NBA's biggest stars plan exhibition world tour

Thus far, it has been an unusual off-season to the NBA, where the locked-out league saw failed negotiations between the owners at the players reach a point where actual regular season games got cancelled. Meanwhile, the locked-out players found their own way to have fun with hoops, playing exhibition games all around the USA, and for one magical week, in the Philippines, too.

If you were like me, you woke up this morning to even more depressing news about the lockout, that the bitter rift between the two sides widened and talks broke down. Well, here is some measure of good news coming via the NBA's players and a soon to be very popular Atlanta business mogul.

ESPN reported yesterday on what could be the mother of all lockout exhibition programmes: The NBA's finest players - pretty much ALL OF ITS FINEST PLAYERS, instead of a few here and there like the previous exhibitions - will be going on a two-week world tour, touching four countries in four different continents, and playing exhibition basketball games. It's the Beatles in Basketball form.

Of course, nothing is finalised yet, and a twist in the lockout negotiations story could change everything, so know that what you read ahead is only tentative.

Participating players? According to ESPN, the players taking part in this tour could include: Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Kevin Durant, Derrick Rose, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul, Amar'e Stoudemire, Chris Bosh, Rajon Rondo, Blake Griffin, Russell Westbrook, Carlos Boozer, Paul Pierce, Kevin Love, Kevin Garnett, and Tyson Chandler.

No this is NOT a list of the NBA's best players, this is a list of players who could face each other in these international super all star games. The only notable exceptions from this list are Dirk Nowitzki (probably resting after the Euro Basket), Dwight Howard (who has already visited 15 countries this summer), Deron Williams (currently playing professionally in Turkey), and Pau Gasol (practicing with FCB Barcelona).

The tour, scheduled to be held from October 30 - November 9th, will make stops in Puerto Rico, London, Macau, and Australia. Two games each will be played at sites in London and Australia.

(Before you ask: sorry, there's no word yet on whether Kobe/LeBron/Wade etc will be dunking on each other at Mumbai's Nagpada or Ludhiana's Guru Nanak Stadium anytime soon.)

Here's more about this Superstar World Tour from ESPN.com, as reported by Chris Broussard:

Atlanta business mogul Calvin Darden has been putting the tour together with the players' agents for nearly three months. He has already obtained signed contracts from Bryant, Wade, Bosh, Griffin, Rondo and Pierce. Sources say he's hoping to complete the rest of the agreements, along with insurance requirements, over the next few days.
Even so, sources warned that the tour has not yet been finalized and there's still a chance it could unravel.

Darden is hoping to broadcast the games in as many international markets as possible and perhaps in the United States as well.
The players will be paid, receiving salaries ranging from six figures up to $1 million, sources said. Some of the money generated by the tour will be donated to charity.
The tour would be the biggest lockout event NBA players have ever staged.

Beyond the salaries the players will receive and the overseas venues, this tour is different in that the rosters will be comprised completely of All-Star caliber players.

Darden, the former senior vice president of U.S. operations for UPS, sits on the boards of Target, Coca-Cola and Cardinal Health. He is also the chairman of his own real estate development company, The Darden Development Group. In 2002, Fortune magazine named Darden the eighth-highest ranking black executive in America.

My friends, wherever you are, let's take a moment to get up from our seats and give a slow clap for The Talented Mr. Darden right now for potentially pulling off something massive like this. On second thought, let's hold the applause until this tour is actually finalised.

Meanwhile, the NBA's owners and players are not letting you and me and all the other fans enjoy the league we so love over a difference of 2.5 percent.

USA defeat Spain to defend FIBA U19 Women’s title

The USA U19 Women’s team continued their dominance over women’s basketball, as they defeated Spain 69-46 in the final of the FIBA U19 Championship for Women at Puerto Montt in Chile on Sunday, July 31, 2011. This completed back-to-back U19 titles for the US team, who have also won one U17 and one senior woman’s championship in the past two years.

It was an easy ride for USA in the final, who dominated Spain from the start behind great performances by Stefanie Dolson, Elizabeth Williams and Kaleena Lewis.

Brazil outlasted Australia in a close duel 70-67 to claim the bronze medal.

Brazil’s star forward Damiris Dantas, who averaged 20.9 points and 12.6 rebounds per game, was named the Most Valuable Player of the 2011 FIBA U19 World Championship for Women in Puerto Montt, Chile.

All Tournament Team

Damiris Dantas (Brazil)

Rui Machida (Japan)

Ariel Massengale (USA)

Breanna Stewart (USA)

Astou Ndour (Spain)

Geethu Anna Jose – Q&A: WNBA Dreams

Two weeks ago, the dreams of lakhs of Indian basketball players and fans came one step closer to realisation, as word got out that India’s superstar Center Geethu Anna Jose is set to be offered tryouts by several professional teams in the Womens’ National Basketball Association (WNBA), the most competitive and prestigious Women’s basketball league in the world. It has been learnt that Geethu (26) will be trying out for the Los Angeles Sparks (two-time WNBA Championship winners), the San Antonio Silver Stars (2008 Finalists), and the Chicago Sky from April 23 – May 8.

The opportunity couldn’t have come for a more deserving player – Jose has been the biggest Indian basketball star for several years: she has captained the Indian Women’s side at the FIBA Asia Women’s Basketball Championship in 2009, where she was leading scorer in Asia. She has represented India in several major tournaments, including the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Australia and the 2010 Asian Games basketball championship in Guangzhou (China). Jose, who stands at 6 feet and 2 inches, is currently working for Southern Railway in Chennai, and, representing Indian Railways, has won seven consecutive National Basketball Championship titles. She was also the first Indian women to play professionally in Australia, when she represented the Ringwood Hawks, a lower division team in the Women’s National Basketball League (WNBL), and won the league’s Most Valuable Player award in 2008.

I got a chance to speak to Jose about her historic bid to complete the WNBA dream

Hoopistani: When did you first hear the news that your WNBA trials have been finalised?

Geethu Anna Jose [GAJ]: Troy Justice [Director of Basketball Operations, NBA India] emailed me and told me the news. I had handed him CDs of my game tapes, which he had taken with him to the USA, and he had been trying to set up meetings for me for a long time. In the first week of April I heard about my trials finally being confirmed.

Hoopistani: How does it feel to be given this incredible opportunity?

GAJ: There are few words left for me to express my happiness. Two years ago, I had gotten a similar offer, but back then, I refused to go: I didn’t feel confident in my own fitness to go for this kind of test. Ever since then, I felt a lot of regret about letting an opportunity like that slip by. I thought I would never get my chance again. But here it is: I’ve been very excited since I heard this news!

Hoopistani: So this time around, are you ready?

GAJ: Yes, I think I am.

Hoopistani: The WNBA is the ultimate dream for basketball players around the world. Was this your ambition too when you first started playing the game?

GAJ: When I first entered the basketball world, I dreamt of one day becoming the captain of the Indian basketball team. I achieved that dream in 2009 when I captained the Indian side at FIBA Women’s ABC. After that, I thought to myself, “What now?” And I knew that the WNBA should be the next step. In most cases, my age (26) might be a little too late to try for that next step, but my fate has been good because American coaches like Troy Justice and Tamika Raymond have come to India and helped me.

Hoopistani: Speaking of Raymond [Indian Women coach for the 2010 Asian Games], how has she helped your development?

GAJ: Coach Raymond encouraged me a lot – she always told me that she liked my game and compared my style of play to her own. In India, I play the Center position, but for the WNBA, I will have to play at Power Forward. Coach Raymond was behind me to help me make that switch when necessary.

Hoopistani: Talk about the competition that you faced during your time in Australia.

GAJ: The competition was very rough in Australia, but it also helped my game a lot. In India, I’m used to being double or tripled team in every offensive possession. In Australia, where there are more girls my size, I was usually defended one-on-one, which added a different perspective to my game.

Hoopistani: At this point, how much do you know about the process of your tryouts with the three teams?

GAJ: I know that, in Chicago, I will be joining the Sky for a training and tryout session. I will also be helped by Bill Harris [Indian Men’s coach for the 2010 Asian Games] over there. Troy Justice has told me not to worry too much about the process – I know that it’s not going to be about the number of baskets I score, but more about my basketball IQ.

Hoopistani: How much do you know about the teams that you will be trying out for?

GAJ: I haven’t followed the WNBA too much in recent years – I do know that the LA Sparks are very talented and have some of the best players in the league. But I’m not concerned about where I go because I think I can fit in with any of the teams.

Hoopistani: Where do you see yourself in the near future?

GAJ: I see myself as a WNBA player. But also, I want to see that my tryout is able to be a great opening for other young players in India to make the leap to the highest level.

Hoopistani: Do you think, then, that more Indian players will follow in your footsteps?

GAJ: Yes. We have a lot of talent here in India, but unfortunately, the exposure is less for them. There are currently very few club teams for women in India – once this number is increased, or if we see a pro league launched in the country, we will see many more talented youngsters come up the ranks.

Jose thanked the efforts of everyone who helped make her tryouts and her trip to the USA possible, including Troy Justice, Jayasankar Menon, the BFI’s Harish Sharma, the Basketball Federation of India (BFI), and the Hindustan Group.

Indian Basketball star Geethu Anna Jose invited for tryouts with two WNBA teams

Geethu Anna Jose, the legendary Indian Center, has finally been given a shot at her WNBA dream. The superstar who captained Indian Women’s team at the FIBA Women’s Asia Basketball Championship (ABC) in Chennai (2009), has been given the rare honour as she was invited to a tryouts with two WNBA teams in the USA – the Chicago Sky and the Los Angeles Sparks.

Jose (25), who was the leading scorer at the Chennai ABC, become the first Indian player to get the top scorer honour at any ABC. She has represented India in several major tournaments, including the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Australia and the 2010 Asian Games basketball championship in Guangzhou (China).

Jose is currently working for Southern Railway in Chennai, and, representing Indian Railways, has won seven consecutive National Basketball Championship titles. She was also the first Indian women to play professionally in Australia, when she represented the Ringwood Hawks, a lower division team in the Women’s National Basketball League (WNBL), and won the league’s Most Valuable Player award in 2008.

“I have waited a long time for this opportunity – I can’t believe that it’s finally here.” said Jose, “It has been my dream to play at the highest level – the WNBA. It does not matter which team gives me the opportunity there – I just want to compete.”

The six-foot tall Jose has admitted that she will have to adapt to the power forward position when trying out with taller women in the US. She will travel to Chicago and Los Angeles to try out with the Sky and the Sparks – the Sparks have been one of the most successful teams in the WNBA, winning two championships and three conference titles in the last 10 years.

Jose has conveyed her sincere thanks to her employer Southern Railway, Mr. Harish Sharma of the BFI, and Troy Justice, the Director, NBA India Operations, for all their whole hearted support. She also thanked the Hindustan Group of Institutions, who have come forward to sponsor the tour for Jose to USA. “I will try my best to give a good performance in the tryouts,” she added.

The BFI's Harish Sharma said, “This is an incredible opportunity for Geethu Anna Jose. We are delighted for her and everyone who supports basketball in India will hope and pray for her success with the tryouts. She was offered the same opportunity last year, but due to complications she couldn’t make it – we are glad that this time, her dream is one step closer to realisation.”

“This has been one major step for us at BFI at promoting Indian players throughout the world,” Sharma added, “We will be looking to support such opportunities for other basketball players in India as well – the more players that proper outside of India, the more prosperity they will be bringing to the game of basketball in India.”

Anand Jacob Verghese, the CEO of Hindustan Group and Pro Chancellor, Hindustan University expressed his happiness in supporting Geethu. "The Indian cricket team has made all of us proud by winning the World Cup," said Verghese, "Now it is the turn of Geethu: she will be a role model for students. I wish that she gets the ultimate honour: a WNBA selection."

Jose will leave for the USA in about two weeks. She will participate in the Ramu Memorial Basketball Tournament in Mumbai before that.

UPDATE: Along with tryouts scheduled with the WNBA teams Chicago Sky and LA Sparks which were announced over a week ago, Indian Basketball star has now been invited to tryout and practice with a third WNBA (Women’s National Basketball Association) team during her USA trip: the San Antonio Silver Stars. Jose will be in America from April 23 – May 8, during which time she will be the first ever Indian basketball player to get an opportunity to try out for the WNBA.

Pacific Islands Appeal to UK for 'Slave Voyages'

Pacific islands appeal to UK for 'slave voyages' compensation: Cheap labour from Vanuatu laid basis of sugar fortunes, by David Fickling in Sydney for The Guardian, 13 April 2004.

The government of the Pacific country of Vanuatu is to appeal to Britain and France for compensation for 19th century "slave voyages" which saw 62,000 Melanesians uprooted to work in the sugarcane fields of Queensland and Fiji.

Thousands of Pacific islanders were kidnapped or tricked by European and South American traders and taken away for manual labour in Pacific colonies in the late 19th century.

Labourers were sold to plantation owners for £6 to £9 a head and were typically paid £6 a year to work six days a week in cane plantations, where at times the death rate was as high as one in 10.

Traders got round anti-slavery laws by forcing or coercing Pacific islanders to sign contracts guaranteeing a limited term of indentured labour.

Vanuatu's foreign minister, Moana Carcasses, told the Guardian that he was in contact with local groups demanding compensation, and planned to raise the issue with the British and French governments later this year.

"The group who are speaking to me had about 1,000 families. It's quite big numbers who are claiming, and of course there are others who are claiming whom I have not spoken with," he said.

An appeal to the Australian government has been rebuffed: "They said that's a long time ago, why should they be responsible? I respect that way of seeing things, but it won't stop me knocking on the door."

The move follows a billion-dollar claim launched in New York last month against the shipping insurer Lloyd's of London and two American companies accused of profiting from the transatlantic slave trade.

A class action is also being prepared in Australia after it was revealed in February that the New South Wales government had taken an estimated £30m in "stolen wages" held in trust funds and never distributed to the Aborigines who earned it.

More than 30,000 people were taken from Vanuatu to work in Queensland, New Caledonia and Fiji in the late 19th century, and 870 labour trade voyages between 1863 and 1904 provided the bulk of the workforce on which Queensland's cane industry was built.

The trade was stopped in 1906 when the newly independent Australian government deported thousands of Melanesians from tropical Queensland because of fears that they might swamp the country's white population.

Among the most notorious of the so-called "blackbirders" was Ross Lewin, who often adopted the guise of an Anglican bishop to entice islanders on to his ship. Others ambushed villages or took people from beaches by force.

James Murray, an infamous blackbirder of the early 1870s, encouraged villagers to paddle their canoes out to his schooner with promises of trade in beads, paint, pipes and tobacco, before holing their boats with pig-iron weights and throwing the "rescued" survivors in the hold.

Clive Moore, an associate professor at the University of Queensland and an expert on the trade, said that Vanuatu was right to pursue the claims, but could run into difficulties proving how much of the trade was forced.

"There's force and there's deception, and some very cruel things happened," he said. "Europeans were using these people as cheap labour, but it's insulting to the intelligence of Melanesians to believe that they stood on their beaches for decade after decade allowing themselves to be captured.

"In the first 10 years or so that labour was taken from any island, it was largely by kidnapping or deception. But then what occurs is [the people originally kidnapped] come back again and explain to the ones about to leave what it involves. So physical kidnapping stops, but it's still a type of cultural kidnapping."

Mr Carcasses said many of the families who had contacted him were prepared to take legal action if negotiations failed. But he admitted that Vanuatu, an aid-dependent archipelago of about 80 islands with a population of 200,000 and a gross domestic product of £300m, had slender means to pursue such an action.

"I've said to the people here that I will try my best, of course if that fails the families have the right to use legal means," he said. "What I say to them is, don't take your expectation too high. Don't expect you're going to receive billions of dollars. Maybe the English government will say sorry. Maybe they'll give you a hospital and that's it."

Serial Enslavers

Blood, sweat, tears and sugar

An 1886 cartoon depicting a slave trader using coconuts as a lure to entice buyers for his "niggers".

The caption reads: “South Sea Island Trader: ‘Now gentlemen, give me a start. What shall we say for this ‘ere cocoanut – and the nigger thrown in? Five pounds only bid for this cocoanut. Five pounds; five o’ny; five – did I hear six? No advance; going at five; gone. Next nigger; I mean next cocoanut.’ ”

From Green Left Weekly issue 198, website, this article "Blood, sweat, tears and sugar: The Big Picture: Sugar Slaves," published on 16 August 1995, by Norm Dixon, discusses a documentary on Australia's Queensland sugar industry and Pacific Islander slavery. They call it "blackbirding," but it's more akin to "blackjacking," kinda like carjacking only its about abducting/kidnapping black bodies to work on the sugar cane fields. The Aussies get really sensitive about the word "slavery" there have been a number of lawsuits regarding slavery, so they preform linguistic gymnastics to call their labor practices anything but enslavement. I'm still looking for this documentary, I can only find non-downloadable clips, thus far, but I'm still looking. -- Ron Edwards, US Slave.

Norm Dixon writes: The sugar industry in Australia generates around $2 billion a year, and Australia recently surpassed Cuba as the world's largest exporter of raw sugar. Plantation, refinery and distillery owners amassed huge fortunes from the blood, sweat and tears of enslaved Pacific islanders, as this compelling documentary proves.

In 1863 — 30 years after the British parliament abolished slavery in the British Empire and at the height of the civil war to end slavery that United States — the first shipload of kidnapped South Sea Islanders (as the islander community today prefers to be known) arrived in Brisbane to open a sad new era of forced labour that is largely glossed over in the history books. Those first "Kanakas" were offered for sale at $7 a head.

Sugar Slaves is a timely reminder that Australian capitalism was partly built on the exploitation of the people of the Pacific islands. Australian capitalism's birth was as brutal and unjust as any other capitalism on this planet. As historian Clive Moore says, "Queensland could not have developed as quick as it did in the 19th century without the use of cheap Melanesian labour".

Between 1863 and 1904, more than 50,000 islanders were transported to Queensland to labour in the cane fields. Men, women and children were seized from villages and beaches throughout the Pacific by sea "traders". On Pentecost Island, in Vanuatu, whole villages were captured, causing areas, inhabited for generations, to revert to jungle. Families were separated and all contact with their stolen relatives lost.

Life on the plantations was harsh. Technically, the South Sea Islanders were not slaves but were paid wages 80% less than those paid to Australian workers. After arrival in Queensland, islanders were sent straight to the plantations, given a set of clothes and set to work clearing fields or cutting cane. They were watched by often brutal overseers on horseback who needed little encouragement to set upon the hapless labourers with whip or boot.

Back-breaking work, disease, and poor and too little food led to death rates 400% higher than for Europeans. The "lucky" ones were buried in unmarked graves away from the cemeteries housing good, white Christians. Many others were buried in the fields where they dropped.

Opposition to the slave trade — euphemistically dubbed the "Queensland labour system" — was strong in the southern Australian colonies. It was also opposed within the Queensland labour movement.

In 1868, Queensland's parliament, though dominated by pastoralists and plantation owners, was forced to modify the system. Employers were now bound to provide food, clothing and lodging, and pay a wage of $6 per year. South Sea Islanders were to be employed by contract for a maximum of three years, after which the employer had to pay their fare home. In Britain too, the slave system in Queensland was a scandal, and in 1872 the British parliament passed a law to outlaw kidnapping of islanders in the Pacific.

The sea "traders" now relied more on "persuasion" rather than brute force to lure islanders to the cane fields. By law, Melanesians were forbidden to strike or "desert" their employer on pain of three months' imprisonment.

The labor movement's response was thoroughly selfish and racist. Unions argued that islanders undercut "white" wages, yet refused to organise them or permit them to join. Labour movement newspapers like the Worker and the Boomerang published racist caricatures of islanders, depicting them as threatening the "purity" of white women. After federation, despite the vehement opposition of the plantation owners, the white Australia policy outlawed further use of islander labour. All islanders were to be deported in 1906.

After considerable agitation by South Sea Islanders opposed to deportation, the government allowed elderly islanders, those married to Aborigines or to Australian citizens and those who had been resident for over 20 years to remain. Despite this, fewer than 2000 were permitted to remain legally. The deportations caused terrible pain and disruption, with families being split up, never to be reunited. To escape deportation, some jumped ship, and some even walked to Sydney!

Following the deportations, the Australian Workers Union launched a despicable crusade to eliminate South Sea Islanders from the sugar industry. The federal government paid a bounty to farms that employed only whites. In 1919, Melanesians were excluded by law from working on farms, although many farmers secretly allowed islanders to cut cane at night for a pittance. To survive, islanders returned to a traditional lifestyle of growing gardens and catching fish. Only during World War II were islanders again allowed to work in the sugar industry.

South Sea Islander men and children under a tree in Cairns c1906
Departure of the first shipment of deported Polynesians from Cairns under the Commonwealth Act: the muster at the Court House for medical examinations. (Description supplied with photograph). A large group of South Sea Islanders queueing for medical examinations prior to deportation from Cairns, 1906.

Today, the 20,000 descendants of South Sea Islanders are a distinct community which is rediscovering its heritage and demanding recognition of the role their ancestors played in building the Queensland and Australian economy. In the words of Noah Sabbo: "I'm proud to be a 'Kanaka'". To most Australians, people like Ken Negus and Mal Meninga are known as sports superstars not as South Sea Islanders, something the islander community wants to see changed.

But the documentary also makes it plain that South Sea Islanders now in many ways have more in common with fellow Australian workers than they do with their long-lost relatives in the Pacific. This painful discovery was made by Joe and Monica Leo as they returned to Pentecost Island, from which Joe's grandparents and Monica's father were kidnapped 100 years ago. In a heart-rending scene, the old chief of Joe's grandfather's now deserted village urges Joe to return to Pentecost so the village can be re-established. Joe cannot find the words to explain that he has too many ties in Australia, not least a job driving a council grader, to return, and he lapses into a tearful silence. --Norm Dixon, Green Left Weekly

Serial Enslavers: Guest Worker Scam

Geethu Anna Jose - "Every time I enter the court, I want to play the best game of my life"

It's the first quarter of the Women's Final of the National Championship, the biggest basketball competition in India. A large crowd has come this cold, January afternoon to watch the hosts Delhi taking on their arch-nemesis, Indian Railways in the Final. Railways has defeated Delhi in the final of the Nationals for eight straight years, and they again boast the tournament's most formidable team, going undefeated and beating their opponents by over 50 points in each game. But this Delhi squad is going to be tricky; backed by strong home support and featuring superstars such as Prashanti Singh, Akanksha Singh, Shiba Maggon, and Raspreet Sidhu, this was going to be no cakewalk.

But the star of the show as Railways' six-foot-two center, Geethu Anna Jose, attracting attention from fans and opponents alike. India's finest basketball player was aiming for her seventh consecutive national title; her first as team captain.

But the game wasn't turning out the way Geethu had imagined. "When I had gone out, I wanted to score 50," she admitted, "But I missed three easy shots in the first quarter and started feeling the pressure. People say that ‘Nobody in India can stop Geethu', but I wasn't living up to those expectations in the game. I was letting them down in the Final! I was embarrassed and just wanted to sit on the bench."

It was Geethu's Railways and India teammate, Anitha P., who finally got the superstar to relax at halftime. "She told me to approach the third quarter like the first, to start all over again. After that, I was able to realise my mistakes, start improving, and played a completely bindaas, cool game."

Those who don't deal with the heady expectations that Geethu Anna Jose has put on herself may not realise her context through just her words. She reached double digits even in that ‘embarrassing' first half. She finished with her personal tournament-high of 29 points by the end, playing ‘bindaas'. Railways routed Delhi by 40 points in the final, 95-55. The team won each game by an average of 55.9 points each. Their closest game was a 37 point semi-final victory over Chhattisgarh; their biggest win was against Punjab in the quarter-final, by 101 points. It was Railways' eight straight crown; Geethu's seventh.

"I was surprised that it was such a one-sided game in the end," she says, "I looked at the score-sheet later and was shocked to see that I was the top scorer!"

Seven straight victories, but somehow, Geethu still manages to stay motivated for the National Championships. "This is the toughest competition in India and the one I enjoy playing the most. Yes, we have been winning a lot, but this is one tournament with so much talent that I believe that anyone can defeat us if we don't play hard. The victory in the final felt sweet because Delhi was a talented team that had been playing very well. I was especially happy to see that all the players in our squad played well in this championship." Apart from Geethu, players like Anitha P., Anju Lakara, and Renjini Peter stepped up big time for the champions.

"There is no problem with motivation," Geethu adds, "I want to improve myself in every single game. Every time I step on the basketball court, I want it to be the best game of my life. I want to become a better scorer and a better player."

It is perhaps this hunger for improvement that has Geethu wishful for tougher competition. Standing taller than most other opponents she faces, she believes that better defenses will get the best out her. "I want to test myself against other big players to see if I can face that challenge. In Australia, I face tall girls all the time, but there are not too many other tall opponents in the basketball scene in India. I hope that players with good size can be developed in the next generation of Indian players."

There has been no bigger basketball player in India - in stature, and in the Women's division case, in size - than Geethu. Born in the city of Kottayam in Kerala, Geethu, still only 25, has already had a legendary career. She started playing basketball at age 11, idolising the former Indian captain Ivy Cherian as a youngster. After representing Kerala in her youth, she was brought in to play for Southern Railways. The high-point of her career came when she became the first Indian to play professional basketball in Australia - Geethu was picked by the Ringwood Hawks, a lower division team in the Australian WNBL (Women's National Basketball League). Her potential realised, Geethu dominated in Australia, even winning the Most Valuable Player award of the league in 2008.

But her time in Australia was no trade-off for success back home. Geethu led the Indian National Team to new highs in tournament's in Thailand, Vietnam, the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Australia, the 2009 FIBA Asia Women's Championship in Chennai, and the recently concluded Asian Games in China, where the Indian basketball team featured for the first time in 28 years. In a young, steadily improving team, Geethu emerged as undisputed leader, winning top scorer, top rebounder, top blocker, and most valuable player honours in many of the tournaments she took part in. She was named India's captain for the FIBA Asia Championship.

It was the Commonwealth Games experience in Australia when Geethu first faced her on-court idol, Lauren Jackson. Jackson, an Australian, is one of the best women players on the planet. India faced Australia in their very first game, which resulted in a massive loss for India. "Jackson is the best," Geethu gushes, "She scored 40 points in 20 minutes, and I became a fan ever since!"

Fast forward four years, and Geethu and the rest of the National squad faced their toughest challenge as they headed to China for the Asian Games in November. Led for the first time by an American coach - former WNBA player Tamika Raymond - India's inexperience proved to be their downfall. India played against Asia's finest, and the tournament's two best teams, in their first two games - China and South Korea - and were blown out by each one. Their confidence shattered, the team went on to lose their final game too, against a relatively easier Thailand squad. India made a big comeback against the Thais, but Geethu noted that their opponents' zone defense in the end exposed India's inconsistent outside shooting.

"We really have to improve our game in India," Geethu lamented, "Yes, we may not have height, but we must harness our speed and our shooting ability to get the best out of the team. Each time a player puts on an India jersey, they have to find out some way to improve themselves so that they can be responsible for representing India the right way."

Still, the future is bright for the game in India. The Basketball Federation of India (BFI) has received sponsorship from IMG-Reliance, who have been helping develop leagues and have handed a bonus honorarium payment to India's best players. Geethu and seven others were part of the top category of players handed this honorarium.

"Now that we're getting paid, there are no more excuses and no one to blame," she jokes, "We just have to perform now. India still has a long way to go - the youngsters need improved coaching and improved knowledge of the game's fundamentals. A foreign coach like Tamika cannot make miracles happen in three to six months, and a good team cannot be formed if the players aren't always playing together. We need consistent good coaching and we need team unity to improve. It's a long-term process."

From Shiba Maggon, the Singh Sisters, Geethu's Railways' teammate Anitha P., TN's Kokila, and Maharashtra bigs like Shireen, Geethu is optimistic of the talent in India - it is the experience of big games that she feels will bring out the best potential out of these players. "If we have more small international tournaments in India, inviting squads which are closer to us in quality, we will not only learn more from them but also generate a lot of hype amongst fans for basketball in India," she says.

But her personal ambitions are higher, and further. Currently mulling over another offer to go back to Australia to the Hawks, Geethu is holding back optimistically as she hopes to get a try-out with the WNBA, the world's finest Women's basketball league. "I don't know if I can make it, but I want to try. It will be a big step if an Indian can even get a trial with the WNBA."

Geethu doesn't mince words about her growing legend. She has been India's best-known name in basketball for the better half of the last decade, and has admitted that although the pressure sometimes gets to her, the fame certainly doesn't. "It was great being recognised in China and elsewhere as a well-known basketball player - that is the feeling that basketball players should receive in India too, because they're superstars in their own right."

"Like the National Championships, there are great expectations of me from both fans and opponents when I play, and I have to change my attitude to be able to deal with it," she confesses, "On the court, there are no friendships, no Didis - It's my game, I'm the killer on court."

So, can anyone in India stop Geethu Anna Jose? "Of course!" she laughs, "I can be stopped very easily." After a pause, she adds, "But I won't reveal how!"

Anitha P. Won't Back Down

The Delhi Commonwealth Games may have missed out on a basketball tournament, but four years ago, the competition took place at the Games in Melbourne. Back in March 2006, the Indian Women’s team were baptised by fire in their very first game, as they played in the preliminary round against Australia, the hosts and the strongest team in the world. Australia made full use of their squad’s experience at the international level, and boasted by Lauren Jackson, one of the greatest women players in the world, they made mincemeat of the Indian team. The Australians went on to clinch the gold medal at the competition.

But during that blowout victory, the Indian eves, however outmatched, showed their bravest face against the world’s best. Leading the squad was a confident 21-year-old youngster that dared to challenge the world’s best player in her own court. Lauren Jackson (6 foot 4 in) may have scored 41 easy points against India, but the young and undersized forward Anitha Pauldurai (5 foot 6 in) from the Indian side didn’t back down, playing a game-high 36 minutes and leading her team with 21 points.

Four years later, Anitha remembers that game against Jackson as one of the most memorable nights of her life. Considering the way this 25-year-old has evolved her game, she can be sure that there will many more nights like that to come.


Anitha, a resident of Chennai, started playing basketball at the age of 11, but admits that early on, she wasn’t a fan of the sport. “I used to like volleyball and athletics more,” she said, “But when I was in school, the basketball coach recommended that I try the game. The more I played, the more interested I became in the sport.”

As she kept improving and working her way up the ranks, Anitha was also lucky enough to be part of a family that supported her ambitions. Her father, a retired police head-constable, gave her the green light early to do ‘whatever she liked’, and Anitha didn’t look back. “I didn’t really have a role model in the game,” Anitha said, “I just love sport and love to play. I joined the game of basketball, got good coaching, and so I continued.”

After years of success, Anitha now finds herself as in integral part of the Indian Sr. Women’s Team that is heading to Guangzhou, China, to take part in the 2010 Asian Games. The team is being coached by the former WNBA player and American head coach Tamika Raymond, who has seen great potential in the Tamil Nadu girl.

Anitha’s unique skill-set ensures that she can become a devastating weapon for India. She plays the small forward position in the team, or the “three” – but has the ability to control the ball and play point guard as well. This ability to switch between positions, her skill to drive in and attack the basket, and her high shooting percentage, all add up to create a great all-round player.


The team has spent the past month working with Raymond in Chennai, and is now ready to head out to China for the Asian games, which are set to kick off on November 12th. “I’m very happy to have Coach Raymond working with us,” says Anitha. “Her coaching style is very different. We know we are many years behind the world’s best, so we’re working hard with her to catch up. Our practices have been shorter, but extremely intense.”

The Women’s team is still searching for an identity, but Anitha hopes that a few practice games before the real tournament kicks off will help each player understand their role. Anitha is already looking forward to the challenge that the Indians can pose. “We have some good players,” she said, “Geethu has the potential to be in the WNBA. The rest of the squad is a young, exciting team. What they lack in experience they make up by aggression!”

Anitha seems to be the perfect archetype of the aggressive, confident, young Indian player. Her favourite move, she says, is to slash and drive in to the basket, wading by two or three defensive players, and scoring. She dreams of looking opponents in the eye and driving to score past them.

Be it competition like China, Korea, and Thailand that the Indian Women’s team will face in Guangzhou, or Lauren Jackson, the world’s best, one thing is for sure: Anitha P. won’t back down!

FIBA World Championship for Women tips off in Czech Republic

Following the success of the FIBA World Championship for Men last month, attention turns to the Czech Republic, where the best women basketball players in the world have gathered for the FIBA World Championship for Women, set to be held from September 23 – October 3 in the cities of Karlovy Vary, Ostrava and Brno.

The tournament will feature current women’s World Champions Australia, Olympic basketball champions USA, and hosts Czech Republic. Other participating nations are: Senegal, Mali, China, Japan, Korea, Argentina, Brazil, Canada, France, Russia, Spain, Belarus, and Greece.

Indian referee Snehal Bendke has been nominated to participate as one of the officials at this event.

2010 FIBA World Championship for Women to be held at Czech Republic

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The cities of Ostrava and Bono in the Czech Republic have been picked by FIBA to host the 2010 FIBA World Championship for Women, which will be held from September 23-October 3. Asia will be represented in this tournament by China, South Korea, and Japan, the teams who finished top three in last year's FIBA Asia Championship for Women, which was held in Chennai.

This will be the 16th edition of this tournament - the previous winners Australia and the women's Olympic champions the USA will also be competing amongst the 16 teams, along with hosts Czech Republic.

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BFI: It wasn't me

Following basketball star Geethu Anna Jose's "ban" from being able to in a professional league in Australia (as reported on TimesNow.tv), I wrote an article on my blog protesting against Geethu's plight, called How to suppress your superstars - 101. This article was also published on SportsKeeda.com.

The TimesNow.tv article mentioned this: "... the Indian Olympic Association has denied permission since Geethu is also the captain of the Indian women's Basketball team. According to the explanation given by the IOA, the Basketball Federation of India is supposed to organise a National camp during the same time."



It didn't take long for a response to my article: the Basketball Federation of India (BFI) made a press release just three days later refuting the blame for denying Geethu from playing in Australia.

The release, posted by former women's national team captain Divya Singh reads something like this:

Basketball federation of India refutes the blame of denying their National player for playing in Australia.
One of the recently published articles stated that Geethu Anna Jose, an outstanding and highly reputed International Basketball Player of the country was denied the opportunity to train and play in the Big V Women’s program in Australia from 15th February to mid August, 2010 by the Ringwood Basketball Association, Victoria, Australia by the Basketball Federation of India.
BFI clarifies that Jose sent her E-mail to the Federation at 8:42 PM on 25th January, 2010. The 26th January, 2010 being a National Holiday the office was closed. Her permission to participate in the above program in Australia was given on 27th January, 2010 addressed to Head Women’s Coach Ringwood Basketball Association Inc, Australia by Email and a copy of the letter was also forwarded to Geethu by Email.

“We never deny any player, until unless it comes to our commitment towards the nation” says, Harish Sharma, Genl secy BFI.
In few months Geethu, a member of the Indian team, will be representing at the reputed Asian Games. Basketball Federation of India is planning the National Coaching Camp and Foreign Exposure for the Men & Women teams in order to prepare Indian teams for the Asian Games this year where it is mandatory for the selected players to participate in the Coaching Camps & Foreign Exposure prior to their respective International participation and the Asian Games.
In such cases, BFI always considers National interest, and it is expected of every player selected, to attend the National Coaching Camps for the preparation of International events. Basketball is a team game and the whole team needs to practice together for the work-outs on offensive as well as defensive strategies & team coordination.

I applaud the BFI if they really did give permission to Geethu to join the team in Australia. But if the BFI isn't stopping her, then why is she still here?

I wholeheartedly agree that national interest should stand above all, but it shouldn't come in the way of player progress if possible. Geethu had been quoted saying that her league season in Australia would end three months before the Asian Games, giving her ample time to practice with the team. In situations like these, doesn't she deserve to go and improve her skills abroad?

I was finally able to contact Geethu and get her side of the story.

This is what Geethu said about the issue: "... About the Australian league: What really happened was, finally [the BFI] gave me the permission to go, but also they said i have to be back for this Asian games camp going to be held at next month."

What she means is this: the BFI did allow Geethu to go, but expected her back much too early, and for her to return in a month would mean that she misses a large part of her professional season with the Ringwood Hawks in Australia.

Geethu was, after all, the top scorer in all of Asia (!!) during the FIBA Women's Asian Basketball Championships in Chennai in November. Pardon me for thinking that she deserves a lot more respect and recognition for her efforts.

These questions remain to be answered for the conflict to be fully resolved. But this is just a start of such conflicts - if we are hoping that Indian players improve their quality of play, then they will eventually be wooed by better basketball leagues in other countries - Australia, Europe, and hopefully in my lifetime, the NBA. Will this be a reoccuring situation every time our players want to head out of India?

Indian federations / associations need to learn from incidents such as those of Geethu and, of course, from the problems faced by our only Olympic individual gold medalist Abhinav Bindra, who was involved in a tussle with the NRAI.

Based on the opinion of most of the players and coaches I have spoken to, the BFI's General Secretary Harish Sharma seems to be determined in helping promote basketball in India the right way. He should be thanked for his swift response to this issue, but I feel that there is a long way to go before we have a smooth system of dealing with these complicated issues.

How to suppress your superstars - 101

If you have been keeping up with Indian basketball, then you would no doubt be familiar with the name Geethu Anna Jose. The 24-year-old captain of the Indian Women's National team is the most talented basketball player in the country and one of the best in all of Asia.

And if you have really been following recent basketball news in India, you would have heard about the recent atrocity committed by the Indian Olympic Association (IOC), who barred Geethu from playing in a professional league in Australia.

From TimesNow.TV:

In yet another incident that has shamed Indian sports, top basketball player Geethu Anna Jose has being barred from playing in a professional League in Australia. Geethu has been invited by Ringwood Hawks a professional basketball club based in Australia to represent their side in the league.

The club wants Geethu to join the team as early as the February 15 and stay back till the league ends in August.
However, the Indian Olympic Association has denied permission since Geethu is also the captain of the Indian women's Basketball team. According to the explanation given by the IOA, the Basketball Federation of India is supposed to organise a National camp during the same time.
But, Geethu believes that having participated in the Australian league before, another stint there will prepare her better for the Asian Games rather than attending a national camp.
She said, "I am so unhappy that my country is not allowing me to participate in the Australian League. I have written to the Basketball Federation but they have not given me any permission. I am still hoping that they will change their mind. I am sure that I will be able to play for the Australian League between February and August, come back to India, prepare for 3 months and play the Asian Games."

She is absolutely right! The hopes of all those involved in promoting basketball in India lie on building on the successes of talented, marketable individuals. Geethu is exactly that. She was the top scorer for the FIBA Women's Asian Basketball Championships in Chennai in November. She has already played three seasons with the lower league Ringwood Hawks (the only Indian to ever play pro in Australia), bagging a league MVP award in 2008. She was even selected to play for the Dandenong Rangers, which is a top-division WNBL team in Australia, but "personal reasons" kept her from ever suiting up for them.

Geethu's big break came during the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, where she turned heads in an otherwise-lowly Indian squad, putting up an impressive and eye-catching performance. The Indian Women finished sixth.

The young girl (did I mention she's just 24!) has serious skills: if it is marketable stars are what we claim we need, then we don't need to look any further than this talented Kerelan. Letting Geethu have success and acclaim abroad, and then welcoming her back with support by the media, the IOC, and the BFI support will help put a face to the sport in India, just like Saina Nehwal did for Badminton, Sania Mirza did for Tennis, and PT Usha did for Track & Field.

Obviously, playing at a higher, more competitive level will only benefit Geethu as a growing player. She still has potential to be better, and as she said in her statement above, she will have three months after the season in Australia to return home and prepare for the November Asian Games in China.



Earlier, in an interview for The Hindu, Geethu even went as far as saying, "I’ve started modelling too in a small way... Earlier, the game was glamorous, now we have to be glamorous to attract the crowd and sponsors."

It is a pity that India's most talented basketball player had to say these words, but when the system works in such a nonsensical way, can we really question her?

To the Olympic Associations around the world, if you're watching, then learn: this is how to suppress a superstar talent.

Also published on SportsKeeda.com

No Basketball at the Delhi Commonwealth Games

Are you in the mood for some crappy news this morning? According to an exclusive report by More than the games yesterday, the Basketball championships at the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi this year have been cancelled by FIBA.

This year's Commonwealth Basketball Championships, due to be staged in New Delhi in August, have been cancelled by the world governing body, FIBA.
The tournament was not directly connected with the Commonwealth Games, which are being held in India for the first time in October.
Although the scrapping of the tournament represents a set-back to the Indian organisers and those players hoping to compete, FIBA stressed that the cancellation had nothing to do with concerns about facilities, organisation or security - three issues which have blighted the build-up to the Delhi Games.
"The FIBA Commonwealth men's championship has been cancelled," a FIBA spokesman told national press agency Sportsbeat.
Basketball has only been included in the Commonwealth Games once, in Melbourne four years ago where teams from eight countries, including England and Scotland, competed in men's and women's tournaments.
Both gold medals were won by Australia, with England's men and women taking the bronze medals.
Although Australia are understood to have requested a postponement of the Commonwealth tournament until 2011, FIBA blamed a crowded international programme for its decision.
"The major national federations of the Commonwealth have experienced difficulty with the scheduling of the national team programmes as Australia, Canada and New Zealand have all qualified for the FIBA world championship in Turkey while England - as part of Great Britain - will compete in the European championships qualification series," said a spokesman.

So this truly sucks: Here was a chance for hoop enthusiasts in India to be able to see some better international talent perform at home, and be able to size up how our own national team competes alongside them.

Come on FIBA: pull some strings... make it happen... It's the friggin Commonwealth Games. Once you get past the primadonna auto-rickshaw drivers and the rapists, Delhi isn't all bad.

Australia planning 'IPL' of basketball

So get this: impressed by the media frenzy and commercial success of the Indian Premier League (IPL) of Twenty-20 cricket in India, the Australians are planning a similarly-themed basketball tournament to boost the games popularity in their own country.

From the Brisbane Times:

A radical $250,000 basketball tournament, being billed as the Indian Premier League of hoops, is being planned to help revitalise the sport in Australia.
The week-long tournament, to be held in Adelaide in April, will feature eight privately-owned teams competing for a cash prize and playing under amended rules to encourage high scores and entertaining play.

Teams would earn money according to how far they progress in the tournament, in the same way tennis players do.
The rule restructures are being kept under wraps but may involve cricket-style power plays, where a team is reduced by a player for a period of time, or extra incentive to score points at various stages of the game.

Some of the biggest names in Australian basketball are likely to take part, while owners also have the option of securing the services of overseas stars if deals can be reached.

Now, I've been discussing a possibility of an NBA-inspired basketball league in India for while. In my interview with Indian basketball starlet Divya Singh, Divya said that she believed "... a league will increase the competition level, provide regular games and exposure for players, and will be attractive to the fans.”

Australia already has an NBA-style National Basketball League (NBL), but now they are looking forward to emulating the success of the IPL. I think the intentions are good: more exciting basketball, marketed the right way, will increase fan interest. But this is a dangerous model for us in India should get too romanticized by. I mean, the ideas of 'powerplay' of playing five on four on the court, or points counting more at certain times of the games just make me cringe. These silly rules only end up leading real basketball towards silly exhibitionist stuff, like a Harlem Globetrotter-esque show, or worse Slamball.

An exciting thought, and I would be excited to see if, over the course of time, the BFI create something similar in their footsteps in terms of marketing and increased TV coverage, but please let's not lose the fundamentals.