What`s stopping Sri Lanka Basketball beating India

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Sri Lanka currently stands second in South Asia; second only to the neighbouring giants, India. The  Lions managed to beat the next door neighbors quite convincingly in the shortest form of the game (3×3) where Sri Lanka Reds beat Team India 21-14 over the last weekend here at home.

That was the first time in history that the lions roared louder than Indian tigers. But, India came back and staged their revenge in the final where they beat Sri Lanka Reds and qualified for the Asian tour. So what do we lack?  talent? resources? Or just a bit more organized practice?

The first international tour for the year came when the National Team toured India for the South Asian Basketball Championships. They put up an excellent show there bringing back the silver medal.

So what holds this team back from beating India?  Is it just a hoodoo? Doesn’t Sri Lanka have the talent to match them? It is the coaching staff? Or is it the simple factor of preparation?

The team that toured India had two odd weeks to practice for the tournament, that is 14 days practice for the qualifying tournament which will give us a spot in Asian Championships. The three teams that Sri Lanka was allowed as host to put up for the SABA zone qualifier for the 3×3 world tour, did not have even a day to practice. All the players were representing their clubs in the premier club tournament ‘Colombo Super League’ and tried to continue their form into the SABA zone qualifier. Needless to say it failed miserably. The players representing the country should have been put through their paces together and at least given time to gel as a team, study their opposition and adjust to the 3×3 format even though they would not have time to polish their skills too much.

Sri Lanka clearly has the talent and they proved it beating India group stages.  The players have the required height, pace, skill and most of all game sense. The country also possesses veteran coaches who know what they are doing and courts, where we could play in the daylight to under lights at night. So there is the talent, potential and resources. Which leaves us with one question why can’t we put together the winning combination?

The Association and the Federation is perfectly capable of organizing tournaments with a set of 100+ matches which will go on for over a month and therefore it’s baffling as to why time, energy and some resources cannot be spent on the national pool and some comprehensive training.

The structure of Sri Lanka basketball is fine. The school, club and the mercantile structure is in good fortune. But, what is the future of the players who perform extensively in these arenas?.

The SAFF Championships are due later in the year. With two odd weeks of practice we beat Bangladesh, Maldives, Bhutan and Nepal. Will a couple months practice stop us from beating India? We have baskteters who have experience playing against the giants, we have coaches who recognize the situation.

Come on Basketball make Sri Lanka proud!