The women’s team from Kerala exceeded expectations and reached the finals of the recently concluded National Basketball Championship in Bhavnagar, Gujarat.
Kerala are without their tallest player K. Aneesha and the preparation camp has been hit by the absence of many players who have to take part in inter-university matches. However, R. Sreekara’s team performed well and reached the finals, defeating stronger and better prepared rivals.
R. Sreekara led from the front, inspiring his teammates to punch above their weight against stronger opponents. She topped the scorer list with 121 points in seven matches and her perfect shooting gave Kerala an advantage in the tournament. Sreekara won the championship’s Best Three-Point Shooter award.
Sreekara, who usually plays as a small forward, was forced into the role of a shooter and he handled it admirably. “It was a good performance considering we didn’t have any matches that gave us a chance to go beyond the quarter-finals. We were without Aneesha, but the other players stepped in and helped us get through to the final. We were able to beat some good teams along the way. We could have done better against Railways, but Railways had a good team and a good bench and were able to maintain pressure throughout the match.” said Sreekara, who served as
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Apart from Sreekara, Susan Florentina has excelled in rebounding collection, contributing 93 points in seven games for Kerala. “Many of our team had little experience playing in indoor stadiums. Most of us have the opportunity to play indoors when we attend national camp. In order for us to do well, we need the infrastructure KSEB (Kerala State Electricity Board) is India’s leading club, but there are no proper indoor training facilities in Thiruvananthapuram, so they practice on concrete courts at the risk of injury. “There is,” Sreekara said.
“We also need to change the way we play basketball here in India. We are too soft. We have to be strong physically and mentally. Other countries play a physical game. Fouls that require penalties here are ignored in international matches. We need to change our attitude and approach to excel at international level,” she said.
KSEB coach Aju Jacob is not surprised by Sreekara’s performance and feels the best is yet to come from the star player. “She’s an all-rounder. She has good game sense and leadership qualities. She’s a strong playmaker and effective going forward and shooting on the perimeter. I think her best is yet to come.” . Perhaps this Nationals will be a turning point in her career, ”Aju said.
