Indian Railways and Southern Railway win Savio Cup 6

In an exciting finale to eight days of mesmerising basketball at the Don Bosco–Matunga in Mumbai, Southern Railway (Women) and Indian Railways (Men) pulled off impressive victories to hoist the sixth edition of the United Phosphorous Limited (UPL) All India Savio Cup on Sunday, January 30th. Southern Railway relied on the talents of legendary Geethu Anna Jose to help beat Chhattisgarh in the Women’s final, 76-66. In the Men’s game, National Champions Indian Railways rallied behind an explosive game by Vishesh Bhriguvanshi as they pulled an improbable 91-79 upset over the strong American side, Shooting For Success (SFS).

For his consistent dominance throughout the competition, Bhriguvanshi was named player of the tournament. Anju Lakra, the Chhattisgarh captain, took the honour in the Women’s division.

In a tournament that has been gathering momentum and fan-following over the past few years, the Savio Cup 6 featured six Men’s teams (Indian Railways, SFS, IOB Chennai, Services, Punjab, Maharashtra) and four Women’s teams (Southern Railway, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Karnataka) who played in a league system from January 23-29th, with the final held on January 30th.

Trailing at the end of the first quarter in the Women’s final, Geethu, Anitha P., Renjini Peter, and the rest of the Southern Railway squad began to turn the game around against Chhattisgarh. Geethu led the game with 29 points while Anitha and Peter added 16 each for Railway as they won by 10 points. For Chhattisgarh, star players Pushpa M (27) and Anju Lakra (20) shined in the final.

Undefeated thus far, American side SFS were strong favourites to win the Men’s final as they faced the Indian Railways side who had won the National Championship in New Delhi a few weeks ago. Instead, Railways kept the game close in a face-paced, back-and-forth match-up. Trailing by two at the end of the third quarter, Railways played their strongest basketball behind Vishesh 33), Yadiwinder Singh (20) and Gagandeep Singh (16) to stand as 91-79 winners. Terry Fields (29) was the high man for SFS.

The winning teams in both divisions were rewarded Rs. 50,000 and the runners-up with Rs. 25,000.

A dunk competition was also held on the penultimate day of the Savio Cup, which was won by Terry Fields of SFS. Amjyot Singh (Punjab) and Anwar Ferguson (SFS) finished second and third respectively.

Final Scores

Women: Southern Railway 76 (Geethu Anna Jose 29, Renjini Peter 16, Anitha P. 16) bt. Chhattisgarh 66 (Pushpa M. 27, Anju Lakra 20).

Men: Indian Railways 91 (Vishesh Bhriguvanshi 33, Yadiwinder Singh 20, Gagandeep Singh 16) bt. Shooting For Success 79 (Terry Fields 29, David Jones 13).

Best Players Awards

Women: Anju Lakra (Chhattisgarh).

Men: Vishesh Bhriguvanshi (Indian Railways).

Indian Basketball Game Tape on YouTube

I'm a self-confessed nerd for watching basketball. I would watch it till my eyes are sore and then watch it a little more. No other factor in life has been able to wake me up consistently on early mornings except for early morning live basketball games.

Knowing that, imagine my joy when I discovered the DVDs of all of India's Men and Women's teams' matches at the 2010 Asian Games in China! This was the first time that India had participated in the basketball tournament of the games since 1982, back when India hosted the Games. The teams didn't really return with a record to write home about (1-5 for the Men, 0-3 for the Women), but hey - at least they were there, participating against the best in Asia, playing in the awesome basketball courts in Guangzhou at such a large stage.

So I set off on a mission to burn and upload all of the games available on the Basketball Federation of India's (BFI) new YouTube channel. Half a dozen games are already up on this channel and I will be uploading a few more over the next few days.

As a bonus, I also ended up spending hours and hours watching the games. I have proudly become a hermit, churning out DVD after DVD of this historical tournament for Indian basketball. Yes, the game tapes are flawed: there is no commentary, the camera usually stays in one position, and apart from a couple of games, there are no scores/timings on the side of the screen. It is almost like watching the games in person, but without any of the good experiences of watching it in person.

Still, the games make for interesting viewing. It was fun watching the likes of Vishesh Bhriguvanshi, Jagdeep Singh, Yadivinder Singh, Hareesh Koroth, and up and coming youngsters such as Dishant Shah battle out against Qatar, Chinese Taipei, Iran, Japan, Afghanistan, and Philippines. The Afghanistan game was the only one that the Men's team won, which was also a pre-qualifier to make it into the rest of the tournament. The team was led by American coach Bill Harris for this tournament. I was especially impressed by Vishesh's ever-evolving game: the young Indian captain shows a versatility between three positions and his all-round ability to score, create, rebound, and lead the team by example.

In the Women's tapes, the likes of Geethu Anna Jose, Akanksha Singh, Anitha P., Harjeet Kaur, and Prashanti Singh show up playing against some tough Asian talent. Led in this competition by former WNBA player Tamika Raymond, the Indian dames struck unlucky with the draw, as their first two games were against Asia's finest - China and South Korea - the two teams who went on to face each other in the Final. India had a close game against Thailand but couldn't hang on in the 4th quarter against them. The Thailand game is also a great exhibition of the talents of Geethu. A legendary Center for India, Geethu's game is a feast for the eyes of any basketball lover. She is a glutton for scoring through a variety of moves in the low post, is a good rebounder of the basketball, and her most underrated skill might be her inside passing, through which she was able to make her teammates better, too.

Once again, even though we lost a lot, and you will see more than good for India in these tapes, the attendance at the Asian Games was still a crucial step for development of basketball in India. Plus, for aspiring ball players and fans of the game in India, this is a chance to watch and learn from the best in the country in action.

Are you excited yet? All you need is a bit of patience, maybe a set of headphones bumping your favourite music, and an average internet connection. Go and check out BFI's YouTube channel now! Over time, videos from other major basketball tournaments, if available, will be uploaded on the channel.

By the way: a short recap of the Asian Games basketball tournament and India's performances is available here. Hosts China won gold in both the Men's and Women's divisions.

17 Indian referees currently hold the FIBA license

They might not get the attention saved for the talented athletes on court or for the mastermind coaches on the sidelines, but it is no secret that good referees are the ones who truly run the show at a basketball game. The efforts of these hardworking individuals haven’t gone unnoticed, as 17 Indians currently hold FIBA’s official referee license.

Over the past year, many of our officials have made a mark on the international stage. In July 2010, West Bengal’s experienced ref Atanu Banerjee became the first Indian to officiate the final of a World Championship Game, as he was a referee at the FIBA U17 World Championship Final in France. In November the same year, another Indian referee made the country proud. Rameshkumar Durairaju from Tamil Nadu became the first Indian referee since 1982 to officiate an Asian Games basketball final, as he was the ref at the women’s final game at the Asian Games in Guangzhou (China).

This is the full list of Indian referees holding the FIBA license:

Atanu Banerjee

Sharad Vasant Bansode

Snehal Bendke

Peter Sonthosh Divaker

Rameshkumar Durairaju

John Anil Devanand Eluka

Zanim Mohamed Hashim

Manoj Subbayya Kotian

Harish Kumar

Shiba Maggon

Amarjot Singh Mavi

Rajnarayan Patro

Prakash Paquiaraj Sandou

Somasundaramoorthy Shanmugasundaram

Gens Varghese Vadayattu

Rajan Vellingirinathan

Ceciline Michael Vino

For aspiring FIBA refs, the Sri Lankan Basketball Federation is organising the FIBA Asia Referee Clinic from February 11-14th, 2011, in Colombo, Sri Lanka. The clinic will be conducted by Lubomir Kotleba, the FIBA Sports Director. A part of this programme will consist of a clinic for new FIBA referee candidates. You can find more information about the clinic here.

There are a total of 287 FIBA referees in Asia. China leads the way with 28.

Now, you can vote for All Star Skills Challenge participants

All Star voting is popular. Like it or hate it, it is one of the NBA's major trump cards when it comes to fan involvements, and damn, they do it well.

On the day that the All Star Starters were revealed, it was announced that, for the first time the NBA is allowing fans to choose players who will participate in the Taco Bell Skills Challenge, too. The competition, which tests the skills of the best ball-handlers in the league through tests dribbling, passing, and shooting exercises has been a staple at the All Star Weekend for a few years now. Steve Nash won it in 2010. This year, the NBA has chosen Chris Paul before-hand as the man handing out the challenge this year. Eight other participants have been put on the ballot, out of which, fans can vote in four players to take part.

Now this is more like it! My favourite basketball position has always been Point Guard, and unlike the Slam Dunk competition which has only featured one legit superstar (Dwight Howard) in the last several years, the Skills Challenge regularly churns out the participation of some of the game's best.

So who are in competition? No Steve Nash this time around. Aside from Chris Paul, the other four can be voted for amongst the likes of Baron Davis, Tyreke Evans, Derek Fisher, Tony Parker, Stephen Curry, Derrick Rose, John Wall, and Russell Westbrook.

Excited yet? You can cast your vote over at NBA.com/ChooseYourSquad. I've already voted for my top 4:

- Derrick Rose: My NBA man crush of the season, one of the league's faster players, MVP candidate, and all around dopeness.
- Baron Davis: Will always have a soft spot for B-Diddy.
- Tyreke Evans: Last season's Rookie of the Year may have fallen off a bit this year, but he still is an exciting youngster.
- John Wall: The fastest player in the league, and one of the most exciting players to watch out for in the future.

So go ahead and cast your vote!

Adopted from India, blind teenager plays basketball for American High School Team

I can't describe the different ways in which this story awed me today. Cruising around the internet for any and everything india basketball related like I usually do, I came across this touching story on BillingsGazette.com by Chelsea Krotzer:

Seri Brammer is a 15-year-old girl, studying at the Huntley Project High School in Worden, Montana (USA). When she was 3 and a half years old, Seri was adopted from an orphanage in India (I couldn't find out where in India).

Seri was born with albinism, a birth disorder that is characterised by the lack of skin pigmentation. Her disorder has also caused Seri to be legally blind. She was also incredibly small at birth, but began to grow in size as she grew older, and at 15, stands at 4 feet, 11 inches.

Now, here is the incredible twist in her story: A lover of organised team sports, and especially basketball, Seri worked hard until she became a member of her High School's C-Squad Basketball Team. As the article goes on to describe, despite her lack of sight, she has been able to hold her own on the court.

Here is an excerpt from this excellent piece by Krotzer:

Her parents, Jesse and Susie Brammer, adopted Seri from an orphanage in India when she was 3-1/2 years old. Her biological parents kept her for six months before giving her up.

"There is a stigma that the family is being punished for something that happened with the family," Susie Brammer said. "But they must have cared enough to have kept her for six months."

Brammer now stands a proud 4 feet, 11 inches. As one of the shortest members of the Huntley Project C-Squad basketball team, she holds her own with her free throws and three-point shots.
On occasion, Coach Ron Reed lets Seri play during the closing minutes of the game.
"As of right now, we put her in the last part of the game so she can get a couple of reps in," Reed said. "She stays at one end. It's kind of hard for her to get on both ends of the court."
Her teammates are sure to get her the ball when they can.
"The girls are really cool with her," Reed said. "They will tell her where to go and will take the ball to her so she can make a shot.
"She loves it."
Seri didn't get any actual playing time during the team's latest game against Big Timber on Tuesday, but wouldn't trade even sitting on the bench for anything.

The coach and her parents agree that Seri shouldn't get too much game time all at once — they don't want her to get hurt. Her mom is most concerned about her getting hit in the head.
"I'm used to that," Seri said, smiling.
As a precaution Seri wears a helmet while playing games.

Please check out the rest of Krotzer's article for more information.

Photo taken from BillingsGazette.com

Indian Women's Basketball: Dream Team

So it's Republic Day over in India, and as we celebrate our constitution, we must also note another important crucial topic - the improving status of the Indian Women's Basketball team. Yes, the Indian Eves have had trouble recently in major international competitions such as the 2010 Asian Games or the 2009 FIBA Asia Championships, they are still a steadily rising force, with confidence and popularity at an all time high.

Just like I did with the Indian Men's team last week, I've decided to come up with a 'Dream Team' of my favourite Indian Women's players. I've based this on the performances of the squad over the past year and of the best players in some major tournaments such as the Senior Nationals.

Indian eves struggle with one major hurdle - the lack of height. Legendary player Geethu Anna Jose is the only one in my squad over 6 feet, and making it a lineup where even the 'big' players are around the 5'8" range. But hey, we have to work with what we have, right? I've tried to provide as much balance in terms of size and experience/youth as possible. And please, don't even start with any regionalism North/South bullshit: this is the INDIA team as I see it, period.

So, once again, if I was coach of the Indian Women's Sr. National Team, this would be my squad:

My Indian Women's Dream Team

Starting Five
PG: Akanksha Singh
SG: Anitha Pau Durai
SF: Prashanti Singh
PF: Sneha Rajguru
C: Geethu Anna Jose (Captain)
Bench
Harjeet Kaur
Raspreet Sidhu
Bharti Netam
Pratima Singh
Jeena PS
Raj Priyadarshini
Kokila

Also would like to give Honorable Mention to stars such as Pushpa M, Smruthi Radhakrishnan, Kavitha, Sangeeta Kaur, and L. Suganya.

Over to you: if you were Indian Women's Coach, what would be your 12-man squad?

Are the Hornets for real?

Go ahead and take a guess: which is the NBA's best defensive team? Is it the Boston Celtics, forever famed for shutting down the best of the best with their lockdown D? Is it the Miami Heat, known for swarming the perimeter with their talented defenders and throttling the oppositions offense? How about the Spurs, who have the league's best record and have been known for their defensive superiority over the past decade?

No, the answer is none of the above - and neither is it any of the other great defensive sides like the Magic, Bulls, Hawks, or Thunder. The best defensive team in the NBA so far this season have been the New Orleans Hornets, who have been holding opponents to a measly 91 points per game this season. With the Mavericks reeling recently, the Hornets have played some inspired basketball in 2011 and currently stand in the third playoff position in the Western Conference.

The Hornets are currently on a nine-game winning streak, which has included wins over the Magic, Hawks, and a statement win against lead leading Spurs. Then last night, they went ahead and defeated the Thunder on a clutch game-winner by David West. The Hornets had started the season hot, winning their first 8 games, and going 11-1 up to November 21. They followed this start by dipping in form a little bit, before their recent 9-game streak. Hornets now stand at 30-16, surprising many pre-season predictions.

How did they get here? Ya, sure, in Chris Paul, the Hornets have the league's best point guard, but statistically at least, ever since his return from injury this season, he has been having a below-average season. I admit, 16.4 ppg and 9.6 assists a game are nothing to be scoffed at, but CP3 has a reputation for even greater things.

Those 'greater things' have been happening at the defensive end though. Paul leads the league with 2.7 steals a game, and behind him, the rest of the Hornets squad have rallied to become a force, especially at home, where they are now 19-5. Emeka Okafor has been a strong presence in the post, and the likes of Trevor Ariza and Marcus Thornton have provided good support to Paul at the perimeter.

Of course, one can't discount the efforts of power forward David West, now playing in his contract year, who has been averaging 19 points and 7.3 rebounds a game. Those might not look like awe-inspiring stats, but just like Paul, this is proof that the Hornets are playing at a slower, more defensive pace, which is helping them win more games.

A lot of credit for this surprise resurgence should definitely go to Hornets' rookie coach Monty Williams, who is working wonders with this underdog side in just his first year as an NBA head coach.

What is perhaps most admirable that the Hornets are performing this well in a year of external instability for the franchise. Before the season even started, their best player, Paul, was rumoured to have voiced a trade demand - a demand that mysteriously disappeared soon after it appeared. A more threatening situation struck when the ownership team of the Hornets couldn't afford to keep the team anymore. The NBA had to butt in and complete a buy-out of the Hornets in December. Now, the team faces uncertainty, as there have been talks of possibly relocating the Hornets out of New Orleans and into a different city in the future.

On the court though, the team has played inspired basketball, ensuring that the New Orleans fans keep attending their games in throngs and keep fighting to keep this franchise in its home.

And back on-court: is this team for real? What we have to now wait and look for is a) how long this improved play can last and b) will the Hornets (and their rookie coach) be exposed in the playoffs, when experience plays a defining role? Their defense and pace is something that they have going for them, since playoff basketball is usually slower and more defensive, making each possession count infinitely more.

And then, for each important possession, there are few other people that anyone would have bringing the basketball up the court than Chris Paul, is there?