Junad at the line

BIG BANGS TOURNAMENT – WHERE IT ALL BEGAN:

On the 30th of January, the Big Bangs in Bangladesh will be going back to the basics.  They have arranged a one-day charity basketball tournament for boys and girls of all ages at the International School in Dhaka (ISD).  The day will consist of a 4-on-4 boys tournament, a 3-on-3 girls tournament and four other challenging events (shooting stars, 3-point contest, skills challenge, and elimination).

The ISD holds a special place in the hearts of the Big Bangs.  The ISD faculty humbly allowed the four original members of the Big Bang Ballers to hold their inaugural event at the ISD facility back in April of 2008.  The success of that first day gave everyone in Dhaka a taste of things to come.  20 months later, the Big Bangs continue to grow and prove that there’s much more to come.

BANGLADESH HOSTS SAARC GAMES

Bangladesh is going to be the host of the upcoming 2010 SAARC basketball tournament.  The opening ceremony will be on the 29th of January and the games will run for two weeks.  The teams participating include Bangladesh, India, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Nepal, Maldives and Bhutan.  Games will be held at the Abahani Gym in the Dhanmondi region of Dhaka.

The Bangladesh government, FIBA, and multiple sponsors are supporting this event by funding court renovations.  The gym now has a new weight room, new floorboards, a new scoreboard and a new paint-job.

The Bangladesh team has been training together for almost a year now and high expectations have been set for them.  They are in good recent form after a successful trip to Malaysia, where they beat the national team.

The home crowd will play a big part and will create a very hostile environment for all the visitors.  The gym will rocking as the games will be televised on local channels and tournament information will be updated in the local newspapers.  Win or lose, the end result can only be a great one for the growth of basketball in Bangladesh.

Asif Islam
Big Bangs Bangladesh