Bengaluru, 4th September 2017: The Nepal Basketball Association is all set to host the 2nd SABA U-16 Zone Championship for Men from 5th to 9th September 2017 in Kathmandu, Nepal.
India has been drawn in Pool – A alongside Nepal and Bhutan. Pool – B comprises Maldives, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka. The top two teams from each pool will progress to the knockout stages.
The winning team qualifies to the 2017 FIBA Under-16 Asian Championship that will be held in Malaysia later this year.
India had not participated in the previous 2015 edition that was won by Bangladesh, yet will start off as favourites. (It is important to be recall that despite not participating in the previous SABA Championship, India had still competed in the 2015 FIBA Under-16 Asian Championship as a replacement for a central Asian team that had withdrawn in the last minute.)
India’s preliminary round schedule is as follows:
- 5th September 2017 – India v. Bhutan 13:00 pm (12:45 pm IST)
- 7th September 2017 – Nepal v. India 13:00 pm (12:45 pm IST)
The semi-finals will be played on 8th September 2017: the winner of Pool A plays the runner-up of Pool B, and the winner of Pool B plays the runner-up of Pool A. The final will be played on 9th September 2017 at 13:00 pm (12:45 pm IST).
The team is coached by Vibhor Bhriguvanshi, elder brother of Indian senior national team star Vishesh Bhriguvanshi. His assistant coach is Babu Davis. The team will also be accompanied by manager Kulvinder Gill and referee Tanmoy Das.
INDIAN CONTINGENT
| Jersey. No. | Name | Position | DOB | Place of Birth | Representing State | Height
(cms) (ft & inches) |
Weight
(Kgs) |
| 4 | Princepal Singh | C | 03/01/01 | Ferozepur, Punjab | Punjab | 210 (6’ 10.6’’) | 95 |
| 5 | Binod RAJAK | PG | 02/04/01 | Kolkata, West Bengal | Punjab | 171 (5’ 6’’) | 61 |
| 6 | Harshwardhan TOMAR | F/C | 01/02/01 | Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh | Madhya Pradesh | 199 (6’ 5’’) | 91 |
| 7 | Mani THAKUR | PG | 26/10/01 | Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh | Madhya Pradesh | 173 (5’ 6’’) | 63 |
| 8 | Ajmer SINGH | C | 09/10/01 | Delhi | Chandigarh | 188 (6’ 1’’) | 70 |
| 9 | Gaurav SHEORAN | F | 10/02/02 | Hisar, Haryana | Haryana | 184 (6’) | 73 |
| 10 | Priyanshu | F | 18/03/02 | Shabga, Uttar Pradesh | Uttar Pradesh | 183 (6’) | 68 |
| 11 | Jerom PRINCE GEORGE | PG | 01/10/02 | Saudi Arabia | Kerala | 174 (5’ 7’’) | 64 |
| 12 | Prashant TOMAR | PG | 05/03/01 | Baraut, Uttar Pradesh | Karnataka | 176 (5’ 7’’) | 64 |
| 13 | Nitish BENIWAL | PF | 15/02/01 | Delhi | Delhi | 190 (6’ 2’’) | 85 |
| 14 | Vigneshwar UPADHYAY | PF | 01/01/01 | Azamgarh, Uttar Pradesh | Telangana | 193 (6’ 3’’) | 75 |
| 15 | Rajveer Singh BHATI | F | 26/05/02 | Bikaner, Rajasthan | Rajasthan | 184 (6’) | 71 |
*PG – Point Guard / Feeder, G – Guard, F – Forward, G/F – Wing, PF – Power Forward, C – Centre, PF/C – Post
Team Manager: Kulvinder Gill
Coach: Vibhor Bhriguvanshi
Assistant Coach: Babu Davis
Referee: Tanmoy Das
GROUPINGS & FIXTURES
| Pool – A | Pool – B | |
| 1. India | 1. Maldives | |
| 2. Nepal | 2. Bangladesh | |
| 3. Bhutan | 3. Sri Lanka |
5th Sept 2017 (Tuesday)
| Game No. | Match | Game Time
(In local Nepal time) |
| 1. | India vs. Bhutan | 13:00 PM |
| 2. | Maldives vs. Bangladesh | 15:30 PM |
6th Sept 2017 (Wednesday) (Formal Opening of the Championship)
| Game No. | Match | Game Time |
| Opening Ceremony | 13:00 PM | |
| 3. | Bhutan vs. Nepal | 13:00 PM |
| 4. | Bangladesh vs. Sri Lanka | 15:30 PM |
7th Sept 2017 (Thursday)
| Game No. | Match | Game Time |
| 5. | Nepal vs. India | 13:00 PM |
| 6. | Sri Lanka vs. Maldives | 15:30 PM |
7th Sept 2017 (Friday) (Semifinals)
| Game No. | Match | Game Time |
| 7. | Winner A vs. Runner B | 13:00 PM |
| 8. | Winner vs. Runner A | 15:30 PM |
9th Sept 2017 (Saturday)
| Game No. | Match | Game Time |
| 9. | Third Place Match | 12:00 PM |
| 10. | Title Match | 15:00 PM |
