Summer 1999
All-Lankan Basketball Tournament
sponsored by
The Sri Lanka America Association

 Carson, CA August 8, 1999

1999 showcased new teams as well as teams that have become a fixture in the tournament. New teams from Long Beach, the Valley and Santa Barbara joined Riverside, Pasadena, Northridge and Westchester in trying to dethrone the four-time champion Canyon Country Warriors. Even though the talent level of the tournament has grown exponentially, the Warriors showed that they were still the best team. The champions extended their winning streak to 21 games and broke the Valley Heat's record of 4 championships.

The road to the championship was by no means an easy one. Once again, the final came down to a last-second Thusha Rodrigo 3 point heave--from almost the exact spot as last year's near miss. Young Westside came on late in the second half cutting into the large Canyon Country lead. Sudantha Gunaratne was unconscious hitting 3 pointers from beyond NBA range. "We did not expect Sudantha to hit so many. We knew coming in that he would live or die with that long-range bomb. He almost got his team back in it, but we had good all around play from 4 of our guys," said Warrior co-coach Athula Siriwardena. Chris Loos, the Warriors' 6'4" center, made his comeback to the ALBT count with dominating play inside. Indika Ratnayake continued being the most devastating rebounder the tournament has seen. Guard Chamath Siriwardena played his best tournament ever picking up where back court-mate Anuk Markalanda left off last year. Jay Ratnayake once again was named tournament MVP leading the tournament in scoring. The Warrior defense is highly underrated as they shut down every opponent's top player. Jay Ratnayake noted, "We have always been committed to defense--that's why we win...We got good backcourt play from both our guards, Indika kept our glass clean, and Chris kept the lane closed." Using that daunting defense the Warriors built a big lead and seemed to be dominating the final. The Warriors had an unfortunate technical (for not reporting a substitution) while Westside was shooting free throws. The tech lead to a Westside 6 point possession without Canyon Country ever touching the ball. The Westside sharpshooters cut the lead to two. Canyon Country showed champion-like composure by overcoming their misfortune and Westside's hot streak. There is no secret why these two teams are so successful; they have the loudest fans. Veteran's Sports complex was in a raucous as Westside went on their run. Every Westside whoop and holler was matched by defiant Warrior fans' cheers. In the end it was Canyon Country that celebrated their 5th consecutive title.

The amazing side of the Warrior winning streak is that they continue to win while the competition improves. The talent base of Lankan ballers has definitely expanded. There were many varsity level players competing this year. Fans present before Pasadena's second round game were treated to a dunk by the Eagles' high flying [number 40]. Even with his great talent and the great teamwork they show every year, the Eagles, after putting away a revamped Westchester team, were knocked out by Westside. After finishing off Valley Kwest in a tiebreaker game, Westside squeaked by the Eagles suffocating them with a full court trap late in the semis. Long Beach surprised everyone making it to the semis in their first ever tournament appearance beating Santa Barbara's G-Force. The team made of recently migrated All Island basketball and rugby players will be a force in the future; unfortunately they had to meet the Warriors who dominated. But the Warriors long time rivals, the Northridge Dogg Pound, put the champs to the test in the quarter-finals, breaking open a 14-point lead early. It took an incredible run in the second half to keep the champs' winning streak alive. SLAAC sports chair, Roy Jayasinghe, explained to the runner-up Westside, "do not be satisfied until you win the title." The Canyon Country streak will surely have other teams hungry and practicing early for next year's bball crown.

Lakmaal Silva and Athula Siriwardena should be congratulated again for this year's tournament success--both as co-coaches and tournament organizers. "I was pleased with the crowd turn out this year. The noise in the final was great. If other teams want to get into the finals they will have to match our fans as well as Westside's... All in all I'm glad I was apart of all the fun. We could not have held this great event for our young Lankans without Roy and the others at the Association." The future of the tournament looks bright; the 11 and under game showcased tomorrow's stars. The Vipers won by 2 beating the Bulldogs in a nail-biter. The Women's game was also close as the Dawgs beat the Flames.

Next year should promise more of the same top-level competition within the Sri Lankan community in southern California.

please send corrections to names

Summer 1998
All-Lankan Basketball Tournament

 Carson, CA August 8, 1998

This summer's All-Lankan Basketball tournament was a possibly one of the best ever.  Teams from Westchester, the Valley, Torrance, Northridge, Pasadena, Riverside, and Canyon Country participated.  The Canyon Country Warriors successfully defended their title for the fourth straight tournament, extending their win-streak to 17 games.  It was a hard fought win for the young but seasoned Warriors; this tournament showcased seven skilled teams. West Side from Riverside were the runners-up. The Pasadena Eagles and the Northridge Dog Pound made a strong showing making it to the semifinals.

The Warriors and West Side locked up in the finals for the second straight time.  The game went down to the wire, but the upstart West Side once again came up short as Thusha Rodrigo's final heave went long; the game ended 53-50.  Jay Ratnayake won the MVP award with consistent effort in each game. Young Anuk Markalanda led the Warriors in scoring in the final game.  "Without Chris Loos in the middle for us, somebody else had to step up," said the 5'9" guard.  Again, 6'1"Indika Ratnayake supplied the muscle down low.  Threes from Thusha Rodrigo and Sudharsan David kept the score seesawing back and forth.  The game was still in doubt when Canyon Country had two starters foul out with less than a minute to go.  But Jay Ratnayake kept his team focused, hitting big free throws to clinch the win.

Lakmaal Silva and the Lankan Basketball committee did a superb job organizing this summer's event.  It was held at Veterans Park in Carson, California.  One could tell that the Lankan tournament has come a long way by looking at the state of the art venue (also where the Clippers hold practice).  One small disappointment was the crowd was not as large as it should have been.  Lakmaal Silva said, "We are hoping to build this thing up to a higher level. This tournament was organized in a couple months thanks to help from Piyal Mataraarachi and the Sri Lanka America Association.  Hopefully there will be a better turn out in he winter."  The fans that were there witnessed possibly the best-played tournament ever.  This tournament was different in that the first round games were played two at a time allowing for 20 minute half games in the semi-final rounds.  The extra time and the NBA sized court may explain the higher scores at this tournament.  Alvin, the head referee, said, "These fans sure do get into it," noting the excitement in finals.

West Side made it to the finals by defeating Pasadena, the Heat, and Torrance.  The Torrance/Pasadena game may have been the most exciting game of all. Ruwan Ruparatne played a valiant game, but the Outlaws lost by one.  Pasadena was well prepared, displaying a nice passing game.  West Side shocked the former titleholders, the Heat, in round 2.  In a surprising twist, as the San Fernando Scorpions were split up, Canyon Country had to beat the Dog Pound twice in close games.  A tiebreaker game in the second round between Westchester, sporting authentic Laker jerseys, and the Dog Pound supplied early thrills.  Surprisingly, the veteran Lakers did not make it to the semifinals.  Clearly the teams are getting younger, quicker, and stronger.

Cosmas Mahagama, who was at his mother's side in Sri Lanka, must be congratulated for starting this event.  It has grown into something that everyone looks forward to every year.  But it might have never happened this year if it was not for Lakmaal Silva, Athula Siriwardena, Ananda Markalanda, their families and the Sri Lanka America Association.  Any event that gets young Sri Lankans together is much needed. Canyon Country manager, D. Edirisinghe, said, "[It's great we get a chance to have some friendly competition between Sri Lankan Americans in other cities.]"  Hopefully, more of these events can get our younger generation together and foster a strong Sri Lankan community within and without America for the next century and beyond.

Main Page
News and Updates
Player-Team Hookup
Mandatory Meeting and Draw (7-24-99)
Who To Contact
Rules
Summer 1998 Recap
+ Electronic pre-Registration +
Official Registration
(click above and print the official registration form, fill it out and mail it to the address indicated on the form.)