‘National Basketball title fruit of hard work’

Chennai: Tamil Nadu, which went on an eight-match winning streak, turned its dream into reality by defeating heavyweight Punjab in the summit clash at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium here. The title triumph on home soil was the fruit of the hard work that the team put in, according to Tamil Nadu skipper H Muin Bek.

“It was a team effort. We trained for about three months prior to the tournament. Even when the COVID-19 count [in the city] was high, we did not stop practising. We created a bio-bubble and trained at the Nehru Stadium. Our confidence grew as days passed by,” India international Muin Bek told DT Next on Monday. “It (the 71st edition) was the first national championship in the post-COVID-19 era. The Nationals took place after a gap of two years (the previous one was hosted back in December 2019). So, we were hungry to win the trophy. We received immense support from the TNBA (Tamil Nadu Basketball Association). With future in mind, we assembled a team that consisted of both experienced players and youngsters,” said Muin Bek.

“The coaches put in a lot of effort and the players delivered [on court]. We are delighted [to have gone all the way],” added Muin Bek. Tamil Nadu was too hot to handle throughout the tournament as it ran through its rivals with ease.

On how Tamil Nadu managed to rule the competition from start to finish, Muin Bek said: “Our players have great speed and game sense, with which we devised our tactics. We tried to play a fast-paced game every time. Right from the first match, we tried to put our opponents under pressure mentally.” Captain all praise for coach

Muin Bek was full of praise for chief coach CV Sunny, who inculcated the winning mentality in the team. “The head coach wanted us to go for gold. He is a former India player, so he understood the mentality of the boys. All the players developed a great connection with him. That helped us perform to the best of our abilities.”