Natl championship in city to revive interest in basketball: MBA chief
Championship from Dec 16 will have 6 affiliated associations from NE states
Shillong, Dec 15: The Senior National Northeast Zonals Basketball Championship in the city from December 16 will encourage more youths to get into the sport, said Andrew Suting, CEO of Meghalaya Basketball Association (MBA) and chief organizer of the championship.
“Basketball has always had a big following in the state, the simple example being that every school and college has a court or multiple courts I’m excited about what the future holds for the sport in the state and the country,” said Suting.
The inaugural edition of the Senior Nationals Northeast Zonal Championship 2021 (Men’s & Women’s) Basketball Championship will be held at St Anthony’s Higher Secondary School from December 16 to December 19.
The championship will have six affiliated state associations under the Basketball Federation of India, namely Assam, Mizoram, Nagaland, Manipur, Tripura and Meghalaya.
Stating that the craze for the sport has been on the decline in the past few years, Suting said, “Basketball has always had a big following in the state in the past but had fallen behind over the last few years. With the new leadership in the association (MBA), the members are working towards developing all levels of the game from grassroots to the senior level.”
On the challenges, Suting said, “The list of limitations is a long one, the main one being infrastructure which is accessible to the public.”
Match schedule:
Day 1, December 16: Mizoram vs Tripura (Men) at 9:00 am; Meghalaya vs Manipur (Men) at 10.30 am; Meghalaya vs Mizoram (Women) after inauguration; Nagaland vs Assam (Men) at 3:30 pm Meghalaya vs Tripura (Men) at 5:30 pm
Day 2, December 17: Nagaland vs Manipur (Men) at 9:30 am; Meghalaya vs Mizoram (Men) at 11.30 am; Mizoram vs Assam (Women) at 1:30 pm; Assam vs Tripura (Men) at 3:30 pm; Nagaland vs Mizoram (Men) at 5:30 pm
Day 3, December 18: Assam vs Meghalaya (Men) at 9:30 am; Manipur vs Mizoram (Men) at 11.30 am; Nagaland vs Tripura (Men) at 3:30 pm; Manipur vs Assam (Men) at 5:30 pm
Day 4, December 19: Manipur vs Tripura (Men) at 9:30 am; Meghalaya vs Nagaland (Men) at 11.30 am; Meghalaya vs Assam (Women) at 2:30 pm; Assam vs Mizoram (Men) at 4:30 pm
