Mumbai, Jun 6 (IANS): The Elite Pro Basketball League, in collaboration with the Elite Women's Pro Basketball League, announced the launch of the Collegiate Slam Showdown, an open basketball tournament for university students across India, starting from June 14.

The initiative aims to nurture young talent and provide a structured pathway for aspiring basketball players to progress to the professional stage.

The Collegiate Slam Showdown will be divided into four zones: North, South, East, and West, with both male and female categories over a total of 20 days with thousands of amateur and professional basketball players vying for an opportunity to compete in the biggest basketball league in India.

Open teams can be formed within a zone, allowing players from multiple universities to unite and compete together. The zonal championships will be followed by a national championship, where the winners from each zone will battle for the ultimate title.

The zonal winners will advance to the Nationals, scheduled to take place in Noida from July 11 to 14.

"We are excited to launch the Collegiate Slam Showdown, which we believe will revolutionize the basketball landscape in India," said Sunny Bhandarkar, CEO of Elite Pro Basketball League. "Our goal is to create a robust infrastructure that nurtures talent from the grassroots level and provides them with opportunities to excel on the national and international stage."

In addition to competing for the championship title, top players from the winning teams may also stand the chance to train with and potentially be drafted into teams in the Elite Pro Basketball and Elite Women's Pro Basketball Leagues.

The Elite Pro Basketball League's new system, including the Collegiate Slam Showdown and the upcoming Uprising Basketball League, will enable team owners to scout for talent at the grassroots level.

Schedule:

South Zone: June 14- 16

East Zone: June 21- 23

West Zone: June 28- 30

North Zone: July 5 - 7