Nepal´s basketball team secure 35th position in 3X3 World Youth Championship

Nepal´s youth basketball team secured 35th position in the 3X3 World Youth Championship in Rimini, Italy which was held on September 9-11. The three-day tournament gave the players an international exposure.

The Nepali team played 10 matches and faced defeats in nine matches.  Nepal registered victory in one match against Qatar to finish 35th. Nepal had lost against Qatar during the Asian Youth Game in 2009 in Singapore.

Sujan Pun, captain of Nepal, said the tour was fruitful. "The tour has boosted our confidence and has helped us hone our skills." "We played in front of a big crowd and against international teams. Though we lost most of the matches, our game was good. Other countries had not expected such a performance from us. This experience will help us play better in future," said Pun. "The players got to play against the world champions of 3X3 format," Pun added.

The youth team had to play six matches on the first day of the championship which brought down the performance of the players. Captain Pun said that the match against Latvia was the worst match they ever played as they lost the match by a huge 21-2 margin.

Recalling the match against Turkey, Pun said that it was the best match they had played in the tournament. Though the team lost the match 21-14, Nepal had taken two points lead by the half time. The game was tied until two minutes from time but Nepal finally lost it.

When asked about the weaknesses of Nepali players during the tour, Pun said that they are physically disadvantaged. "Our players do not have good height and physique. Our players lack fitness, which is very essential for the game," he added.

Norbu Tshring Sherpa, highest scorer of the match against Qatar, said that they got a chance to play against the international players. "Those players had good physique and their game was eye-catching. We have to learn techniques from them."

Sherpa said that the teams who had played against them were happy to see Nepal´s game.

Nepali team was led by president of Nepal Basketball Association Lama Tendi Sherpa. Sherpa said the tour has given them the opportunity to show to the world that Nepal has progressed in basketball. “In earlier tournaments, Nepal was only known at the Asian level and after the world championship we are known around the world.”

... ... ... nepalawaz