CHENNAI:A look at the quarterfinal scoreline between Tamil Nadu and Chandigarh in the 68th National Basketball Championship will tell you how dominant the hosts were. It read 97-43. It never looked like a competition from the start. There was one instance when Rikin Pethani made a joke of his opponents, literally distracting an opponent with words. “Look, there is a dog there,” Rikin said. He went on to score too. It was easily the best move of the day.
Rikin and the Chandigarh player Ravi Bhardwaj are good friends, so they can joke about this later.But the move was an example of the confidence with which the hosts have played throughout the tournament.Tamil Nadu have always been a strong side, the men’s team winning the nationals eight times and finishing as runners-up on five occasions. From 1999 to 2004, they won it five times in a row. But after that, they had to wait for 10 years to win, managing to lift the cup in 2014. While they managed to reach the knock-out rounds on most occasions, including last year in Puducherry, a lack of intent have cost them at times. “In a national championship, reaching the finals is a big thing. TN have always been strong. But sometimes, it all depends on a particular day. This year, we are very confident and are hoping to win the tournament,” said Akilan Pari, skipper of Tamil Nadu.
With so many players from the state team being part of the national side, there are a lot of expectations.
However, this year’s preparations also have been slightly different. The introduction of Serbian Milan Opacic to the coaching staff was a huge boost. “Having a foreign coach is always special. But this year, we also had a 40-day camp. Milan is also trying to introduce the European style of play which is more faster. So, the camp helped us to strengthen the technical aspects of our game,” Akilan added.While Rikin and Akilan are two of the most experienced players in the tournament, Tamil Nadu have a relatively younger side.
The coach was willing to use the youngsters even in crunch situations. And the newbies have not disappointed so far. “Me and Rikin are 28. But the others are all very young and can run faster and have better stamina. So this style is suiting us very well. It’s good for the next generation of players to begin at such a high level in terms of game style and speed. Even if we are not there, these boys will do us proud.”
Selected results: Quarterfinals: Men: Indian Railways 103 - 79 Rajasthan, Services 90 - 70 Karnataka. Women: Karnataka 78 - 63 Uttar Pradesh, Railways 96 - 64 Tamil Nadu.
vimalsankar@newindianexpress.com