3x3 National Basketball Championships: Karnataka men, women eye title

While a number of these players are now regulars for the national side, their acumen when it comes to the shortest format of the sport will be put to the test.

The talented Abhishek Gowda will be looking to inspire Karnataka in the 3x3 National Basketball Championships that kicks off at the Sree Kanteerava stadium from Friday.
Bengaluru: Karnataka will hope their gamble on picking some of the most prolific 5x5 hoopsters in the State to forge a 3x3 side will come good when the fourth edition of the 3x3 National Basketball Championships kicks off at the Sree Kanteerava stadium from Friday

The men's side comprises Pratyanshu Tomar, Shashank Rai, Abhishek Gowda and Aaron A, while the women's outfit has the likes of Bhandvya HM, Mekhala Gowda, Sathiya Selva Kumar and Preethi Mallappa.

While a number of these players are now regulars for the national side, their acumen when it comes to the shortest format of the sport will be put to the test. As will their ability to come together at such short notice.

As for some of the more pertinent playing conditions, the teams will play on a half court and the games will be decided in either 10 minutes or the team which gets to 21 points first.

The scoring format is also different from the 5x5 format in that any scoring which happens inside the three-point arc will yield one point while shots converted from beyond the arc will offer two points.

New infrastructure

K Govindaraj, the president of the Karnataka State Basketball Association, revealed that a couple of basketball courts in the City will receive a facelift in the coming months, while the foundation stone for the proposed academy in the proximity of the Devanahalli will be laid not long from now.

"The courts in Indiranagar and Domlur have been dilapidated for a while, and so I took it upon myself to ensure they get funding to be fixed. These courts will have synthetic surfaces and will have flood light facilities too," he said on Thursday.

"As for the complex in Devanahalli, we are looking at a residential academy and we have all the things in place to ensure that gets done in the next couple of years."

Courtesy - Deccan Herald