News

Another year has come to an end and every passing moment leads the countdown to 2016. But before we look ahead at the future, let’s look back and celebrate the past. Indian basketball’s stock has been rising exponentially for the last few years, and 2015 became one of the biggest years for the sport in the country so far.
 
There were several major individual success stories, crucial off-court developments, and national and international team triumphs over the past 12 months, news that has been good, bad, ugly, or inspiring. It was defiantly   a year to remember for India’s individual potential, as the big Punjabi Singhs – Satnam, Amjyot, Amrit Pal – took big strides to further their careers as professional players. Satnam Singh, the 7-footed teenage basketball phenom from Punjab in India, declared for the 2015 NBA Draft He was selected 52nd by the Dallas Mavericks. And played in the  NBA – D league. – Amrit Pal Singh and Amjyot Singh dominated Japan’s Summer League and, as a reward, were both signed by Tokyo Excellence of Japan’s Basketball D-League
 
Sim Bhullar became the first player of Indian-origin to play in an NBA game, featuring in the dying seconds of the Sacramento Kings’ game against the Minnesota Timberwolves on April 7. 
 
Harshwardhan Tomar – a 14-year-old center/forward from Madhya Pradesh – joined the Stellazzurra Basketball Academy in Rome (Italy).He was the member of India’s U16 national team . If he performs will, he could land a full scholarship to study and play basketball in Italy on a long term basis.

Meanwhile, the NBA continued to expand its presence in India, while the UBA introduced themselves as new players in the puzzle. India’s international FIBA performances were a mixed bag, but even the positives abroad were overshadowed by drama at home, where the fighting factions of the BFI placed politics ahead of basketball. 

Six Indian coaches were chosen for Basketball Without Borders programme in South Africa by NBA  from July 29-August 1.and Jeevanraj Sebastian from CMI Publi School Thevara finds a place among them. Overall, the outlook for the future looks better than the past, and hopefully the smog of political drama can clear up so that Indian basketball can continue soaring higher in 2016. Happy New Year everyone!. 

The NBA in India partnered with ACG Worldwide Group to launch the ‘ACG-NBA Jump’ from October 26 in New Delhi. The programme is set to provide basketball players between the ages of 18-22 from around the country the opportunity to develop their skills and one top player from the programme would also receive the opportunity to attend the NBA Development League (NBA D-League) National Tryout in the United States Over three phases in the course of several months, the programme will choose the best players from six Indian cities, and then, sieve out the best from among the best to train him for the D-League tryout apart from NBA Jam and Reliance Foundation Jr NBA Programme

Our Players

Jeena PS along with Poojamol KS from Assumption College Changancherry ,Anjanna PG and Stephy Nixon from Kerala State electricity Board also Smruthy Radhakrishnan fron Southern Railway Thiruvanthapuram participated for India at the 2015 FIBA Asia Women’s Championship again in Wuhan (China). Mohammed Shiras from  St Ephremes HSS Mananam , Joshua J George from Sacred Heart CMI Public School  Thevara  represented India at  the 4th FIBA Asia U 16 Championship for Men  held in Jakarta ,Indonesia  from 29th October to 7thNovember 2015 .
 
Nimmy George  of St  Josephs College irinjalakuda , represented India and attend the Asian youth 3-on-3 basketball camp, being organised by the Olympic Council of Asia along with the Qatar Olympic Committee in coordination with FIBA.in Qatar.  In September 2015.

Let’s take a quick look  at the biggest Kerala Basketball stories in 2015.

Kerala women won the gold at the 35th National Games at Kannur Kerala on February as well as Calicut University of (Kerala) won the 2015 All India Inter University Basketball Tournament for Women on November 19 at New Delhi which they took after an gap of 12 years. Kerala Women also took silver at the 29th Federation Cup Basketball Tournament for Men and Women concluded at the Shiv Chhatrapati Krida Sankul in Mahalunge, Pune (Maharashtra), on Thursday, 2nd April ,2015. Our Junior Women team also grabbed the Bronze at the 2015 Junior (U18) National Championship in Ludhiana (Punjab) which concluded on October 9. 61st National School Games Championship held at Rajnandgaon, Chhattisgarh also saw Kerala Girls taking the Silver Medal in U- 17 Catogry .

Successfully for the Third year reliance foundation Jr NBA Programe the Grass root programme of Basketball run over 320 schools over It was a comprehensive basketball development program that imparts positive values of the sport to impact lives of the Indian youth which Enable the youth to learn and play basketball via in-school, after-school and competitive programs that Provide coaches/PE instructors with resources and turnkey curriculum which guides them to build and develop basketball within schools. Jeevanraj Sebastian from CMI Public School Thevara finds his place among the Six Indian coaches which were chosen for Basketball Without Borders programme in South Africa by NBA from July 29-August 1. He was able to witness an NBA Team at an Exhibition matchas well as his chance to train under NBA Coaches.

Presence of Internationals coaches from Jr NBA

The Reliance Foundation Jr. NBA program which has received an immense response in Kochi with spirited participation of more than 300 schools and 2lakh children and active support of schools and parents. its a great inspiration for young fervent players in India In 2013, the NBA joined hands with the Reliance Foundation to launch the Reliance Foundation Jr NBA programmes in various Indian cities. In the last two years, the programme reached more than one million youth in 1,000 schools in eight cities around the country. Now, the programme  which is running in 8 cities now end in Kerala  with the elite camp with more than 300 youths participated in two divisions U13 and U16 catogory and presence of Internationall Coaches from Jr NBA  Jadhe Leitto the professional from USA  and Joan Roacha professional from Portugal which were here in Kerala for 11 weeks along with Carlos the professional from Portugal the  Senior Operational Manager of NBA India has added colour to Kerala Basketball which  inspired the youth Basketballers  in Kerala

Weekend festival the new concept for promoting Basketball among Kids

It was an Newexperience as well as an introduction to Basketball for Kids in Kerala  has   Reliance Foundation and the National Basketball Association (NBA) begin this  Reliance Foundation Jr. NBA Weekend festival, a fun-filled weekend basketball activity of the Reliance Foundation Jr. NBA program  in  SN Public School, .Poothotta ,YMCA Alapuzha and Little Flower HSS Koratty more than 2500 kids under the age category of 10 have participated in this 1day festival which was  free for participants, boys and girls between  6-10 years age. This 1-day festival will have kids going through basketball skills challenge like passing, dribbling, shooting, footwork and gameplay.  Participants will have an individual score-sheet where their scores will be updated at the end of every drill. The festival, range will be split in three batches of two hours each.

Jeena P. S Top youngest player ay 2015 Senior Asian Women Championship

Performance of   Jeena PS, from KSEB Thiruvanthapuram  who scored 14.3 ppg for India also was the fifth Best Shooter and was one of the top young players at the 2015 FIBA Asia Women’s Championship again in Wuhan (China)..Her performance was the only positive sign or India as they fall to Level 2 Next year Coach Garcia left India after this tournament. 

Sreekala R the Under 16 Most valuable Player Award

Sreekala  from St Gorettis School Thiruvanthapuram  along with the 22 campers and four coaches attended  the 1st Reliance Foundation JR NBA Elite National Camp with lot of rich experience and happy memories She was  chosen her the most Valuable Player Award which fetch her an Nike Shoe a Basketball and a Bag  She competed here  as part of the BFI chosen kids along with the 140 chosen from other cities  earlier she was also adjusted as the Most Valuable Player of 2014 sub Junior National championship .This  has got a Major attraction as she receive the same from the NBA’s first Indian-origin player Sim Bhullar – who is in India for a promotional and personal trip.

Basil Philip Represented India at 3on 3 world tour in China
Basil Philip from Central Excise Kochi along with Rajesh Uppar, Siddhant Shinde, Jeevanantham  participated  in the Beijing Masters leg of the 3×3 FIBA World Tour 2015 held on 15th-16th August in China. Fresh off their recent South Asian 3×3 qualifiers win in Colombo with his captaincy,

Our Coaches
Sebastian PJ of Kerala State Sports Council was one of the Coaches at Asia’s biggest Men’s basketball tournament – the FIBA Asia Championship in Changhsa, China –India ended the tournament with something to smile about, too. Behind Amjyot Singh’s breakout dominant performances, India made the quarter-final stage for the first time after 2003 and finished at an encouraging 8th place

P C Antony of Kerala State Sports Council was one of the coaches who Bring Calicut University the All India Champions after a gap of 16years

Aju Jacob from Kerala state electricity Board was one of the coaches of Indian U 16 Team that Participated in 4th FIBA Asia U 16 Championship for Men  held in Jakarta ,Indonesia  from 29th October to 7thNovember 2015 .
 
Manoj Xavier from St Josephs School Thiruvanthapuram and Sudheer  from  Kozikode  was instrumental when Kerala Girls took the Silver Medal at the 61st National School Games Championship held at Rajnandgaon,,Chhattisgarh from 20th to 24th November, 2015.

Winny Bestine the Coach from little Flower HSS Koratty  the cradle of Kerala Basketball was chosen as the Best Physical education teacher from 320 schools from the Reliance foundation Jr NBA Camp  programme 2015 he was Instrumental in bringing Gold for Kerala Girls at the 41st   Sub Junior National Championship held at Naskik in Maharashtra on 28th November 2014

Obituary

KERALA BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION LOST THE FOLLOWING STALWARTS DURING 2015.

1. Sri. Soma Roy- 76 years – Former President Idukki DBA & Vice President KBA – 29-01- 2015 (Trivandrum)

2. Tino Thomas Mathew- 30 years- Youth Captain, KBA Referee – PDBA Coach 22-04-2015 (Kuriyannoor)

3. Thomas Mathew -74years – Vice President KBA, Hony. Seretary, Ernakulam DBA 12-06-2015 (Aluva)

4. George Cheriyan – 75 years- Chief Engineer- State & University Player – 22-06- 2015 (Trivandrum)

5. Abhishek Sasi – 28 years- BFI Referee & Coach. 17-07-2015 (Trivandrum)

6. P.K. Chacko- 84 years- National Referee & Chairman Referees Board 05-11-2015 ( Kottayam)

7. Prof. P.O. John- 81 years National Referee & Chairman Referees Board 16-11-2015 (Thiruvalla)

KBA’s Heartfelt condolence

Sri Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan Hon’ble Minister for sports distributed DD of Rs. 4, 42,751/- collected by Kerala Basketball Association to kumari Adhithya D/o Abhishek. Sri. Abhishek Sasi BFI referee who lost his life while trying to rescue 4 students at Kovalam sea on 17-07-2015.