Nagaland Basketball Association lauds Imkumnaro Pongen and Sentitoshi Jamir for becoming B-Level referees, raising the state's tally to four.
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DIMAPUR — The Nagaland Basketball Association (NBA) has lauded Imkumnaro Pongen from Mongsenyimti village and Sentitoshi Jamir from Chungtia village on their successful certification as B-Level Referees, following their performance at the Basketball Federation of India (BFI) Referees Examination held during the 39th Youth National Basketball Championship in Kolkata.
With their induction, the NBA stated that Nagaland now counts four nationally certified B-Level referees, marking a milestone in the state’s basketball development and officiating standard, stated an update.
According to the NBA, Imkumnaro Pongen secured gold with Intermingle Club at the NI Jamir Memorial Basketball Tournament 2024 in Mokokchung, earned bronze with the Mokokchung team at the Nagaland Olympics 2024 held in Dimapur, and represented Nagaland at the Northeast Olympic Games in Shillong in 2022.
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“Her transition from player to referee reflects a deep-rooted commitment to the sport and a growing leadership role within the basketball community,” the association said.
Sentitoshi Jamir, currently pursuing a Diploma in Sports Coaching at Netaji Subhas Southern Centre, Bengaluru, represented Nagaland at the 73rd Senior National Basketball Tournament in Ludhiana, Punjab, and won bronze at the North East Games 2024 hosted in Chümoukedima. He also completed a six-week certificate course in sports coaching.
The NBA mentioned that their certification elevated the standard of officiating in Nagaland and served as an inspiration for aspiring referees and athletes across the region.
The association congratulated Imkumnaro and Sentitoshi on their achievement and looked forward to their continued contributions.