Committed to facilitating young basketball athletes, Universitas Dian Nuswantoro (Udinus) Kediri held the 3 on 3 Mayor Basketball Competition aimed at high school students of Kediri.
The competition, which took place at Udinus Kediri, was participated by more than 160 students from 23 high schools from Kediri, Tulungagung, Blitar, Jombang, and Surabaya. All participants were divided into 32 teams, with the competition beginning on January 11th, 2023. They competed for money, tuition discount vouchers, and certificates. The Most Valuable Player (MVP) and the best supporters would also later be rewarded with money. For additional information, this competition was supported by 14 sponsors from various companies.
The 3 on 3 Basketball Competition was officially opened by Dr. Pulung Nurtantio Andono, S.T., M.Kom., the Vice Chancellor IV of Research and Partnership Affairs, with the Kediri Authorities supporting this event.
During his greetings, Dr. Pulung Nurtantio Andono, S.T., M.Kom., stated that the basketball competition would shape these junior athletes into professional athletes. Their participation could also be an important asset for Kediri to compete on the national and international levels.
“Through this competition, we would like to facilitate young athletes of Kediri to garner experiences. Soon, we expect these athletes to be professionals,” he explained.
Dr. Pulung also advised all participants to compete fairly as it is important for them to understand that losing is not the end of everything.
On that occasion, Zachrie Ahmad (the Head of the Sports, Culture, and Youth Service of Kediri) was also present alongside Sri Heni Pangestu, S.E., (a staff member from the Statistic Center of Kediri), Drs. Gandung Satriyono, MM., (the Chairman of the Basketball Association of Kediri), and Katarina Perwiantini (the Head of the Operational Division at Bank Jateng of Kediri Branch).
At the opening ceremony of the 3 on 3 Mayor Basketball Competition, Abdullah Abu Bakar, the Mayor of Kediri, also made an appearance accompanied by Zachrie Ahmad. On the same occasion, he also expressed his gratitude to the campus for hosting this basketball competition. The mayor further hoped for this event to attract athletes from other cities as well.
“For the years to come, hopefully, there will be other sports events, allowing other athletes to get scholarships from Udinus,” Abu Bakar added.
Following that, both the mayor and Dr. Pulung officially opened the competition by doing a free throw at the basketball court of Udinus Kediri located at Penangunggan St. No. 41 A.
The competition ended with a high school named SMK N 1 Kediri emerging as the champion upon claiming a victory over SMA N 1 Kedungwaru Tulungagung with a score of 8- 6. Meanwhile, the MVP title was earned by athletes from SMK N 1 Kediri, namely, M. Fauzi and Abrar Hanan, with the mayor handing the trophy to them.
As an excellently accredited university, Universitas Dian Nsuwantoro (Udinus) will always facilitate its students to be accomplished in various sports branches, including football and basketball. (Humas Udinus/Alex. Foto: Dok. Udinus Kediri)
