COIMBATORE: The FIBA (International Basketball Federation) has invited a 16-year-old girl from a government school in Coimbatore to play under youth category in a national-level camp.P Srilakshmi, studying class XI at CCMA Government Girls Higher Secondary School on Raja Street, said she recently received a telephonic confirmation regarding the invite to play in the camp that includes all potential players from various States. Interestingly, she is the only player from Tamil Nadu to join the camp.
Speaking to TNIE, Srilakshmi credited her teachers and trainers for the feat saying that they were behind the achievement. “I started playing basketball from sixth standard. My practice session lasts for around three hours daily. It is because of my performance in the state and national-level tournaments that FIBA has invited me to be a part of the camp under the youth category,” she said.
She explained that her journey to the national-level tournament began with playing in district-level and State-level games in 2018-19 in the under-13 category. However, the pandemic, followed by the prolonged lockdown, affected her follow-up practice sessions.