- The 21st Best Mart 360° Super Kung Sheung Cup International Basketball Invitation Championship is being held in Hong Kong at the Queen Elizabeth stadium between 13th to 18th December.
- India has beaten the National Team of Thailand 86-65 and is now through to the semis.
Hong Kong, 15th December 2016: Earlier this afternoon, the Indian senior men’s basketball team beat Thailand to progress to the semifinals of the 21st Best Mart 360° Super Kung Sheung Cup International Basketball Invitation Championship that is underway in Hong Kong.
The 2-0 Indian team has topped preliminary Group 3 and is through to the knockouts. Tomorrow, i.e. 16th December is a rest day and at the time of filing this report, India’s semifinal opponent and match timing is still to be confirmed.
India cruise past Thailand 86-65
India has now made a case for itself as one of the tournament’s strongest teams, as it cruised past Thailand 86-65.
It was yet another superlative performance by captain Vishesh Bhriguvanshi, whose 29 points were spread out over the four quarters, and centre Amritpal Singh who had 18. Shooting guard Pratham Singh came into form and hit double digits with 11 points.
But it was India’s defensive work in the third period that swung the game decisively in its favour. That frame saw Thailand score only 7 points as against India’s 27, to effectively seal its fate. The other three periods were evenly split between the sides. India won the first quarter, Thailand the second, while the fourth was a tie.
India (Vishesh Bhriguvanshi 29, Amritpal Singh 18, Pratham Singh 11) bt Thailand (Nakorn Jaisanuk 17, Moses Morgan 13) 86-65 [20-12, 13-20, 27-7, 26-26]
Squad
The 12 member roster was finalized during the National Coaching Camp at National Basketball Academy (Indore, Madhya Pradesh), which took place from 28th November onwards.
During the Indore camp, former Australian National Women’s team assistant coach Mr Damian Cotter paid a visit, conducting special training sessions. His visit was coordinated with the assistance of Bengaluru based sports management company Pursuit India Sports & Entertainment Private Limited.
“Ours is a settled line up and we have been performing well against top Asian sides in the last few years. We are hopeful of winning both our league matches and progressing to the semifinals,” said Head Coach S Bhaskar.
Indian Squad for 21st Best Mart 360° Super Kung Sheung Cup International Basketball Invitation Championship 2016.
| Jersey No |
Family Name(s)
/Last Name |
First Name(s)
/Given Name |
Date of Birth (dd/mm/yyyy) |
Place of Birth | Height (cm) (ft and inches) |
Weight (Kg) | Position | |
| 4 | Bhardwaj | Ravi | 31/10/1992 | Chandigarh | Chandigarh | 207 (6’ 9.5’’) | 100 | C |
| 7 | Bukanere Krishne Gowda | Anil Kumar | 31/07/19898 | Mandya | Karnataka | 185 (6’) | 68 | F |
| 8 | Pratham Singh | 01/10/1991 | Bhilai | Chhattisgarh | 189 (6’ 2”) | 82 | G | |
| 9 | Bhriguvanshi | Vishesh (c) | 13/09/1991 | Varanasi | Uttar Pradesh | 195 (6’ 4.5’’) | 95 | G/F |
| 10 | Amritpal Singh | 05/01/1991 | Ganna Pind | Punjab
|
207 (6’ 9.5’’) | 110 | C | |
| 14 | Singh | Yadwinder | 30/12/1986 | Rasulpur Khurd | Punjab | 198
(6’ 6’’) |
95 | F |
| 15 | Pethani | Rikin | 02/12/1990 | Sajiavadar Amreli | Gujurat | 203
(6’ 8”) |
104 | C |
| 23 | Annadurai | Aravind | 05/07/1993 | Tanjore | Tamil Nadu | 200
(6’ 7”) |
95 | C |
| 24 | Poiyamozhi | Baladhaneshwar | 07/12/1999 | Ullikkottai Mannargudi | Tamil Nadu | 180
(5’ 10.8”) |
71 | SG |
| 25 | Arumugam | Arvind | 28/01/1991 | Mandya | Karnataka | 197 | 94 | PF |
| 46 | Sivakumar | Prasanna Venkatesh
|
25/09/1992
|
Gobichettipalayam | Tamil Nadu | 186
(6’ 1”) |
85 | G/F |
| 66 | Pari | Akilan | 20/07/1989
|
Chennai | Tamil Nadu | 180
(5’ 10.8’’)
|
70 | PG |
*PG – Point Guard / Feeder, G – Guard, F – Forward, G/F – Wing, PF – Power Forward, C – Centre, PF/C – Post
13) Head Coach: Bhaskar Sappaniambalam
14) Assistant Coach: Srinivasa Murthy
15) Physio: Raj Kumar Dubey
16) Team Manager: Ashok Kumar Sahu
17) Referee: Rakesh Ramalingaiah
About the Super Kung Sheung Cup International Championship
The 21st edition of the Super Kung Sheung Cup will be played at the Queen Elizabeth Stadium, Hong Kong.
Participants
- National Team of India
- National Team of Malaysia
- National Team of Singapore
- National Team of Thailand
- Southern California Fukienese Association Basketball Team (USA)
- Guangxi Wei Zhuang Basketball Club, China
- National Team of Hong Kong, SCAA
- National Team of Hong Kong, Eastern Long Lions
- National Team of Hong Kong, Winling
Format
The 9 participating teams are split into three groups (A, B & C). The initial stage is being played in the typical round robin fashion. The best team in each group and the 2nd best team among the remaining teams qualify for the semi-finals.
Groupings
Group 1: National Team of Malaysia, Guangxi Wei Zhuang Basketball Club (China), National Team of Hong Kong (Eastern Long Lions)
Group 2: National Team of Hong Kong (SCAA), National Team of Singapore, Southern California Fukienese Association Basketball Team (USA)
Group 3: National Team of Thailand, National Team of India, National Team of Hong Kong (Winling)
Immediate history
Southern California Fukienese Association won the 20th Super Kung Sheung Cup 2015.
India’s History at the Championship
India last participated in the 17th iteration of the Championship in 2010 and reached the semifinals, before eventually finishing fourth, behind SC Fukienese Association, Philippines and Hong Kong.
About Basketball Federation of India
The Basketball Federation of India or BFI is the governing and controlling body of basketball in India, and is responsible for the development and promotion of the sport at all levels. BFI has been involved in conducting camps, clinics, events, and training sessions at its academies for the development of basketball. BFI came into being in 1935 and took complete control over Indian basketball in 1950. Prior to that time, the Indian Olympic Association handled the conduct of Indian basketball championships. Since 1950, the BFI has been conducting various such championships, from the grassroots to senior team participation in international tournaments. In addition, the BFI has been responsible for the establishment of strong sub-junior and junior level programs. The BFI has to its credit produced several international players of repute, among them 17 have been bestowed with the honour of Arjuna Awards. Earlier in June 2015, 19-year-old Satnam Singh Bhamara made history by becoming the first Indian national to be drafted by an NBA team, when he was selected by the Dallas Mavericks.
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