Basketball is a very popular sport in the International sporting scene and it’s a game which demands speed, agility and stamina from the player involved. Mysuru’s P.U. Navaneetha has been an outstanding basketball player in the country. This 23-year-old player will be representing Indian women’s basketball team in the Commonwealth Games to be held at Gold Coast, Australia from Apr.4 to 15. She was also part of the Indian Railways women’s team which won the National title in the 68th National Championships held at Chennai recently. She is our ‘Star This Week.’

Navaneetha, employed with South Western Railways (SWR), Mysuru, played a stellar role in her team Indian Railways triumph in the National Championships held in Mysuru last year. She was adjudged ‘The Most Valuable Player of the Tournament.’

Before joining SWR, Navaneetha, was trained at the DYES Sports Hostel, Mysuru. She has represented India in the FIBA Asia U-16 Championships held at Pune in 2009-10 and has also attended the Indian Junior and Senior camps. She is the recipient of the prestigious ‘Ekalavya Award’ and KOA Award for her feats in the sport.

Daughter of P.P. Udhay Kumar and P.U. Girija, residents of Suntikoppa, Kodagu, Navaneetha joined Sports School, Vidyanagar and later on joined Sports Hostel, Mysuru in 2006. Initially, she was coached by SAK Basketball coach B.S. Girish and DYES and SAK Basketball coach M.B. Patil at DYES, Mysuru.

A forward, Navaneetha is an attacking player and impresses with her skilful play. She began her career by representing Karnataka in the School Nationals held at Punjab

in 2008 and from then on has never looked back. She has represented the State in the Women’s Nationals, Youth Nationals in 2009 and 2010 and in 2011 she represented the State in the Senior and Junior Nationals in Delhi.

She represented the Mysore University in 2011-12 and has been a regular in the team from then on. In 2009-10 her excellent play in the Nationals earned her the Indian cap when she donned Indian colours in the 1st FIBA Asia U-16 Championships held at Pune.