Padinjarathara (Wayanad): Bearing the high hopes of her compatriots on her shoulders, P S Jeena flew up into the skies with her teammates to play for India at the 2018 William Jones Cup international basketball tournament in Taiwan. The 24-year-old from Wayanad will lead her country’s women’s team at the five-day event which began at the Xinzhuang Gymnasium in New Taipei City on Friday.
Daughter of Palanilkumkalayil Scaria Joseph and Lissy belonging to Bappanamala in Panthipoyil of Kalpetta, Jeena had been noticed in the game’s circles for her consistently sound performance. The major international break for the 169-cm-tall player came in 2012, when she, as the leader of India’s junior women’s basketball team, became the second-highest scorer at the Under-18 FIBA Asia Championship for Women in Malaysia’s Johor Bahur.
For Jeena, who has played for sports division, Kannur, and Krishna Menon Women’s College in the same city, the Xinzhuang tournament would be the first as the senior national team’s captain.
Across her career — she is currently a KSEB employee — several recognitions have come in search of Jeena, the latest being The Times of India’s Most Popular Athlete. The Xinzhuang tournament comes three weeks ahead of the 2018 Asian Games in Indonesia, where Jeena would be representing India. Sources believe that the team at the Taipei championship will be retained at the August 18 to September 12 Asiad in Jakarta and Palembang.
Jeena, who is a senior assistant with the state electricity board in Thiruvananthapuram, has two brothers – Joby and Jessy.
