new version was killing it.

I'm talking of course of cricket - After the Test format and ODI format was deemed 'too slow' for some fans, in came Twenty-20 cricket, with just 20 over games to satisfy all our cricketing needs in under three hours. T-20 has become a phenomenon since, and its league in India, the IPL, has become almost as lucrative as football's EPL and basketball's NBA.

But T-20 critics are aplenty - many have complained that it has killed the soul of the game, or that it encourages pinch-hitting cricket without the classic technical skills, that it has become more of a spectacle than a sport.

Whatever side you take on this argument, it is clear that T-20 is here to stay. Now, FIBA 33 is a similar story in many ways. Of course, basketball's long format is about the same length as cricket's short one, but the intention in both cases is to serve the needs of the our collectively shortening attention spans (I'd be surprised if many readers have actually attentively made it this far down in this article!). Just like T-20, FIBA goes back to the grass-roots of the game, thus perhaps encouraging more participation.

But this is where we feel that FIBA needs to be careful. The 3-on-3 format encourages the one thing that many basketball purists detest - the 'I' not in 'Team'. Shanmugam Sridhar, the coach of India's 3-on-3 team that played in Singapore, said: "The 3-on-3 format made for very quick games. It especially helped in showcasing the talents of individual players."

Just like cricket purists have complained that T-20 has "dumbed-down" the game, FIBA 33 critics too may claim that the new format might be a too simplistic version to feature on the big stage.

On the positive note though, T-20 has been good for other formats of cricket in one way - by changing the player's attitude towards greater aggression, and of course, serving as a good platform for youngsters to prove their mettle for the "more respected" versions of the games.

FIBA 33 scores big in the fact that it will be able to involve more countries, since they will be required to field lesser players. India's involvement in the tournament in Singapore proved just that. Also, quicker games would mean greater participation. And both T-20 and FIBA 33 have been great crowd-pullers, so why not just give the people what they want?

Which side of the fence do you sit on with this issue? And while you mull over it, here is a video of the Indian three-on-three team at the Youth Olympics in their 27-11 win over South Africa.

A look ahead: Harrison Barnes

I like to keep a roving eye on the future, especially when the current state of NBA teams will directly reflect on number one draft pick in the 2011 draft. Obviously, we are going to pretend to have a stony silence on that which shall not be mentioned (hint: seven letters, starts with an L, ends with a T, and could be goddamn annoying). So when David Stern climbs the podium to announce next year's top pick, the player I'm most expecting to be called up first is North Carolina small forward Harrison Barnes.

Barnes has been rated as the top prospect in the draft via several sources, including the one I respect the most, DraftExpress.com. The 6"8 forward is long, with a great wingspan, and is actually listed as a SG/SF on draft express. But what immediately attracted my attention towards him was Barnes' NBA comparison offered by NBADraft.net: Grant Hill.

Now, before the 38-year-old Hill became a model for geriatric basketball in the league, he was one of the most explosive all-round players in the league, way back in the 90s. In his prime, he was a poor man's, less explosive LeBron James, and was supposed to be the next Jordan before any of the other next Jordans.

Here's more information from NBADraft.net on Barnes:

Strengths: Athletic wing with long arms (7-foot wingspan), good muscle tone and excellent body balance ... Kid with a great attitude, work ethic and willingness to improve … Has a disciplined approach. Shows a good understanding of the game making positive decisions with the ball ... Has excellent form on his shot, and developing range … Can pull up off the dribble and hit shots … Does a good job of attacking the basket and creating contact and free throw shooting opportunities … Knocks down shots from the line at a good rate … Gives good effort on the defensive end getting low and using a proper defensive stance … Still shows a good deal of potential left in his game …
Weaknesses: Needs to work on improving his left hand and become equally adept at driving using either hand … Should look to improve his mid-range game and become a more consistent shooter from the perimeter …

As of now, the worst teams in the NBA are already on the 'Harrison Barnes' watch, because their position in the league will depend on their likelihood to get the first pick. The Clippers, Kings, Timberwolves, Nets, and 76ers are currently the league's five worst teams - all of them, except perhaps the 76ers, have a gaping hole in the small forward position and could use Barnes' services.

So while we pay attention to how this exciting season pans out, lets keep an eye on the future stars too... Barnes isn't the only one - players such as Kyrie Irving, Kemba Walker, and Perry Jones are also gathering respect from NBA scouts. Let's just hope we see them in action next season and avoid the dreaded L-word.

And by the way... These won't be the only rookies coming to the league. A certain Spanish point guard phenom will finally be making his way to the States. Ricky Rubio was drafted fifth by the Timberwolves last year but is yet to make an appearance in the league. Rubio is currently with FCB Barcelona in Spain, where he has been dominating. Whether or not he joins the T-Wolves next season is another question...

Here is my near-fiendish ode to Rubio.

Bhullar Brothers transfer from Kiski School

Seven-footed giant brothers, Sim (age 16, height 7 foot 4) and Tanveer(age 14, height 7 foot 2) Bhullar, the Indian-origin basketball players from Toronto, Canada, have recently withdrawn from the Kiski School in Pennslyvania (USA). Sim and Tanveer, who have been gathering a lot of attention from American colleges over their dominant play and potential, seem to be heading into different schools.

Sim and Tanveer Bhullar's parents, Avtar and Varinder, are immigrants to Canada originally from Amritsar, Punjab.

The Bhullars' Canadian teammate Stefan Jankovic is also transferring from Kiski. According to NBE Basketball Sim and Stefan are reportedly planning to join Huntington Prep in West Virginia, whereas Tanveer may be going to Montrose Christian in Maryland.

The American Chronicle reports:

Sim Bhullar, a 7-foot-4 junior, Tanveer Bhullar, a 7-2 sophomore and Sim's brother, and 6-10 junior Stefan Jankovic all plan to transfer to schools outside the state, said Kiski School coach Daryn Freedman. All three players are from Toronto and enrolled at Kiski for the 2009-10 school year.

Freedman, in his second year as coach, said the players' departures were a shock. The players already had been playing in games this season for Kiski, which is not part of the WPIAL. Freedman claimed AAU basketball and the influence of other people associated with AAU basketball outside Western Pennsylvania were the reasons for the players' departure.
"Basically, this had to do with AAU stuff," Freedman said. "It's one of those bad, dirty parts of basketball. It's sad, but they've moved on."

"The Bhullar brothers are going to split up," Freedman said. "There are rumors that Sim and Stefan are looking at Huntington [W.Va.] Prep. Tanveer may be going to a school in Maryland."

The two giant brothers carry a lot of expectations on their shoulders, not just because of their freakish potential but also because there happens to be a country of 1.1. billion people that look kinda like them who will have very large hopes for their success. Hopefully this decision helps them in the long run.

Go here for some recent videos of the brother's dominating all competition.

Chennai witnessing the growth of basketball at the IMG-Reliance School league

After a successful first competition in New Delhi, the IMG-Reliance School Basketball League has shifted to Chennai, one of the most basketball crazy cities in the country. Featuring a total of 20 school teams in the Girls’ and Boys’ divisions, the league tipped off on the 22nd of November.

For the first time this year, IMG-Reliance, along with the Basketball Federation of India (BFI), have organised a home-and-away Inter-School basketball league system for Indian youngsters. It was first conducted in New Delhi between August 16-October 20th.

The teams for both the sections have been divided into two groups of five teams each. Each school will play the other schools in their group in twice - once home and once away. The top two teams from each group will then qualify for a ‘Super League’, and the top two teams from the Super League will play each other in the Finals. Each team will learn two points for a victory, one for a loss, and zero for a loss by forfeit.

The group round will conclude on December 3rd, and will be followed by the Super League.

The participating teams are:

Boys Group A

MCTM Hr. Sec. School
Don Bosco Hr Sec School, Perambur
PSBB Sr. Sec. School, K.K.Nagar
Santhome Hr. Sec. School
Vidya Mandir Hr. Sec. School, Mylapore

MCTM are on top of the group with 12 points, followed by PSBB on second place with 10.

Group B

St. Peter's Hr. Sec. Scjool, Perambur
Chettinad Vidhyashram Hr. Sec. School
Vellamal Hr. Sec. School
Sherwood Hall Hr. Sec. School
Hindu Sr. Sec. School

St. Peter's are currently leading the group with 12 points, followed by Chettinad Vidhyashram on 10.


Girls

Group A
Vidyodaya Hr Sec. School
St. Ursula's Hr. Sec. School
St. Joseph's Hr. Sec. School
PSBB Sr. Sec. School, K.K.Nagar
Vidya Mandir Hr. Sec. School, Mylapore

Vidyodaya Hr. Sec. School and St. Joseph's Hr. Sec. School are currently leading the group with 12 points and 11 points respectively.

Group B

Lady Sivaswami Hr. Sec. School
St. Raphael's Hr. Sec. School
Chettinad Vidhyashram Hr. Sec. School
MCTM Hr. Sec. School
Hindu Sr. Sec. Schoo

Lady Sivaswami Hr. Sec. School are leading the group with 12 points. St. Raphael's and Chettinad Vidhyashram are tied on second place with 10 points each.