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Finding her mark

India’s basketball skipper Geethu Anna Jose credits her spectacular showing in the Asian championship to her Australian league experience.

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Indian women’s basketball captain Geethu Anna Jose was the standout at the recently-concluded FIBA Asia Championship, emerging the highest scorer in a tournament that included countries such as Korea and China.

With 132 points from six games, she averaged 22 points per game, 14 points more than the second-highest scorer, Chantelle Denise Anderson, of Lebanon. Still, the Indian captain did not sound too happy with the way things turned out.

“Before the tournament began I felt we could reach the semifinals,” she told DNA. “But we lost the second game to Chinese Taipei, and from there our confidence went down. I don’t know what happened. We had played well during the camp, but maybe the pressure of playing in front of our fans, families and friends was too much for us to handle.”

Geethu played a lone hand for India, top-scoring in nearly every match. She was impressive even against eventual champions China, holding off her markers and hustling nine rebounds. Even as the team tumbled to five losses in six matches, Geethu was the only one who could carry the fight to the opposition.

Much of her ability is credited to her playing three seasons for the Ringwood Hawks in the Australian second division, and she acknowledges as much. “I wondered how I could play against the Koreans and the Chinese,” she says. “But when the match started I got more confident, since they play like the Australians. The Australian league helped me a lot.”

Geethu was the first Indian to get a call from the WNBL in Australia for the Dandenong Rangers last year, but she couldn’t turn out for them due to commitments in India. Her showing in the Asian event has affirmed that Indian women players can match up with Asia’s best. With no one to support her, however, Geethu has had to carry the team.

“My teammates were overawed by the other Asian teams,” she says. “I played well - so why not the others? I think it’s due to lack of exposure. It’s about mindplay, not just about physical ability.”

Former Karnataka captain and sports psychologist Nivedita Rajan is all admiration for Geethu’s ability. “When she received the ball in the ‘D’, it was a sure basket,” she says.

“She was a match even for the Chinese. Her footwork, her ability to bounce the ball without it being taken away, and her ability to push and play, all make her stand out. She can impose herself physically in the ‘D’, otherwise she would have to take outside shots. She’s got a beautiful shooting action, and a perfect release. She’s very, very sound.”

The 24-year-old Geethu is now hoping for a WNBA call. “I think I have around three years left in the game,” she says. “I want to achieve all I can before I turn 27.”

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