Jr. NBA Global Championship Day 2 recap: Indian squads show fight but suffer consecutive defeats on final day of pool play

Pool play continued on Day 2 (August 7) of the Jr. NBA Global Championship at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World Resort near Orlando.

This time, it was the Indian girls that took the court first. 

After a disappointing loss in Game 1 on Day 1, they began their game against their African counterparts in the right manner, leading 20-12 at halftime. 

However, they had no answer for Africa in the second half, as they were outscored 45-16 in the last 16 minutes of the game. 

For the second consecutive game, Muskan Singh was the team's top-scorer with 11 points. Her teammate in the backcourt, Osheen Singh, who played the most minutes in the game, contributed across the board with five points, eight rebounds, and four steals. 

After a few hours, the girls were back on the court for their third and final pool game. This time, it was against the team from Europe & Middle East. 

After a close first quarter (7-15), the game ran away from the Indian girls. They were outscored 23-5 in the second quarter and failing to make up that deficit in the second half, they succumbed to a 23-62 loss. 

Center Shomira Bidaye was the biggest contributor in this game finishing with seven points, three rebounds, three steals, and two assists.

On the other hand, the Indian boys, after a win on Day 1, couldn't do a lot in their first game on Day 2. 

They were outscored 43-14 in the first half against Africa, eventually losing 21-63. 

In their third and final pool play, the Indian boys were headed towards a win after leading 30-15 at halftime against Europe & Middle East. 

However, they managed to score only 11 points in the second half while allowing 37, leading them to suffer their second consecutive defeat (41-52). 

Kushal Singh's double-double of 15 points and 14 rebounds along with five blocks went in vain. Harsh Dagar also registered a near double-double of seven points, nine rebounds to go along with three assists, and three steals. 

Indian boys edge out Latin America in overtime; Indian girls fall short in first game

Late on Tuesday (IST), the second Jr. NBA Global Championship tipped off at the at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World Resort near Orlando.

August 6th was Day 1 of Pool play and both the Indian teams played one game each. Both the Indian squads were pooled alongside teams from Latin American, Africa, and Europe & Middle-East.

Among the Indian teams, the boys were the first to take the court.

Going up against the boys from Latin America, it was a tough battle and it did require an overtime period but the Indian lads eventually came out on top.By outscoring their counterparts 14-8 in the extra four minutes, the boys clinched a 73-67 win.

Dagar finished with an all-round stat line with 7 steals, 6 rebounds and 3 assists to go along with his 26 points. On the other hand, Lokendra Singh ensured his 28 points were efficient, making nine of his 16 shot attempts, while also recording 8 rebounds, 3 steals, 2 assists, and 2 blocks.

Apart from the high-scoring guard duo, other key contributors in the win were Kushal Singh (11 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 steals) and Janmejay Singh (9 rebounds, 3 points, and 3 blocks).

The Singh trio of Kushal, Janmejay, and Lokendra played all 36 minutes of the game (four eight-minute quarters and a four-minute overtime period).

The boys shot marginally better than their opponents (42.6% > 39.0%). The biggest difference between both teams were the turnovers recorded by the Latin America squad.

The Indian boys registered 16 steals, in comparison to six by their opponents, which played a huge role in the Latin America squad recording 22 turnovers to India's 12.

For the girls, Muskan Singh top-scored with 13 points and Manmeet Kaur pulled down a team-high 10 rebounds but they came up short against the team from Latin American, losing 21-54.

On Day 2 (August 7 local), the Indian boys have a two-game slate ahead of them. They compete against Africa at 11 PM IST (Aug. 7), then they take on the team from Europe & the Middle East at 5:00 AM (Aug. 8).

Just like the boys, the girls have two games to prepare for on Day 2. They face-off against the Africa squad at 9:30 PM IST (Aug 7) and then take the court against Europe & Middle East at 3:30 AM IST (Aug. 8).

JR. NBA GLOBAL CHAMPIONSHIP INDIAN TEAMS’ GAMES DEBUTS ON SONY PICTURES SPORTS NETWORK IN INDIA

For the very first time, Sony Pictures Sports Network will broadcast select Jr. NBA Global Championship games in India totalling over 12 hours of programming. The tournament tips off Aug. 6 at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at the Walt Disney World in Florida.  The broadcast schedule for India will include eight games featuring the Jr. NBA India Boys’ and Jr. NBA India Girls’ teams, in addition to the boys and girls U.S. and International Championship games on Aug. 10 and the Global Championship games on Aug. 11.  The games will be broadcast on SONY TEN 1 and SONY TEN 2 HD & SD channels.

The Jr. NBA Global Championship is a youth basketball tournament for the top 13- and 14-year-old boys and girls from around the world.  The tournament will feature boys and girls divisions, each comprising of 16 regional champions (eight U.S. teams and eight international teams) that will participate in a week of on-court competition and off-court programming in Orlando and also includes one boys and one girls team from India for the second consecutive year.

Three-time NBA Champion and Jr. NBA Global Championship ambassador Dwyane Wade, Utah Jazz guard and 2019 NBA Sportsmanship and Twyman–Stokes Teammate of the Year Award recipient Mike Conley, 2018 WNBA MVP and WNBA champion Breanna Stewart, New Orleans Pelicans vice president of Basketball Operations and Team Development and former WNBA All-Star Swin Cash, and Dallas Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle will attend the event to watch the competition, interact with the youth teams and participate in leadership development programs.

Below is the broadcast schedule in India for the Jr. NBA Global Championship 2019

BROADCAST SCHEDULE						CHANNEL
DAY	DATE	BROADCAST	IST	MATCH
WED	07-08-2019	LIVE	3:30 AM	Boys	India v Latin America	Sony Ten 1 HD & SD
WED	07-08-2019	Non-Live	4:00 PM	Girls	India v Latin America	Sony Ten 2 HD & SD
THU	08-08-2019	Non-Live	3:00 PM	Girls	India v Africa	Sony Ten 2 HD & SD
THU	08-08-2019	LIVE	3:30 AM	Girls	India v Europe & Middle East	Sony Ten 1 HD & SD
THU	08-08-2019	Non-Live	4:30 PM	Boys	India v Africa	Sony Ten 2 HD & SD
THU	08-08-2019	LIVE	5:00 AM	Boys	India v Europe & Middle East	Sony Ten 1 HD & SD

NOTE: The “quarterfinals” are the first round of bracket play - and take place on Friday, Aug. 9. All teams will advance to this round and play one game on Friday.

JR. NBA GLOBAL CHAMPIONSHIP AND FOX SPORTS TO FEATURE MORE THAN 350 YOUTH PLAYERS AND COACHES FROM 40 COUNTRIES AUG. 6-11 AT ESPN WIDE WORLD OF SPORTS COMPLEX AT DISNEY

Jr. NBA Global Championship Highlight Video

– Dwyane Wade, Mike Conley, Breanna Stewart, Swin Cash and Rick Carlisle Among NBA and WNBA Ambassadors to Participate in Week of Basketball and Life Skills Development – 

– FOX Sports Broadcast Includes Analysts Vince Carter, Sarah Kustok and Donny Marshall, alongside Play-By-Play Announcers Mark Followill and Brian Custer –

NEW YORK, July 25, 2019 – The National Basketball Association (NBA) today announced the roster of 32 youth teams that will participate in the second Jr. NBA Global Championship, a youth basketball tournament for the top 13- and 14-year-old boys and girls teams from around the world, as well as the lineup of talent who will support the event onsite.  The competition will take place Tuesday, Aug. 6 – Sunday, Aug. 11 at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World Resort near Orlando, Fla. and will air on the FOX Sports family of networks.

Three-time NBA Champion and Jr. NBA Global Championship Ambassador Dwyane Wade, Utah Jazz guard and 2019 NBA Sportsmanship and Twyman–Stokes Teammate of the Year Award recipient Mike Conley, 2018 WNBA MVP and WNBA Champion Breanna Stewart, New Orleans Pelicans Vice President of Basketball Operations and Team Development and former WNBA All-Star Swin Cash and Dallas Mavericks Head Coach Rick Carlisle will attend the event to watch the competition, interact with the youth teams and participate in leadership development programs.

FOX Sports will air 16 games throughout the week, totaling 24 hours of programming across FOX, FS1 and FS2, including the girls and boys Global Championship games on Aug. 11 at 3:00 p.m. ET and 4:30 p.m. ET on FOX, respectively.  All games will be telecast live and simulcast on FOXSports.com as well as the FOX Sports app.  

Eight-time NBA All-Star Vince Carter, YES Network’s lead Brooklyn Nets game analyst Sarah Kustok and college basketball analyst Donny Marshall will provide commentary for FOX for the second consecutive year.  Play-by-play announcer Mark Followill returns courtside along with the addition of versatile broadcaster Brian Custer, while Noah Eagle will serve as a reporter and Charissa Thompson will once again anchor a pregame show live from Orlando, Fla. 

Supported by long-time league partners FIBA and USA Basketball, the event will bring together the top 32 boys and girls teams (16 U.S. and 16 international) that advanced from regional competitions earlier this year that collectively reached more than 15,000 youth from 75 countries.  The 16 international teams (eight boys and eight girls teams) represent Africa, Asia Pacific, Canada, China, Europe & Middle East, India, Latin America and Mexico.  The following 16 U.S. teams won Jr. NBA Global Championship regional tournaments to advance to Orlando:

U.S. Boys Division: 

Central (Drive5 Power Elite; Overland Park, Kan.)*

Mid-Atlantic (Quality Warriors; Upper Marlboro, Md.)

Midwest (The Family; Detroit, Mich.)*

Northeast (K/S Elite All Stars; New York, N.Y.)

Northwest (Dynasty Red; Portland, Ore.)

South (Drive Nation; Dallas, Texas)

Southeast (TSF Mack; Atlanta, Ga.)*

West (City Ballers; Los Angeles, Calif.)

U.S Girls Division: 

Central (Missouri Phenom; Kansas City, Mo.)

Mid-Atlantic (Maryland Belles; Odenton, Md.)

Midwest (All Ohio; Cincinnati, Ohio)

Northeast (Empire State Basketball Club; Westchester, N.Y.)*

Northwest (Evolution Greyhounds; Seattle, Wash.)

South (Cy Fair Elite; Austin, Texas)

Southeast (FBC United The Family; Metro Atlanta, Ga.) 

West (San Diego Waves; San Diego, Calif.)

*Team that participated in the inaugural Jr. NBA Global Championship in 2018 

Current and former NBA and WNBA players who are alumni of the U.S. teams include Ariel Atkins (South; Girls), Brooke McCarty (South; Girls), Candice Wiggins (West; Girls), Chiney Ogwumike (South; Girls), Draymond Green (Midwest; Boys), Kelsey Mitchell (Midwest; Girls), Kelsey Plum (West; Girls), Nneka Ogwumike (South; Girls) and Miles Bridges (Midwest; Boys).  There are also several players who have ties to the U.S. programs, including Bol Bol (Central; Boys), Danny Green (Northeast; Boys), Jerami Grant (Mid-Atlantic; Boys), Jerian Grant (Mid-Atlantic; Boys), Jermaine O’Neal (South; Boys), Josh Hart (Mid-Atlantic; Boys), Kevin Durant (Mid-Atlantic; Boys), Kyrie Irving (Northeast; Boys), Rod Strickland (Northeast; Boys), Shelvin Mack (Southeast; Boys) and Victor Oladipo (Mid-Atlantic; Boys).

The Jr. NBA Global Championship will feature boys and girls divisions, separated into U.S. and international brackets that begin with round-robin play and continue with single-elimination competition.  The competition, which aligns with the NBA and USA Basketball Youth Guidelines promoting player health and wellness, will culminate with the winners of the U.S. and international brackets playing in the Global Championship games on Aug. 11.  On Aug. 8, the teams will take a break from gameplay to participate in an NBA Cares community service project during the day and a skills competition in the evening that will feature a three-point shooting competition and a dunk exhibition.

During the weeklong event, all 32 teams will participate in activities designed to reinforce the Jr. NBA’s core values and provide the players with development opportunities and memorable experiences.  In the inaugural Jr. NBA Global Championship, the Central girls (Kansas City, Mo.) defeated the Europe girls team 68-38, while the Central boys (Overland Park, Kan.) defeated the Africa & Middle East boys team 60-50 in the Global Championship games. Sixteen players who participated in the inaugural event will be returning to play in the second Jr. NBA Global Championship.  

More information about the Jr. NBA Global Championship can be found at jrnba.com/globalchampionship.