SBS University Makes History, North India's Oldest University Hosts Its First-Ever State Basketball Tournament

PNN
Dehradun (Uttarakhand) [India], May 4: For three days in April, the campus of Sardar Bhagwan Singh University (SBS University) in Dehradun sounded different. The squeak of basketball shoes on court, a crowd packed into the stands, the sharp whistle of a referee in a semifinal that could have gone either way, it was the sound of a university finding its sporting voice for the first time. The inaugural 3-Day State Basketball Tournament, held from April 16 to 18, 2026, was not just SBS University's first. It felt like a statement.
Eight teams. League matches across Pool A and Pool B. Two hard-fought semifinals. A third-place contest that had its own intensity. When it was over, SBS University had something just as valuable: proof that it can host and deliver a state-level sporting event with the infrastructure, energy, and seriousness the occasion demands.
SBS University, AICTE, PCI, and IAP approved, backed by 70+ expert faculty, including 60+ Ph.D. holders and a 15:1 student-faculty ratio, has always believed that a student's development cannot be measured by academic output alone. The basketball court, like the research laboratory and the placement cell, is a place where character is built. This tournament is proof that SBS University takes all of it equally seriously.
An Institution That Does Everything With Intent
The Corporate Resource Centre at SBS University actively connects students with 500+ recruiting companies every year, producing 200+ successful placements annually and a highest package of ₹15 LPA+. Its Institution's Innovation Cell (IIC) provides aspiring entrepreneurs with real infrastructure to build on. Its NCC unit, one of the proud pioneers of NCC in the Dehradun region, is active for both boys and girls and has long embedded discipline and national pride in students who go on to serve in uniform and in boardrooms alike. And with 1,000+ research publications, 50+ patents, and 30+ government-funded projects, SBS University's academic output matches any institution of its size in the country.
This is the university that has now added a State Basketball Tournament to its calendar, not as a one-time novelty, but as the first edition of something it intends to build, year after year, into one of Uttarakhand's most anticipated sporting events.

The Tournament: Three Days of Sport on a World-Class Campus
Eight teams from universities across Uttarakhand competed across three days of league matches, semifinals, and a championship final on SBS University's 25-acre campus, a venue whose 22,000+ sq.m. of built-up infrastructure and 750+ hostel capacity ensured the event ran with the professionalism a state-level competition demands. Prof. (Dr.) J. Kumar, Vice Chancellor, opened the proceedings with a message that reflected SBS University's conviction about what sport truly builds.
"The discipline, focus, and resilience a student builds on the court follow them into every room they walk into for the rest of their life. At SBS University, we believe that the character of our graduates is our greatest achievement, and sport is one of the most honest tests of character there is."
-- Prof. (Dr.) J. Kumar, Vice Chancellor, SBS University
Prof. (Dr.) Gauravdeep Singh, President of SBS University, formally declared the tournament open with a vision for what this initiative will grow into.
"SBS University considers it a matter of great privilege to provide a prestigious platform to young players and takes immense pride in bringing their talent, determination, and sporting spirit into the spotlight. This is the beginning of something we intend to grow into one of Uttarakhand's most anticipated sporting events."
-- Prof. (Dr.) Gauravdeep Singh, President, SBS University
The matches were fiercely competitive throughout, building to a championship final that kept a packed crowd on its feet until the final buzzer. The technical proceedings were meticulously overseen by Mr. Balvinder Singh (Technical Chairperson) alongside his panel of officials, and Best Player awards were presented to standout athletes who demonstrated consistency and composure across the full three days of competition. The event was coordinated throughout by Mr. Anoop Singh Negi and Mr. Mohsin Khan, and concluded with a Vote of Thanks by Mohd Ajmal.
Where Athletic Passion Connects with National Duty
The Valedictory Ceremony was graced by Major Shahi Mehta of 11 UK NCC BN, a guest whose presence resonated deeply at an institution that is one of the pioneers of NCC in the Dehradun region. Her address drew a connection that every student in the room felt immediately.
"What you build on a court, the focus, the discipline, the refusal to quit when things get hard, is exactly what service to the nation asks of you. SBS University is building that in its students every single day."
-- Major Shahi Mehta, 11 UK NCC BN
32 Years of Excellence. And Still Growing.
SBS University enters this new sporting chapter from a position of exceptional strength. Thirty-two years of academic legacy. A 30,000+ volume library. Research grants from DST, AYUSH, UCOST, and USERC. Fifty patents. Eleven thousand alumni who are doctors, researchers, engineers, entrepreneurs, and officers, working at AIIMS, Apollo, Fortis, PSUs, and universities across the world. Every one of them was shaped, in part, by the same institution that just put on its first State Basketball Tournament.
SBS University's responsibility to its students has never ended at the classroom door. The inaugural State Basketball Tournament is the newest, most visible expression of that commitment, and a clear signal that North India's oldest university is as ambitious about its students' futures as it has ever been.
About SBS University
Sardar Bhagwan Singh University (SBS University), Dehradun, is North India's oldest university with 32+ years of academic legacy. Approved by AICTE, PCI, and IAP, the university features a modern 25-acre campus, 70+ expert faculty including 60+ Ph.D. holders, a 15:1 student-faculty ratio, a 90%+ placement rate, 500+ recruiting companies, a highest package of ₹15 LPA+, ₹2 crore+ in government research grants, 50+ patents, 1,000+ research publications, 30,000+ library volumes, 750+ hostel capacity, and 11,000+ alumni at AIIMS, Apollo, Fortis, PSUs, and international universities. A pioneer of NCC in the Dehradun region and home to a dedicated Institution's Innovation Cell, SBS University is committed to the complete development of every student -- academically, professionally, and on the sporting stage.
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