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India’s under-18 women’s squad have qualified for the 21st U18 Women’s FIBA Asia Championship, set to be held in Johor Bahru, Malaysia, from September 29 – October 6, 2012. 12 teams will be taking part in the competition. India have been placed in ‘Level II’ in the tournament, along with Hong Kong, Kazakhstan, Singapore, Sri Lanka, and Uzbekistan.
China, Korea, Japan, Chinese Taipei, Malaysia, and Thailand have been placed in ‘Level I’ of the tournament. China are the reigning champions, as they won the 2010 version of the championship in Surat Thani, Thailand. China has won seven of the last eight U18 Women’s FIBA ABC’s.
India finished at 8th place in Surat Thani.
The Basketball Federation of India (BFI) had conducted two national training camps in the long preparation for this championship. The first one was held at the IG Stadium in New Delhi in January-February, and the second one at the SAI Center in Bangalore from August-September.
Recently, the BFI announced the 12-member squad that will be representing India this year in Johor Bahru:
- Sangeeta Kaur
- Rini Chirayath Lawrance
- Madhu Kumari
- Shireen Vijay Limaye
- Anjana Daisy Ekka
- Anjana Prasannan Geetha
- Jeena Palanilkumkalayil Skaria
- Sharanjeet Kaur
- Krittika Rajeev Divadkar
- Poonam Chaturvedi
- Rajapriyadharshini Rajaganapathi
- Sneha Sanjay Rajguru
- Head Coach: Harjinder Singh Simak
- Assistant Coach: Shiba Maggon
India’s Preliminary Round Schedule:
September 29: India vs. SingaporeSeptember 30: India vs. KazakhstanOctober 1 India vs. Hong KongOctober 2: India vs. UzbekistanOctober 3: India vs. Sri Lanka
India’s squad has been in Dongguan, China, since September 19 to take part in friendly practice games against teams in Dongguan and Guangzhou.
Roopam Sharma, the CEO of the BFI, said, “BFI will send our young women on an exposure trip to the Chinese Basketball Association’s Dungguan Basketball School prior to the Championship so the players are able to gain valuable experience by playing against top foreign opponents, resulting in a better performance at the 21st FIBA U-18 Championship for Women. Our team is not only showcasing their hard work but also representing the faith of Indians in this tournament.”
