New Delhi, March 25 (IANS) Nehru World School, Delhi, claimed the Under-14 boys title while Sacred Heart Sr. Secondary School, Ludhiana, bagged the U-14 girls crown in the 2025-26 ACG Jr. NBA 3v3 National Tournament, India’s largest school-based basketball program in New Delhi on Wednesday.
Maharana Pratap International School, Prayagraj, finished 1st runner-up, while ITM Global School, Indore, ended up as the 2nd runner-up in the U-14 section as the competition drew to a successful close.
In the girls' section, Providence Girls Higher Secondary School from Kochi, ended as the 1st runner-up, while Ma Sharda Public School of Prayagraj, took the 2nd runner-up position.
The ACG Jr. NBA 3v3 National Finals marked the culmination of regional tournaments that were held in ten cities across India – Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Guwahati, Indore, Kochi, Ludhiana, Mumbai, Prayagraj, and Udaipur. This year’s program saw participation from ~8000 kids across 900+ schools in India. The tournament was held in association with the Basketball Federation of India (BFI), with Skechers, the global performance and lifestyle footwear and apparel brand, serving as the official kit partner, providing high-quality gear for the participants.
In the ACG Jr. NBA 3v3 All-Star Championship, the Bengaluru All-Star Team secured the girls’ title, while the Delhi All-Star Team took home the boys’ crown. In the ‘ACG Most Improved Team’ category, The Shishukunj International School, Indore (U-14 Girls) and SK School, Udaipur (U-14 Boys) were recognised for their exceptional growth and development throughout the tournament.
For their outstanding performances, Jiya Sodhi, Sacred Heart Sr. Sec. School, Ludhiana (U-14 Girls) and Jatin Sharma, Nehru World School, Delhi (U-14 Boys) were honoured with the ‘Most Valuable Player’ award.
Among individual highlights, Dhruvi Pisal from the Mumbai All-Star team (U-14 Girls) emerged as the top scorer with 71 points, while P. Antara Rao from Ma Shardha Public School recorded the most 3-pointers (21). In the U-14 Boys' category, Mohd. Sameer from Maharana Partap Inter College from Prayagraj dominated with 97 points and 28 three-pointers.
The six-day National Finals, held from March 19-24, 2026, at the KD Jadhav Indoor Arena, New Delhi, featured a dynamic mix of on-court competition and off-court engagement, including a trophy reveal and an interactive engagement zone for all players. Additionally, the event hosted an ACG Jr. NBA Referee Clinic led by former NBA G League and Basketball Africa League (BAL) referee Greg Dandridge, offering officials a valuable opportunity to enhance their skills. An ACG Jr. NBA Coaches Clinic conducted by Martin Clarke, Technical Director, HPC – India Basketball League, and Jake Jobling, Head Coach Men’s Basketball, HPC – India Basketball League, further enriched the program.
The ACG Jr. NBA program continues to teach the fundamentals and values of basketball to positively impact the lives of Indian youth. Since its launch in India in 2013, the Jr. NBA program has reached more than 15 million youth and 15,000 physical education instructors in 35 cities across the country.
The ACG Jr. NBA program is part of the NBA’s broader grassroots basketball development efforts in India that also include NBA Basketball School – a network of tuition-based basketball development programs in 13 cities for male and female players ages 6-18.
--IANS
bsk/