KUWAIT CITY, May 1: A long eight-day journey of basketball conducted by the Indian Basketball Association (IBA), Kuwait from April 18 to April 26 April ended successfully with a wholesome participation of more than 1,000 school athletes for the Thomas Chandy Ever Rolling trophy.
D.K. Dileep General Secretary of IBA and all executive members of IBA and Chief Guest Dr. Betty Chandy released the annual souvenir – BASK-IN 24.

Approximately 200 athletes from the ‘Open’ men and women category contested for the Susamma Elanjickal Memorial Ever Rolling Trophy and the Koshy Elanjickal Memorial Everolling Trophy.
The basketball floodlight court of UIIS echoed with the cheers and applause of athletes, braving the scorching heat as they aimed for slam dunks and layups. IBA has long been committed to nurturing budding athletes, instilling in them the fundamentals and intricacies of the game, and fostering a spirit of sportsmanship that extends beyond the court.

The school-level matches and the Open category men’s and women’s matches were fiercely contested in a league-cum-knockout format to determine the champions in various categories. Every player gave their all, striving to taste the sweet victory of success. The 8-year consecutive champions UIS fought hard to defend their title.

The closing ceremony was graced by a distinguished array of guests, including Dr. Betty Chandy, Academic Vice Chairperson of the Group of Schools, Dr. Toby Chandy, Vice Chairman of the Finance - Group of Schools, and Joel Jacob, Executive Administrator of the Group of Schools, among others.
The final matches commenced with the Street Squad Men’s team emerging victorious, with Crusaders as runners-up and DBO in third place. In the Women’s category, DBO claimed the top spot, followed by Chosen Ones as runners-up and DBO (B) in third place.

Guests of honor, including Faisal Hamza, General Manager of Metro Medicals, and K.S. Varghese, MD of Gulf Advanced Trading, added to the festive atmosphere.
The IBA fraternity expresses gratitude to all those who supported the event, including medical support teams, food vendors, and generous sponsors like the United Group of Schools, Metro Medicals, GAT, and others.

Special award winners:
Most Valuable Player Boys U10 – Biyon (UIS); Most Valuable Player Boys U12 – Jewel (IEAS); Most Valuable Player Boys U14 - Rayan (IEAS); Most Valuable Player Boys U16 – Ishan (UIS); Most Valuable Player Boys U19- Nehal (UIS); Most Promising Player Boys U10 – Davis (UIS); Most Promising Player Boys U12 – Bosco (IEAS); Most Promising Player Boys U14 – Showin (IEAS); Most Promising Player Boys U16 – Thanmay (IEAS); Most Promising Player Boys U19 – Jay (ICSK Sr); Most Valuable Player Girls U10 – Liyana (UIS); Most Valuable Player Girls U12 – Maame(IEAS); Most Valuable Player Girls U14 – Richa (UIS); Most Valuable Player Girls U16 – Shahina (IEAS); Most Valuable Player Girls U19 –Sydelle (IEAS); Most Promising Player Girls U10 – Jiya (UIIS); Most Promising Player Girls U12 – Gabriella (IEAS); Most Promising Player Girls U14 – Benita (UIS); Most Promising Player Girls U16 – Yanichelle (IEAS) and Most Promising Player Girls U19 – Niorra (IEAS)

The following are the results of schools standings in their respective categories:
Under 10 boys – UIS winner, UIIS ‘A’ first runner-up; UIIS ‘B’ second runner-up, DPS third runner-up; Under 12 boys – IEAS winner, UIS first runner-up, ISEK second runner-up, UIS ‘B’ third runner-up; Under 14 boys – IEAS winner, UIS ‘A’ first runner-up, ICSK ‘A’ second runner-up, UIS ‘B’ third runner-up; Under 16 boys – IEAS winner, UIS first runner-up, ICSK ‘Sr’ second runner-up, IES third runner-up; Under 19 Boys UIS winner, ICSK ‘Sr’, Al-Amal second runner-up, IES third runner-up.

By Paul Francis X. Fernandes
Arab Times/Al-Seyassah Staff