Tamil Nadu will have a strong representation at the 24th Fiba Asia basketball championship that begins at Omura (Japan) on August 21.

Southern Railway’s Geethu Anna Jose, Anitha Pauldurai and S. Kokila are part of the Indian women’s team while Michael Vino and S. Somasundaram will officiate at the premier continental event.

After playing key roles in India earning the elite Level I status in 2007, Geethu and Anitha once again did their part well when Chennai played host to the championship in 2009, but their efforts went in vain as India lost all the five league games and finished at the bottom of Level I.

However the team rose to the occasion in the relegation play-off against Malaysia to keep their elite status.

In the ensuing edition India are starting their campaign against Chinese Taipei on August 21.

Defending champions China, Japan, Korea and Lebanon are the other teams in Level I.

Seasoned Anitha, who will be playing her sixth Asian championship, says the team is brimming with confidence especially after a good show at the recently-concluded Williams Jones Cup in Chinese Taiperi where they finished fourth.

“We did not get to play any tournament to prepare for the last edition in Chennai. But the Jones Cup has given us good match practice. The victory against South Korea’s second rung team has boosted our confidence. Their second string side is as good as the other Asian heavyweights,” said Anitha, who top-scored with 24 points in the upset win over the hosts.

Anitha said the newly appointed US coach Pete Gaudet has made a huge change to the team’s approach.

“I have been part of the India squad for more than a decade. Pete is the best coach I have played under. Within a few days of taking charge, he could assess the strength and weakness of the players. The team’s defensive strength has improved by leaps and bounds,” added the 26-year-old Tirunelveli-born.

Anitha said the team’s target is to reach semifinals. “For that we have to beat at least two teams in five matches. We fancy our chances against Lebanon and Chinese Taipei,” she said.

Kokila, who plays forward, is excited to play her first Asian championship. “It’s been my dream. It would be a great experience to play against the big names. I am going to make full use of this opportunity and learn as much as possible,” said Kokila, who was nurtured by Chennai-based Rising Star Club.

The winners of the championship will be guaranteed a berth in the 2012 London Olympics. The teams finishing second and third will qualify to represent the continent in the Olympic qualifiers.

Squad: Akanksha Singh (Delhi), Anitha Paul Durai (Railways, TN), Bharti (Railways), Geethu Anna Jose (Railways, TN), Harjeet Kaur (Delhi), Kruthika Lakshman (Karnataka), Kokila Subramani (TN), Prashanti Singh (Delhi), Pushpa Maddu (Railways), Raspreet Sidhu (Delhi), Shireen Vijay Limaye (Maharashtra), Smruthi Radhakrishnan (Railways).

*Head coach: Pete Gaudet. Assistant coach: Abdul Hamid Khan. Trainer: Gopika Vijay Kachare.

*Physiotherapist: Sudhir Singh Rathore. Referees: Ceciline Michael Vino (Railways), Vincent Francis Victor, SS Somasundaram.

*Teams (Level I): China, India, Japan, Korea, Chinese Taipei and Lebanon.

*Level II: Malaysia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Sri Lanka, Indonesia and Singapore.

India’s schedule

*Aug. 21 - Chinese Taipei
*Aug. 22 - South Korea
*Aug. 23 - China
*Aug. 24 - Japan
*Aug. 25 - Lebanon

Somasundaram, Vino to officiate

Nagercoil’s Vino, who works at the Railway Employees Co-Operative Credit Society, has been invited to officiate in Japan along with Coimbatore’s Somasundaram.

Vino, an experienced referee, was part of the officials in Chennai edition and has also officiated in three India-New Zealand basketball test matches at Auckland in 2006.