In a proud moment for Nagaland and the Northeast, Sentiningsang Longkumer, Honorary Secretary of the Nagaland Basketball Association, has been appointed Team Manager of the India U18 Girls Basketball Team for the FIBA U18 Asia Cup – SABA Qualifiers 2026, to be held in Sri Lanka from May 25–29.
He becomes the first Naga basketball administrator to lead an Indian Basketball Team as Manager, marking a historic milestone for the region. Sentiningsang Longkumer also serves as an Executive Member of the Basketball Federation of India (BFI), representing Nagaland at the national level.
The Girls group qualifiers will feature India, Maldives, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka, with matches scheduled from May 25–29.
Competition Schedule:
May 25, – India vs Maldives (Girls)
May 26, – Bangladesh vs India (Girls)
May 27, – Sri Lanka vs India (Girls)
May 29, – Final (1st vs 2nd, Girls)
Both India’s U18 Girls and U18 Boys teams will compete for continental qualification.
India U18 Girls Team:
Aditi Subramanian, Angelina George, Mahek Sharma, Nethra Birudavolu, Vaishnavi Pardeshi, Viha Reddy Jonnalagadda ©, Reva Kulkarni, Jeffrin Anto, Saanvi Kolisetty, Sanvi Ranot, Taarushee Tarun, Tarannum Begum
Head Coach: Sarah Dawn Gayler
Coach: Anitha Paul Durai
Coach: Saloni
Trainer: Manoj Singh Sisodiya
Physio: Reshma Senthil Kumar
Head of Delegation/Team Manager: Sentiningsang Longkumer
India U18 Boys Team:
Aakash Iyappan, Abhyupang Mishra, Arman, Chirag, Fatehjeet Singh, Joypreet Sidhu, Khushnaz Baidwan, Krishna Suneriya, Piyush Choudhary ©, Ronaldo Hopkins, Priyadharsan Rathinam, Shekhar Rathee
Head Coach: Paramdeep Singh
Coach: Vipin Kannan
Coach: Rohit Kumar
Coach: Loganathan Thiruvengadam
Physio: Krunalkumar Rajeshkumar Chudasma
Team Manager: Wanlambok Lawphniaw
This achievement shines a spotlight on Nagaland’s growing presence in Indian basketball and inspires young athletes across the region to dream bigger.
