PNN
Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], October 27: Bengaluru Stallions and Kolkata Victory won in the men's and women's category respectively at the The Elite Pro 3x3 League held in Noida earlier this month. The Bengaluru Stallions team consisted of Aaron Michael Monteiro, Puneeth Chandra BS, A. Santosh Kumar and Aaron V Blessen. Monteiro was announced as the Most Valuable Player of the men's event with Aaron Blessen taking the crown of the Best Young Player of EP3L. The winner of the women's event Kolkata Victory consisted of Vaishali Singh, Aarushi Gupta, Naomi Lakhanpal and Abha Lad with Naomi being the Most Valuable Player of the league in the women's event. Harshita Rai from the runner up team of Delhi Wildcats took home the title of the Best Young Player of the EP3L.
The top 3 places in the men's event went to Bengaluru Stallions, Pune Pythons and Delhi Dominators and Kolkata Victory, Delhi Wildcats and Chennai Chargers finished in pole position in the women's event at the EP3L.
EP3L pulled off a successful showing in terms of athlete participation and the spirit of community as they did not back off and carried on the event as planned with over 100 athletes showing up for their respective teams. This successful showing has been testament to the support of the Indian basketball community as athletes showed up for the league to compete at the highest level. This also speaks volumes on the part of the organization of the league to continue charting the way forward with the sole aim of the betterment of the basketball players in India.
An excerpt of the official statement sent out collectively by the EPBL and EWPBL amidst the league says, "Our aims include the establishment of basketball leagues for Indian basketball players, and also conduct ancillary promotional activities linked to the same with such talented players. We sincerely believe that our efforts to do so will greatly benefit Indian basketball players and the Indian basketball ecosystem. We are extremely passionate about achieving our objective of taking Indian basketball and Indian basketball players to greater heights and have always been open to collaborating with the relevant authorities, basis a mutually beneficial, symbiotic understanding which reflects a shared goal of advancing the sport of basketball in India with integrity."
The sole purpose of the league is to assure all the players will receive a predetermined salary that is attuned to the ideology of EWPBL and EPBL of ensuring a serious career pathway for young basketball players in India. The EP3L is set up owing to the success of other basketball leagues namely EPBL (Elite Pro Basketball League) and EWPBL (Elite Women's Pro Basketball League) that have not only provided a platform for upcoming basketball athletes but have also helped them grow holistically as athletes to improve their skill and give them a path forward.
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