India hoping Poiyamozhi can lead team to improvement

NEW DEHLI (2016 FIBA Asia U18 Championship) - India enter the 2016 FIBA Asia U18 Championship with high hopes but the realistic goal of improving on their recent results - counting heavily on promising talent Baladhaneshwar Poiyamozhi.

India have finished 13th in four of the last five FIBA Asia U18 Championships with a 10th place finish in 2012. A higher placing in the 12-team tournament is the aim heading to Tehran from 22-31 July. 

"We are expecting to improve our position and do better than the 13th position we have been maintaining for a while," head coach Dilip Gurumurthy said. "With a very good qualifying round we are looking at at least a Quarter-Final round finish."

Gurumurthy said adding more scrimmage games prior to the tournament will be critical for his players to get ready for the U18s, where India will face China, Chinese Taipei, Philippines, Iraq and Thailand. 

Poiyamozhi could be India’s future leader and he knows that too. But he knows that there is time for that as well. There are expectations from him as we see him playing for the Indian senior team in the next two or three years but we are seeing to it that it does not get to his head. - Gurumurthy

The coach is aware that India were not really challenged in qualifying from the SABA Championship, easing past Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Nepal. 

"That is true but the team is very well aware of the challenges they will have to face at the FIBA Asia U18s as some of the players represented India at the FIBA Asia U16s last year in Jakarta," Gurumurthy saidne of those players is Poiyamozhi, who captained the U16 team and averaged 24.8 points, 6.2 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 3.2 steals. The 1.81m forward will be a year younger than the rest of the competition but Gurumurthy does not believe that will make an impact.

"Bala may be young, but he has a very matured game," the coach said. "He has the quality to shoulder the responsibility and is very good in transition. Unwanted moves may be his weakness, which is being worked upon. He is a team player and everybody agrees that he should be captain." 

Poiyamozhi had the opportunity to take part in the recent Basketball Without Borders Asia Camp 2016 in Melbourne, Australia. The coach said it was a valuable learning experience for him - and also for his India teammates.

We are expecting to improve our position and do better than the 13th position we have been maintaining for a while. With a very good qualifying round we are looking at at least a Quarter-Final round finish. - Gurumurthy

"Individual defence and assisted defence were the key lessons taught at the BWB Asia Camp 2016,” Gurumurthy said. "These are useful defence techniques and we’re trying hard for Bala and the team to implement these plays on court in the game." 

Indian basketball officials think quite highly of the Ullikkottai Mannargudi native.

"He could be India's future leader and he knows that too. But he knows that there is time for that as well," Gurumurthy said. "There are expectations from him as we see him playing for the Indian senior team in the next two or three years but we are seeing to it that it does not get to his head. His confidence is very high and he could be an ever better player in the coming years."

While Gurumurthy expects big things from Poiyamozhi, he remains realistic about India's chances in Teheran.

"Our current aim is to do better than our previous results in the FIBA Asia U18s. If we do qualify for the 2017 FIBA U19 World Championship, then that would be a cherry on the cake moment," added the coach.

FIBA