Mumbai: Northern Spartans emerged victorious in the first National Finals of the Red Bull Reign, a global 3-on-3 basketball tournament, held at the Indian Gymkhana in Mumbai, on Saturday.
Red Bull Reign follows a unique set of rules, based on the game play of the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) rules where the world’s top ballers face each other in a high octane contest.
It was the first time ever that Indian basketball players had the chance to participate in Red Bull’s famous event. The first edition in India saw good interest from fans as well.
Sixteen teams participated in the finals, out of which 12 teams were victorious in their respective city legs held earlier this year, and the other four teams entered through wild-card entries.
The Northern Spartans from Amritsar earned the opportunity to represent India at the World Finals to be held in Toronto later this year, which will also include a prize money of USD 10,000 for the world champion.
Led by former India captain Amritpal Singh, the Spartans remained unbeaten throughout the tournament and looked a class apart from the rest.
The opening round saw the teams divided into groups of four each with top two teams from each group moving on to the second round. Northern Spartans, Tune Squad from Chandigarh and Delhi, Drop Set from Goa and Income Tax from Ahmedabad prevailed to the semi-finals.
An action-packed final four contest saw eventual champions Northern Spartans take down Tune Squad 21-14, while Drop Set clinched a nerve-wracking tie against Income Tax, Ahmedabad by just two points (16-14).
Spartans once again showed their might in the final, registering a 17-11 win over Drop Set to earn the unique ‘golden basketball’ trophy and the boarding pass to Toronto.
A vibrant atmosphere that led to some high-paced and exciting basketball with a unique set of rules made it an interesting evening for spectators and basketball enthusiasts.
“We are elated to be the first India Champions of Red Bull Reign. Energy drink giant Red Bull is doing a great job in promoting 3x3 basketball in the country and it is definitely giving wings to young basketball players to participate and showcase their talent,” said Amritpal Singh after the win.
Team Customs leads Pune’s charge
The winners of the Pune leg of Red Bull Reign, Team Customs, represented the city at the National Finals. They fell short in the second round, but the boys from Pune played some impressive basketball.
“We are playing together from the past four years for Customs and it’s been a great journey so far,” said Ajinkya Mane, a top performer for the team. “We played and won a lot of matches in the Pune leg and that was a great confidence booster,” he added.
Siddhant Shinde, who represented India at the 2015 FIBA Asian Championship, is also part of the team and has his sights set on making a comeback to the national side after injury woes in recent time. “I haven’t been able to represent India since 2015 due to various reasons and I can’t wait to make my way back into the side,” Shinde expressed.
He also hailed the initiative by Red Bull adding, “Such tournaments need to happen regularly to enhance participation in the sport and I look forward to that happening. Such national level events help a player learn a lot as well,” he added.
Along with Shinde and Mane, the Customs team included Edwin Irwin and Gaggalapalli Venkata Reddy. In the 11 games they played in the Pune leg of Red Bull Reign, they had an impressive run, winning 10 of those games.
They ended their campaign in the National Finals with three wins and three losses
