Back from China with confidence

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Elizabath Hilarious had a lot to laugh about after she returned to Kerala from a month-long camp and FIBA Under-16 Asia Basketball Championship for Girls held at Jinan, China. She is overwhelmed by the felicitations she has been getting ever since she landed in Kozhikode, her native place.

“The reception was awesome. Everyone I knew came and congratulated me. There was a reception from the school and basketball association. Everything went fine,” said the tenth standard student at Providence Girls’ Higher Secondary School in Kozhikode.

“In the championship India were placed fifth. We won two games against Hong Kong and Sri Lanka and lost three games. However, the match was a great experience for me as it was the first international tournament I participated in,” said the 5 inch 9 ft hoopster.

Elizabath learned the game from her mother Reena Augustine, who was a former State player. “My mother had represented the state.

So from childhood, I had a propensity to the game. Besides, I received good support from my father and teachers,” she said.

She says that the fitness level and stamina of the foreign players, especially the Japanese and Koreans, were exceptional.

“Both the matches were a bit difficult. But we fought well. They had more advantage when considering the fitness level,” she said.

Elizabath has already represented Kerala in the sub junior category in the nationals. She was selected from a camp of 33 players held at Delhi.

“It was a nice experience. I was able to learn a lot from the camp. I learned several tricks and techniques during the camp. I was selected to a team of 12 from the camp along with K.S. Poojamol from Kottayam,” she said.

The player, who has got the much-needed international exposure, is keen on making basketball her career.

However, she was not able to attend the Under-18 camp for which she received a call recently.
“The public exam is around the corner and now I need to concentrate on my studies. I have almost lost two months of classes and I have to compensate it. After the exams, I will be back on court,” she said.