Premila Fernando

Premila Fernando (born March 22, 1981), also known as Beruwalage Premila Meriyan Fernando, is a Sri Lankan Professional Basketball Player, FIBA accredited Level 2 Coach, and a FIBA Referee. She has had an extensive career in basketball, representing Sri Lanka at various national and international tournaments. Notably, she held the captaincy of the Sri Lanka Women's National Basketball team during multiple periods, specifically from 2004 to 2006, 2008 to 2010, and again in 2013.
Fernando’s international basketball career reached a notable milestone when she was honored as Asia's second Best Player at the 22nd Fiba Asia Basketball Championship in Korea in 2007. She also played a key role in establishing the "True Basketball Academy" in Sri Lanka and the "Be Ballers Basketball Academy" in Melbourne. Additionally, she dedicated three years of her professional life as a fitness specialist at Vaaj Fitness Center Pvt. Ltd. She is only female Fiba Basketball Referee in Sri Lanka.
Her dedication to the sport and impressive achievements on the court have earned her a reputation as one of Sri Lanka's most talented female basketball players, earning numerous accolades and excelling at the school, club,national and international levels.
==Early life and education==
Fernando was born and raised in Colombo, Sri Lanka. From a young age, she demonstrated a keen interest in Athletics and actively participated in sports such as Basketball and Netball during her school years. She completed her primary and secondary education at St. Joseph's Girls' School in Nugegoda. 
Continuing her education, Fernando enrolled in the Albright Institute of Business and Language in Melbourne. Additionally, she attended the Dolph Business School and the Australian College of Trade in Melbourne to continue her academic journey and enhance her expertise in various fields.
==High school career==
Fernando played a key role for St. Joseph's Girls' School basketball team from 1992 to 1998, representing multiple age groups. Her team consistently won the school's championships during those years, except for a runner-up position in 1995 in the Under-19 category.
Fernando's performances earned her multiple honors, including being recognized as the All-Island Best Defensive Player in 1998, 1997, and 1995 in the Under-19, Under-17, and Under-15 divisions respectively. Furthermore, her Under-19 team achieved victories in the National School Games in 1994 and 1996, as well as in the All Island School Games in 1995 and 1997.
==Basketball Player career==
After completing her education, Fernando joined Seylan Bank as a Banking Assistant. She played a vital role in leading the team to consecutive mercantile championships from 2004 to 2009 and was named the Best Player for three years in a row (2004-2006).
===NATIONAL TEAM CAREER===
Throughout her career, spanning over two decades, Fernando represented both the Sri Lanka Women's Basketball Team and the Maldives Club Team in numerous international championships and inter-club tournaments respectively.
Tournament 	Represented 	Venue 	Dates 	Significant Achievements
14th ABC Junior Women's Basketball Championship	Sri lanka Junior Women’s Team	Tokushima - Japan 	September 1998	
18th ABC Women's Basketball Championship 	Sri lanka Women’s Team 	 	 	
May 1999 	 	 	 	
19th ABC Women's Basketball Championship 	Sri lanka Women’s Team 	
Thailand 	October 2001 	
43rd India South Zone Basketball Championship	Sri lanka Women’s Team 	India 	November 2001 	Best Player of the tournament
44th India South Zone Basketball Championship	Sri lanka Women’s Team 	India 	
August 2002	
A.G.S.E.P. Exchange Tournament 	Sri lanka Women’s Team 	Germany 	March 2003 	2nd Runner up
45th India South Zone Basketball Championship	Sri lanka Women’s Team 	India 	July 2003 	
National Basketball Tournament - Maldives 	Maldives Club Team 	Maldives 	October 2003 	Best Player of the tournament
National Basketball Tournament - Maldives 	Maldives Club Team 	Maldives 	September 2004	Best Player of the tournament
21st ABC Women's Basketball Championship 	Sri lanka Women’s Team 	China 	June 2005 	
47th India South Zone Basketball Championship	Sri lanka Women’s Team 	India 	February 2006 	
National Basketball Tournament - Maldives 	Maldives Club Team 	Maldives 	November 2006	Best Player of the tournament
22nd FIBA Asia Basketball Championship 	Sri lanka Women’s Team 	Korea 	June 2007 	Awarded as Asia’s Second Best Player
51st India South Zone Basketball Championship	Sri lanka Women’s Team 	India 	October 2008 	
National Basketball Tournament - Maldives 	Maldives Club Team 	Maldives 	October 2008 	Best Player of the tournament
23rd FIBA Asia Basketball Championship 	Sri lanka Women’s Team 	India 	September 2009	
National Basketball Tournament - Maldives 	Maldives Club Team 	Maldives 	December 2009	Best Player of the tournament
52nd India South Zone Basketball Championship 	Sri lanka Women’s Team 	India 	June 2010 	
National Basketball Tournament - Maldives 	Maldives Club Team 	Maldives 	July 2010 	Best Player of the tournament
24th FIBA Asia Basketball Championship 	Sri lanka Women’s Team 	Japan 	August 2011 	
1st South Asian Beach Games 3x3 Championship 	Sri lanka Women’s Team 	Sri Lanka 	October 2011 	2nd Runner Up
FIBA Asia 3x3 Championship 	Sri lanka Women’s Team 	Qatar 	May 2013 	
26th FIBA Asia Basketball
Championship 	Sri lanka Women’s Team 	China 	August 2015 	
South Asian Games 	Sri lanka Women’s Team 	India 	February 2016 	
SABA Championship 	Sri lanka Women’s Team 	Nepal 	March 2016 	Championship
National Basketball Tournament - Maldives 	Maldives Club Team 	Maldives 	September 2016	Best Offensive Player of the tournament
Pan Pacific Masters Games 	Sri Lanka Masters Team 	Gold Coast, Australia	November 2016 	
27th FIBA Asia Basketball Championship 	Sri lanka Women’s Team 	India 	July 2017 	
Pan Pacific Masters Games 	Sri Lanka Masters Team 	Gold Coast, Australia	November 2018 	
===Domestic career===
In addition to her international achievements, Fernando had a strong dominance in the domestic basketball scene. She consistently showcased her skills at the All Island National Games – Basketball Championship, representing the Western Province team and won the Championship continuously from 1998 to 2018. She was named the Best Player in multiple editions of the tournament, including 1998, 2004, 2008, and 2010. Her team won the Championship in the Junior National tournament in 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001 and the first runner up in 1997. She had also won the championship in the Senior National tournament in the years 1999, 2001 to 2009 and in 2015 and the 1st Runner up 1996, 2000, 2010, 2012, 2013 and 2017. Moreover, in the Colombo Super League tournament her team had won Championship in 2001 to 2011 and the 1st Runner up in 2013 and 2015. In the league she had been awarded as the Best player in 2001 and Best defensive player in 2005. 
Premila attributes much of her success to the vital support, mentorship, and training she received from her coaches, Ajith Kuruppu and Hayaz Haroon, in shaping her into a distinguished player.
===2023 BIGV Division Two Women Wallan Season Stats===
As a start of playing career in Australia, Premila has joined Wallan Basketball Club's Senior Women's team for the 2023 BigV Basketball season, and played for the Division two Women's category over the season.
==Basketball Referee career==
In 2009, Premila decided to join the Sri Lanka Referee's Association and with the mentorship of the senior referees, she started refereeing local tournaments in 2010. She achieved accreditation as a FIBA Referee in 2011, marking a significant milestone in her career. Notably, she officiated as FIBA referee in the 21st FIBA Asia Under 18 Women's Championship in Malaysia (2012). Additionally, she served as a FIBA referee in the 2nd Asian Youth Games in China (2013), and the Jupiters Pan Pacific Masters Games in Brisbane, Australia (2016, 2018, 2022). Currently, she is a Level 2 Basketball Referee in Victoria, officiating in various tournaments such as Victorian Junior Basketball League (VJBL), School tournaments, Kumon Junior Classic Tournament and BigV tournament. She is also refereeing Domestic Basketball Leagues attached to Dandenong Basketball Referees Association.
==Basketball Coach career==
With extensive experience in basketball, Fernando transitioned into coaching. She began by coaching the St. Joseph's Girls' team as voluntarily, her former school, and obtained FIBA Level 1 (2013) and Level 2 (2015) coaching certifications. She also held NCAA Gold Licenses in the USA for the years 2016-2017 and 2018-2019.
Starting in 2011, Fernando coached various teams, including the University of Colombo Women's basketball team, St. Lawrence convent. In 2018, she co-founded the True Basketball Academy in Sri Lanka alongside three other coaches, including her mentor Hayaz Haroon and her husband Jagath Kulathunga. Through this academy, she has dedicated herself to nurturing young talents in the Sri Lankan basketball community, helping them unlock their full potential.
After relocating to Australia, Fernando, along with her husband and another coach, established the Be Ballers Basketball Academy. Presently, she imparts her knowledge and trains numerous young Australian players, relishing the opportunity to share her expertise with the next generation of basketball enthusiasts.
==Awards and recognitions==
* 22nd ABC Women's Basketball Championship: 
# Asia's second-best Player - 2007
* National Maldives Basketball Tournament: 
# Best Offensive Player of the tournament - 2016
* South Asian Basketball Championship (SABA):	
# Championship - 2016
* 1st South Asian Beach Games Championship: 
# 2nd Runner Up - 2011
* National Maldives Basketball Tournament: 
# Best Player of the Tournament - 2003, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010
* 43rd India South Zone Basketball Championship: 
# Best player of the tournament - 2001
* 18th Asian Basketball Championship - Japan: 
# Sri Lanka Schools Games Colors - 1999
* 14th Asian Basketball Championship - Japan: 
# Sri Lanka Schools Games Colors - 1998
* Mercantile Tournament Championship: 
# Best Player - 2004, 2005, 2006
* Super League Tournament:
# Best Player - 2001
# Best Offensive Player - 2005
* All Island National Games - Basketball Championship:
# Best Player - 1998, 2004, 2008, 2010
* Senior Nationals - National Basketball Championship League:
# Best Player - 2005
* Sri Lanka Schools Basketball Championship:
# Under 15:	Best Defensive Player - 1995
# Under 17:	Best Defensive Player - 1996
# Under 17:	Best Player - 1997
# Under 19:	Best Defensive Player - 1998
==In the media==
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==References==
==External links==
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Category:1981 births
Category:Women's basketball players
Category:Sri Lankan sportswomen
Category:People from Colombo
Category:Sri Lankan people
Category:Sri Lankan women