New basket ball courts gifted to BITS Pilani by its alumnus

Two newly built state of the art basket ball courts with 8 layered Latex synthetic flooring system, padded umbrella poles with dunking ring facility, electronic score displays, new lighting system and new pavilions were gifted to the Institute by Mr M. P. Sharma, an alumnus of 1967 batch and Founder of Techmart retail chain which has presence in 16 countries of Middle East and Asia. The new basket ball courts built on the Gymnasium grounds were dedicated by Mr M P Sharma in memory of his loving father on Wednesday, 18th September 2013. Director Prof. G. Raghurama, Mrs M P Sharma, faculty members and staff and students of the institute were present on the occasion. The following other alumni members were also present on the occasion : Mr Keshav Vashisht, Mr MBL Bhargava, Mr Ravi Bhargava and Mr Satish Bhatia.

Besides helping absorb the ground shock and preventing injuries to the players such as knee injuries, back injuries etc. , the rubber floor system provides appropriate friction for agilitic player movement . The horizontal velocity is also better in these grounds since the friction is less and it ensures improved ball movement and bounce. This basket ball court with a pavilion facility for over 900 spectators, is weather resistant and water-proof.

The electronic score board with remote control displays the duration, total time of the game, duration of each quarter and the scores of each team.

Speaking on the benefits of the new basket ball court, Dr. Bhavesh Verma, In-Charge, Sports Club of BITS Pilani, said, “ This is a world class facility in tune with the popular trend in the field of basketball. The eight layered Latex synthetic basket ball court will help to enhance the overall performance of the game, providing better surface for play and avoiding injuries. Besides, this newly built facility will motivate more students to participate in the game”.

The inaugural match was played on 18th September 2013 between BITS Pilani and Dehra Dun Institute of Engineering and Technology on the occasion of BOSM 2013. The host team won the match much to the delight of Mr and Mrs Sharma, alumni members and the cheering crowd.

The new courts were built by the country’s leading sports flooring company, Network India Pvt Ltd., Chandigarh.