Basketball Federation of India Signs World-Class Coaches to Lead Indian National Basketball Teams

BFI Appoints experienced former NBA and elite U.S. college coaches to take training and development efforts to the next level for both players and coaches

New Delhi, May 17, 2011: The Basketball Federation of India (BFI) has announced the appointment of three preeminent American coaches to lead India’s men’s and women’s national basketball teams, and further the BFI’s grassroots growth of the game in India. Kenny Natt, with 3 years playing and 13 years coaching experience in the National Basketball Association (NBA), was named as the Head Coach of the Indian Men’s Senior Team, and esteemed U.S. college men’s and women’s coaching veteran Pete Gaudet as the Head Coach of the Indian Women’s Senior Team. Natt and Gaudet will be taking over the reins from Bill Harris and Tamika Raymond, respectively, who led such efforts in 2010. Additionally, Zak Penwell, a highly trained, experienced, and regarded strength & conditioning coach will serve in that capacity to support all men’s and women’s national basketball team efforts. All the three coaches will be based at the Basketball Federation of India in New Delhi.

IMG Reliance, which recently partnered with BFI to develop the sport of basketball in the country, was instrumental in identifying and forging the relationships with this top coaching talent.

For 13 seasons, Kenny Natt was an assistant coach for the NBA’s Utah Jazz, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Sacramento Kings, including as the head coach of the Kings during the 2008-09 NBA season. The Players coached by Natt include NBA legends John Stockton and Karl Malone, as well as current NBA superstar LeBron James. Natt also had a 3-year NBA playing career with the Indiana Pacers and the Jazz, having been the 7th pick in the 2nd round of the 1980 NBA Draft.

The epitome of an accomplished basketball coaching veteran, Pete Gaudet has been in basketball for more than 40 years and brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the position. He has coached both men and women at the highest levels of American college basketball, including positions at West Point, Duke University, Vanderbilt, and The Ohio State University, and has extensive technical and international basketball experience. While at Duke, Gaudet won 2 NCAA men’s championships and made 7 Final Fours, coaching 8 All-Americans, 3 national players of the year, and 12 NBA draft picks.

As the BFI’s Strength & Conditioning Coach, Zak Penwell will be responsible for developing and implementing specialized nutritional, strength training, and conditioning programs for all Indian national men’s and women’s teams. He will also advise Indian coaches throughout the BFI system to enhance and nurture the development of top basketball talent throughout the country. Penwell comes most recently from Scotland’s Sportscotland Institute of Sport, where he worked with athletes from a range of national teams including swimming, basketball, sprint canoe, judo, rugby, golf, curling, triathlon, and field hockey. Since 2006 he has spent over 40,000 athlete contact hours in the weight room, with over 550 elite collegiate and international-level athletes. Penwell is a graduate of the U.S. men’s and women’s college basketball power the University of Connecticut, where he earned two degrees from the top Kinesiology program in America.

In addition to individual skill development and team coaching of the elite men’s and women’s players in India, Natt, Gaudet, and Penwell will play integral roles in the development of basketball coaching talent in the country, educating and mentoring Indian basketball coaches throughout the BFI system. They will also be deeply involved in construction of the BFI’s and IMGR’s overall basketball development plan for both the Youth and Senior Men’s and Women’s National Team programs.

“We are excited beyond words to bring on board these three incredible coaches, who will play a critical role in helping us achieve our vision of growing basketball in India by developing and showcasing the best player and coaching talent in the country,” commented Mr. Harish Sharma, BFI Chief Executive Officer. “The introduction of this wealth of basketball knowledge and ability is a watershed moment for Indian basketball.”

“IMG Reliance played a pivotal role in making this foundation for the future a reality, and is indicative of the tremendous potential that the BFI-IMG Reliance relationship holds to take basketball to greater heights in India."

Sharma added: “The support given to the BFI and IMGR by the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports of the Government of India was instrumental in making the hiring of the coaches possible. The Government of India continues to offer its full backing of our vision for growing the sport of basketball in the country.”

“IMGR’s relationship with BFI has been an endorsement of the true spirit of partnership,” said Bobby Sharma, IMG Senior Vice President, Global Business Development, Basketball. “The support from management at the BFI for our ideas and the framework for the sport of basketball in India has been wholehearted. The appointment of these world-class coaches marks the beginning of an exciting journey, and we are confident that the elite Indian basketball players and coaches will begin to have their true potential unlocked before our eyes, under the guidance and leadership of Kenny, Pete and Zak. In line with the vision articulated by Mrs. Nita Ambani and the active support from the BFI, IMG Reliance looks forward to encouraging the growth of this talent pool of young Indian men and women, as they compete internationally and successfully represent India on the world stage.”

Geethu Anna Jose completes tryouts with 3 WNBA teams

Former captain of the Indian Women’s Senior Basketball team Geethu Anna Jose has become the first Indian basketball player to be invited for a tryout with any NBA/WNBA teams: Between April 27 – May 4, Jose traveled the breadth of the USA to complete tryouts with three WNBA teams – Chicago Sky (April 27-28), Los Angeles Sparks (April 30-May 1), and San Antonio Silver Stars (May 3-4).

Jose reported back to the Basketball Federation of India (BFI), saying that she felt positive about her trials. “I feel like I have done well,” she wrote, “The coaches of all the three teams liked my fundamentals – it is good for Indian basketball.”

“I've given my everything,” said Jose, “I hope the coaches of all the three teams were impressed with my skills.”

In Chicago, Jose first worked out with Bill Harris, the former coach of the Indian Men’s national team, before heading for a two-day, one-on-one tryout with the Chicago Sky and their coaching team.

In the Los Angeles trials, Jose was amongst 60 talented basketball players fighting for a spot on the roster of the Sparks’ squad. Local media reported that “Despite her reserved demeanor, Jose was one of the players who stood out” at the trials.

Here are some quotes from Sparks’ coach Jennifer Gillom from FoxSportsWest:

"I noticed her the first day," Gillom said, "I thought she was definitely fundamentally sound and she just lacked the aggressiveness, being a little bit more assertive, not being as soft, because if she had that, there'd be a lot of players in trouble. That's for sure.”
"She has a beautiful shot, those types of things. But you get a little bit skeptical when she has to defend someone else and those types of things, or being physical in the post or on the wings. She has to bring it out in herself."

Jose’s final tryout was with the San Antonio Silver Stars, where she worked out with the team’s coach and GM Dan Hughes on May 3-4. You can find a short video of Jose’s tryout and Hughes’ positive comments on her here:

According to MySanAntonio.com, Jose left a “good impression” on the Silver Stars:

“What was amazing to me working her out was her listening ability was tremendous,” Hughes said. “That was really pleasing, really exciting to see an athlete that cares that much about getting better.
“She's been in Chicago, L.A. and now here in San Antonio, and she's going through every drill with an intensity. I enjoyed working with her. It was a favorable impression she left on me.”

Troy Justice, the Director of Basketball Operations of NBA in India, assisted Jose a lot in securing the tryouts and worked-out with her in Chennai before her departure to the USA. He reports that he has been in contact with all the coaches of the WNBA teams who worked with Jose.

"The coaches were impressed with her," says Justice, "They commended her on two things: firstly as a person and a representative of India to the WNBA, and secondly, for her talents on court: her skill-set, her athletic ability, and her basketball IQ were all greatly appreciated."

Justice added: "Jose is a quick learner and she improved drastically during the course of her time in the USA."

Jose was greeted warmly by the Indian community in the USA. A felicitation and media interaction session was held for her in Chicago after her tryouts with the Sky. In San Antonio, she got a another special welcome by the city’s Indian community, and she got the honour of meeting the city’s Mayor Julian Castro with the city’s council members in City Hall on May 5th.

She will now return to India and hear about the results of her tryouts in a few weeks.

Hailing from Kottayam, Kerala, the 6 foot 2 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.

Yadwinder Singh: Indian Basketball's Energy Bar

As the opposing team's best player dribbles towards his basket, Yadwinder Singh claps his hands together, almost violently, psyching himself up on defense. With an agile and quick 6 foot 6 inch frame, he is capable of guarding almost anyone, from speedy point guards to powerful, back to the basket post players. Yadwinder stays in front of the attacking player, blocking his vision at the basket. As the player drives in, he is forced to change his shot, which clanks off the side of the rim.

Yadwinder grunts loudly as he grabs the rebounds - it's his and his alone. He passes the ball to one of the guards on hid team and races ahead, beating everyone else on court to get to the opposition's basket. Before anyone else can react, he is in perfect position to receive the ball under the basket and lay it up. A few milliseconds later, he's back at the defensive end, turning passes into turnovers, and defense into offense, as he shows his range by nailing a smooth outside jumper.

There are few players in Indian basketball like Yadwinder Singh, or ‘Yadu', as we know him. A monster at both ends of the floor, Yadu seems to be on a constant energy rush, as if Red Bull has given him the wings to fly and keep flying. Defense to offense to defense and back and over and over again… There seems to be no full stops to his energy, just commas. Even when the game pauses for a free throw, Yadu will be talking, joking, shouting, instructing. Even when he is substituted out of the game, he doesn't stop, keeping his body warm and ready to go back in, jogging, doing push-ups… Constant movement.

I have seen enough NBA basketball to know of one (and only one) NBA comparison that comes to mind as I see Yadu, a Power Forward/Center, run the floor like a guard, defend and score like a big man, and motivate his teammates with an unbelievable rush of electricity and tenacity: Kevin Garnett.

His own motivations on the basketball court match Garnett's too: "I feel like basketball is a game all about the defensive effort," Yadu says, "For all the effort one puts in offense, you have to do double of that on the defensive end."

Yadu's defensive instincts, coupled with his fast-paced style of play, perfectly complement how his teams play. Whether he is representing Punjab, Railways, or India, Yadu believes that the secret to basketball success lies in his pace. "Basketball is one of the fastest games in the world," he says, "And if you aren't going to keep running, then why play it? If my team plays a perfect fast-paced game, we can be unstoppable."

Easily one of the most exciting players to watch in India, Yadu has become an important piece to the Senior National side, as was a starter for the country at the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou (China). Compared to many other early starters, Yadu had a late introduction to basketball, a fact that perhaps makes his quick ascension up the game's ranks that much more remarkable.

Yadu, the son of a farmer, hails from a small Punjabi village called Rasulpur Khurd. He was athletically-aligned from a very young age, but there was another sport that he focused on: Discus.

"I used to be a very serious discus thrower in school," he said, "And I took part in several major athletic competitions on Punjab from my school." He was also part of his school's hockey team.

In 2002, not until he was 16 years old, and at that point, stood at 6 foot 3 inches, did he take admission in a school in Amritsar where his coach encouraged him to try basketball. From that point on, Yadu's career took a dramatic upwards swing: he went from the Amritsar team to the Ludhiana Academy and then to the Punjab U17 team, all within a matter of one and a half years. By late 2003, he had his first senior national experience in Cuttack, had played U20 international for India in Kuwait, and participated in the Champions Cup in Malaysia.

The basketball world in India can be thankful that he abandoned his Discus throwing days behind to start throwing the basketball, but it's evident from some of his full-court bullet heaves that the throwing arm still has a lot of juice left in it. "When I look back now, even when I was younger, I used to watch a lot of basketball on TV," he said, "My Dad encouraged me to stay with athletics and discus, but once I crossed over to basketball, it completely consumed me and I didn't have the time to practice any other sport anymore."

Yadu added: "I started to enjoy basketball game a lot. It was a team sport where there was so much interaction with other people. And everything kept coming naturally to me - I kept on getting what I wanted. It was a great feeling to first play for Punjab, and then it became even more amazing to wear an ‘India' jersey for the first time!"

Yadu credits his early coaches for making him work extremely hard, whether it was his Amritsar coach Fateh Chand or Ludhiana's famed basketball trainer, Dr. Subramanyam. "I wanted to learn everything about basketball," and adding a smile, he added, "I stopped paying attention to everything else - including my studies!"

Constantly upbeat, energetic, and light-hearted, Yadu becomes the heart of the any team he joins. His Railways and India teammate Arjun Singh says, "He has incredible energy - and the best thing about his game is that he doesn't back down to anyone, no matter who the opponent is."

Yadu and the rest of the Indian squad faced the toughest of opponents at the Asian Games in November, and although they returned with an unflattering 1-5 record, Yadu took home a lot of positives: in the coaching and in India's potential in Asia. "We had a really good coach in Bill Harris for this tournament," he says, "With a coach like that, if we keep working hard, we can become top four in Asia."

"The future is good," Yadu says, "My dream is to take India to a medal one of the big championships - the Asian Games or the Asian Basketball Championships." The 26th edition of the FIBA Asia Basketball Championship, or the ‘ABC', are set to be held in Wuhan (China) in September this year.

Yadu's optimism off the court, on the future of the game, is as contagious as his optimism on it, where he focuses hard on each defensive assignment, each offensive rebound, and each jump-shot. And if this contagious optimism continues to grow in the hearts of Indian basketball player, we may very well see the day when the Young Cagers make a name for themselves in Asian basketball's biggest stages.

2010: The year in Indian Basketball

A decade or two from now, when looking back at the success of basketball in India, 2010 will stand as the marquee year that changed almost everything. In a single, busy year, basketball took the biggest strides in India, and has provided optimism for the future of the game here.


The BFI-IMG-Reliance marriage

The Basketball Federation of India (BFI) had quite a busy year, highlighted by the giant sponsorship deal it signed with the joint venture of IMG-Reliance. IMG Worldwide is a US-based sports marketing company, and the Reliance Group is India’s largest private sector enterprise. The 30-year agreement will see IMG-Reliance assisting the BFI on financial, promotional, and technical aspects. As part of the agreement, the BFI has granted IMG Reliance commercial rights relating to basketball in India, including sponsorship, advertising, broadcasting, merchandising, film, video and data, intellectual property, franchising and new league rights.

There have already been major results to this milestone agreement in its first year. IMG Academies (Bradenton, Florida, USA), the world’s best multi-sport training center, offered a scholarship to eight budding young Indian basketball players under the age of 14 (four boys and four girls) to attend their academy as student athletes and be trained by some of the best coaches and trainers in the world.

In addition, BFI and IMG-Reliance also launched first ever inner-city school basketball leagues in New Delhi, Chennai and Mumbai, encouraging participation and competition amongst school kids in the game of basketball. The leagues are soon set to expand to the college level as well.

IMG-Reliance had a hand in sponsoring the BFI’s marquee events of the year, the National Championships. Whether it was the Sub-Junior in Kangra, Junior in Vashi, or Senior level in New Delhi, the highest standard of competition was conducted at the championships in 2010.

As the year ended, BFI announced that a bonus payment will be handed to 65 players, seven coaches, and 10 members of support staff as an honorarium for their hard work for basketball in India. The honorarium will continue as an added monthly payment to players who are placed in the top three categories of basketball level in the country.

Finally, IMG-Reliance also left the BFI and all fans of the game in India with great optimism for the future. BFI and IMGR are now working on launching a professional basketball league in the country over the next few years, which, when launched, would bring basketball into mainstream consciousness in India, and also help make India’s basketball players, coaches, trainers, managers, scouts, and others into professionals connected and paid by the league.

Milestones at the Asian Games, and new American coaches

For the first time in 28 years, back since the games in 1982 which were hosted by India, the Indian National Basketball teams qualified for the Asian Games basketball tournament, held in Guangzhou (China), in November 2010.

The Men’s team also created history by winning their first ever basketball tie at the Asian Games, defeating Afghanistan in their pre-qualifier.

Another major step for the teams was that, for the first time, both the Men’s and Women’s teams were coached by experienced American coaches. Bill Harris and Tamika Raymond worked with the Men’s and Women’s teams respectively, bringing revolutionary new ideas and tactics to India’s best players. Harris and Raymond coached the teams for a few months and led them to the Asian Games.

The NBA partners with BFI, continues promoting basketball in India

The National Basketball Association (NBA), the world’s most powerful basketball league, continued to strengthen in ties with the BFI to help promote the game in India.

The NBA launched a unique inner-city recreational league for youngsters and seniors in their partnership with Mahindra Group, the Mahindra NBA Challenge. With assistance from the BFI, the league was launched in Mumbai, Bangalore, and Ludhiana in its first season, and by the end of the year, in Delhi and Mumbai again in the second season. Chennai is set to be added to the list in 2011.

The NBA also brought two marquee all-star basketball players Dwight Howard and Pau Gasol to India during the NBA off-season in August 2010. The players helped to spread the message of basketball in the country, including working with the Indian National Teams and with Indian school kids.

The NBA also launched an NBA-India website targeted to fans in India, as well as signed a revolutionary new basketball television deals at the start of 2010-11 season in India.

Individual Successes

India’s most popular basketball player today, Chennai legend Geethu Anna Jose, continued to carve her legacy with another season playing abroad in Australia.

Indian youngster Satnam Singh Bhamara, a seven foot, 15-year-old, who was chosen as part of the scholarship by the IMG-Academy, has made a name for himself already due to his immense potential. BFI’s Secretary-General Harish Sharma has recognised Satnam as potentially becoming the first Indian player to make a huge mark internationally, just like Yao Ming did for China.

Success for the whistle-blowers

Indian referees made a significant name for themselves worldwide in 2010. In July, West Bengal’s experienced ref Atanu Banerjee became the first Indian to officiate the final of a World Championship Game, as he was a referee at the FIBA U17 World Championship Final in France.

In November, another Indian referee made the country proud. Rameshkumar Durairaju from Tamil Nadu became the first Indian referee since 1982 to officiate an Asian Games basketball final, as he was the ref at the women’s final game at the Asian Games in Guangzhou (China).

India at the Youth Olympic Games

A contingent of four players and one coach from India were part of the first major tournament debut of FIBA 33 at the Youth Olympic Games (YOG) in Singapore in August-September. FIBA 33 is an official version of the half-court, three-on-three format of basketball.

Indian coaches receive training at George Mason University

American basketball coaches JD Walsh, Craig Esherick, and Bob Baker invited 12 Indian coaches and management specialists to the George Mason University (GMU) for intense coaching training courses for ten days in July. The coaches went through on and off court training that included discussions of coaching philosophy, nutrition, strategy as well as marketing and organization.


The action-packed year came to an end with the National Championships in New Delhi, which were won again by the Men’s and Women’s teams from Indian Railways early in 2011. Punjab Boys and Kerala Girls lifted the Junior Nationals in Vashi in October, Rajasthan Boys and Chhattisgarh Girls hoisted the Sub-Junior Championship in Kangra back in September, and Punjab Boys and Kerala Girls won the Youth Nationals in Tiruchirappalli in June.

With a chapter on this successful year closed, it is now time to look forward and continue the growth of basketball in 2011.

“Basketball is set to conquer India,” – BFI Secretary-General Harish Sharma

As India’s biggest basketball competition tipped off in New Delhi, the question in the minds of Indian players and fans was simple: How soon before we take the step into the next level?

But as far as Harish Sharma, the Secretary-General of the Basketball Federation of India (BFI) is concerned, that leap has already been achieved.

“Basketball as a sport is all set to conquer India,” Sharma says, “The sport has always been an integral part of the school life of Indian kids, but now, as the running of the federation becomes more and more professional, the sky is the limit for this sport.”

Winds of change arrived for the BFI this year as the federation signed a sponsorship contract with the IMG-Reliance group, who have since been sponsoring national tournaments, inner-city leagues, and providing scholarship to young Indian basketball players to hone their skills at the IMG Academy in Floriday, USA. The deal lasts a full 30 years, providing enough time for the federation to oversee the growth of the game in the country.

“Our priority is the players,” says Sharma, “We are now ready to provide India’s best players extra incentive in terms of bonus payment so that they remain motivated to keep trying harder for the country. We will be dividing the players in three groups, based on their skill level. We will focus equally on men and women – basketball in India is a gender-friendly sport!"

India has already started to see the results of this new focus on the national basketball teams. For the first time in 28 years, Indian men and women participated in the Asian Games basketball tournament, held at Guangzhou, China. The Indian men’s team made further history after winning their first ever Asian Games contest, against Afghanistan.

Another way to make sure that the teams are well led into such tournaments is to get the finest teachers of the sport in India. For the first time for the Asian Games, two American coaches, for the men’s and women’s teams respectively, led the squad. The Men’s team were led by former NCAA D3 coach Bill Harris and the women’s team by former WNBA player Tamika Raymond. Sharma reiterated that India will continue to look for coaching talent overseas and bring the best coaches from around the world to coach India.

“It has been a historic year for the BFI and basketball, “said Sharma, “Now, we are excited to bring the most talented Indian players and teams to Delhi so that they can perform at the biggest stage – the National Championships. Basketball is a sport that can easily become extremely popular in India, and we are hoping that this tournament will help encourage more youngsters to take part in the sport.”

Vishesh Bhriguvanshi: Striving for success

In Varanasi, one of the oldest living cites in the world, they say that history of the world moves in a cyclical motion. Events repeat themselves one after the other every generation in the city, a cycle of good and evil and life and death, over and over and over for infinity in time. They say that even if the rest of the world stops, in Varanasi life will go on just as usual.

There is another kind of cyclical history being made at the famous UP College basketball court. Situated in the North-Western corner of the city, time and again, these courts have proven to be the nursery of some of Indian basketball’s finest talents. When taking a closer look, one can see how, every day, day after day, the basketballs continue bouncing without end, every morning and every evening, over and over again. With every year there is the development of a new batch of talented players and every generation gives birth to a select group of superstars.

On a chilly December evening at the UP College, all is as it has always been: the balls are bouncing, the shots are falling, the sneakers are pacing up and down the court. Except that today, there seems to be a distraction: a familiar face has shown itself again, and the court’s regular players, from the young toddlers with palms barely large enough to control a dribble to the experienced older ones with graying hair, have all stopped to welcome back their hometown hero.

Fresh out of captaining India to its first appearance at the Asian Games basketball tournament in 28 years, Vishesh Bhriguvanshi returned home to Varanasi for a few days of rest before the next challenge – the Super Kung Sheung Cup in Hong Kong. Still only 19, Vishesh already has several years of senior international appearance under his belt. He was called upon to captain the Indian side at the South Asian Games (SAG) in Dhaka at the beginning of this year, and the young shooting guard hasn’t looked back since.

Now back at the court where he learned how to master the game, Vishesh goes back to what he does best: showing up every morning and evening to meet his old friends, divide himself and the rest of the participating players into fair teams, and set the ball rolling. In a few years since his national and international exposure, he has earned an aura of awe and respect amongst the youngsters at the court. Refreshingly though, he is still the same old Vishesh with his peers: challenging, taunting, laughing, and competing. A small crowd gathers to watch as he lazily bounces around the court, sometimes wowing the spectators with great plays but mostly just blending in.

The Asian Games in Guangzhou (China), was a tough competition for the Indian squad. Led by coach Bill Harris, the first ever American hired to coach the Indian basketball team, the Young Cagers defeated Afghanistan in their first game of the tournament, a pre-qualifier that allowed them to enter the main group stage of the competition. India were not only able to exact revenge on an Afghani squad that had beaten them twice at the SAG (including a heart-breaking win at the tournament’s final), but the team also made history by celebrating Indian basketball’s first ever win at the Asian Games.

India then proceeded to lose all five of their group games, but they did put up some memorable performance in defeat. Against Asian powerhouses Iran, India managed to stay neck-to-neck in the second half after succumbing to a big deficit in first. Against Philippines and Japan, India performed well in the first halves to keep the games competitive before losing focus in certain stretches of the game to lose out.

A natural wing player, Vishesh (6 foot 4 inches) was forced to play the point guard or ‘feeder’ position at the game due to the team missing several key players. He gracefully took over the role to run the floor, sacrificing some of his scoring numbers to be able to lead the team better.

“The Asian Games were a great experience,” said Vishesh, “We showed great improvement as a team. Coach Harris was able to instill a defensive philosophy in the team which made us competitive. Throughout the tournament, I think we played some good defense and were better prepared with set plays for our offense, too.”

Comparing the current feel of the squad to the one that lost to Afghanistan at the SAG, Vishesh said that the players have begun to feel more like a cohesive unit. “Earlier on, it felt like everyone distrusted each other and just wanted to do their one thing,” he said, “This time, we were able to beat Afghanistan even without some great players because of good team unity.”

Vishesh admits that the Indian team had some glaring faults that were exposed at the Games. “It was hard for us to stay at the top level for the full game,” he said, “We would play well for one half and then not be able to keep up. I think our lack of experience showed. We just have to keep working.”

For the team to improve, Vishesh believes that they have to keep working harder, especially on the defensive end. Coach Harris has left all of the players he worked with in Chennai and in Guangzhou with specific exercise and training regiments to work on to improve their individual games. “If we keep working hard, I feel that we can improve a lot,” says Vishesh, “I hope that the next time we can get up to the top 8 in the Asian games and at least be able to put up a good challenge against one of the greater teams in Asia.”

The Indian team that has now headed to Hong Kong has a very different look. For starters, Coach Harris has gone back, and the squad has been playing without some great performers such as Jagdeep Singh, Trideep Singh, Hareesh Koroth, and Eudrick Pereria. They lost their first two games at the Super Kung Sheung Cup to hosts Hong Kong and the Southern California Fukienese Association (SCFA).

Before heading to Hong Kong, Vishesh acknowledged that the Indian national teams suffered from a lack of consistency – the teams keep changing and the players hardly get an opportunity to gel well together. Players get separated to go and represent their home states or service teams, sometimes become a higher priority for them than the Indian national team. Before leaving, Coach Bill Harris had proposed the idea that the national squads should be chosen yearly only to live, train, and play together as a team all year round to help build better chemistry and understanding.

“It is a good idea to keep the team together, but we obviously need a good coach to make it work,” Vishesh said, “All of us really liked Coach Harris – he was straight-forward and honest with us.”

He continues: “Too often, you see good players coming together from different parts of the country, and when they play for India, their performance becomes much worse. You can check the statistics and see this is happening – as Indian players, we need to be together and improve together.”

Clearly, Vishesh has embraced the role of captain much beyond just the ceremonial position. He seems to understand that in India’s success lies his own success, and he is ambitious about his future with basketball in India.

His next challenge: the Sr. National Basketball Championship, set to be held at New Delhi on December 28th. Vishesh has been an integral part of the strong Indian Railways squad that has won back to back championships, and he is ready for another win. “We want to make it a three-peat at the Nationals,” says Vishesh, “We will have to show a good performance if we are to have a chance to win. Teams like Tamil Nadu, Uttranchal, Service, and Punjab will definitely put up a tough challenge.”

Whether it’s his UP College home court in Varanasi, the grand courts in Guangzhou and Hong Kong, or the Talkatora Stadium in Delhi, where the Nationals will be held, Vishesh continues to do what he loves most: the game of basketball. And as long as he the youngster keeps improving, it seems the future of Indian basketball is in good hands, and his own name will be added to the history of Varanasi basketball idols who have been making the city proud, over and over again.

Interview with Bill Harris and Tamika Raymond: head coaches of India’s basketball teams at the Asian Games

American basketball coaches Bill Harris and Tamika Raymond have accomplished several historical feats over the last few months alone. The two became the first American head coaches of the Indian Senior Men’s and Women’s national basketball teams respectively. They led the Indian team into their first appearance in the 2010 Asian Games basketball tournament in 28 years. Under Harris, the Men’s team also won their first ever basketball game at the Asian Games, beating Afghanistan 83-76 in their pre-qualifying match-up.

The contract for both the coaches expires at the end of the month, and both Harris and Raymond will be returning to the USA after bidding farewell to the teams. The two have been working with the teams since the end of September/beginning of October at the Senior camp in Chennai. The Men’s team played a friendly game against Hong Kong before heading off to Guangzhou, China, for the Asian Games. After beating Afghanistan, the Men lost all their five group games to Qatar, Chinese Taipei, Iran, Philippines, and Japan.

Men’s coach Harris has over 30 years of experience as a head coach in the game of basketball across several institutions in the US. His most-recent previous appointment was with Wheaton College (1991-2009), where he had tremendous success posting the highest career winning percentage as a head coach in the institution’s history.

Despite India’s poor final showing, Harris showed his optimism and excitement for the experienced gained by the players. “This tournament was an opportunity for the players to compete against the best countries in Asia. While training, the Indian players got a chance to push themselves further than ever before and get a glimpse of their full potential if they keep working harder at it.”

“I am very proud of our win against Afghanistan,” he added, “It will also be a memorable moment for the players and for me, especially considering that we were the lowest seed in the competition and were not expected to beat them after the two losses to Afghanistan earlier this year [at the South Asian Games]. The win gave us the opportunity to qualify for the group stage and compete against Asia’s best.”

Both the Indian teams were amongst the youngest squads in the tournament, and the Men’s team was led by captain Vishesh Bhriguvanshi, who just turned 20. They also lost valuable players such as Trideep Rai to injury for three games, and leading scorer Jagdeep Singh also missed the last match against Japan. Despite this, Harris was impressed by the character that the Young Cagers showed in China.

“We played a good game against Iran, who are one of the strongest teams in the world,” Harris said, “After a bad first half, we played Iran even in the second period and lost only by 15 points. Against Philippines, we had a good first half, and were down only by one point then before letting them take a big lead in the second. Against Japan too, without two important players, we were able to stick close for three quarters. In The Japan game we were able to call upon Dishant Shah, who is at junior level, to start the game and play big minutes, which was very impressive.”

Harris was known to command a lot of respect amongst the players and brought a disciplined approach to the team during training in Chennai. “I have been tough and demanding on them, but they know that I did this because I cared for their success. During the training, they began to see gradually that they can develop into great players.”

Now, at the end of his tenure, Harris is leaving behind personalised training regimes for each of the players so that can continue to put in work into their ability. His only concern is that now without him, the players must become self-motivated to follow the regimes.

Discussing the future of the Men’s team, Harris stressed that it is important for the players to continue to strive for betterment. “The BFI and the NBA have to figure out a way to make sure that the national players can stay together and play together. I feel that India needs to get 20 of its best players for the national team and then keep them together all year round to train together, improve their team chemistry, and grow as a team.”

Harris said that it was hard to leave behind the team, who had become like a family to him. He will now be returning to US, where he is still undecided about his future but is looking forward to spending some time with this family.

Under Tamika Raymond, the Women’s team played a few practice games against professional teams from China in Chennai before heading to Guangzhou. There, they lost all three of their group games to China, South Korea, and Thailand. Raymond is a former WNBA player and NCAA Division I Assistant Coach.

“Getting beat that badly definitely wasn’t fun, but the kids learning so much is something that I wouldn’t trade for the world,” Raymond said, “For India basketball, sending a team to this tournament has been a great foundation to build upon.”

Raymond’s team was tested by the best in Guangzhou. They played first two games against China and South Korea, who were the two finalists of the tournament. China is ranked 4th in the entire world and South Korea 8th. After two big losses, India played well against Thailand in the third game before losing out by eight points in the fourth quarter.

One of the stand-out players for Raymond was Anitha Pauldurai, who played the most minutes for the team and showed much needed leadership and experience. Raymond added that Anitha showed a “coach’s mentality”, which was rare.

Another player for whom Raymond reserved special praise was Indian basketball legend Geethu Anna Jose. “Geethu is a very talented player, and has a great future,” Raymond said, “Unfortunately I don’t think that she has been challenged enough in India. To improve, she needs to play against other great players.”

Raymond added that the team’s point guard Akanksha Singh was the squad’s most hard-working player, showing great confidence and persistence against all the competition. She also mentioned youngsters such as Pratima Singh, Raja Priyadarshini, Sneha Rajguru, and Rajpreet Sandhu, who stepped their game up in China to offer the coach a pleasant surprise.

Raymond feels that the next stage for India to improve the quality of its basketball players is to focus on their conditioning. “To be as good as the teams we face, we first have to look like them,” she said, “We have the length, but we need the right kind of weight room training, nutrition, built, and strength to try and look like other strong teams such as China or Korea.”

“It was surprising at times that some of the basic training techniques that we worked with that players learn at a much younger age in America were new to these girls, but they enjoyed all the weight room training work that we did, where we worked particularly on their agility and fitness.”

Another factor that Raymond believes that India needs work on is improving their basketball IQ and their will to win. “It is not just important to play the game but also to think it,” she said, “They shouldn’t just play basketball; they should want to play smart and want to win. They should want to be great.” The players had to learn many things to improve their basketball IQ, such as plays and important defensive concepts.

Finally, Raymond feels that there is a need for uniformity in the coaching process in India, and a need for the coaches to be trained better, so that in turn they can pass on valuable information to the young players. This process, she feels, must start at the Junior level so that the players are comfortable with the system by the time they reach the Senior National team.

“The next stage for India should be to reach out again and bring in more quality coaches for their teams,” Raymond suggested, “The team’s future will depend on how much time they can spend together and on their future coach. It is sad that when the players return they get separated and go back to represent their separate regions and teams, and the lower level of play can hurt their development. In other countries, the national team stays and trains together to improve.”

“The NBA and BFI have a wonderful arranged marriage, and basketball in India can only get better!”

Raymond can be seen on ESPN in America, where she will be a sideline reporter for Women’s basketball. She added that there is a chance that she will also work at a few WNBA games when the season begins.

The secretary-general of the BFI Harish Sharma was very satisfied with Harris’ and Raymond’s work in India. “The American coaches came from a background of great work culture in basketball,” Sharma said, “Both of them have done well to improve the standard of basketball in India. It was good to see that, under them, our national players brought a level of much-needed discipline to their game. They improve their shot selection, and their defense improved tremendously under both coaches.”

“We want to hire more foreign coaches to replace them and lead the Indian senior teams for the next two or three years.” Sharma added.

Troy Justice, the NBA’s Director of Basketball Operations in India, who helped the BFI in bringing Harris and Raymond to India, confirms that the NBA will once again to an extensive global search for future national coaches for the Indian squads. “We will be looking not just for good coaches, but for coaches who will be right for India and will be committed whole-heartedly to India,” Justice said.

China wins double gold at Asian Games; India goes winless

Hosts China stamped their dominance over basketball in Asia after winning double gold in both the Women's and Men's tournament at the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou. China defeated the Republic of Korea in both divisions to clinch the title.

Nan Chen led a balanced attack for the Chinese Women on Thursday, November 25th with 17 points and 12 rebounds to overcome the Korean challenge, 70-64. All of China's starters scored in double digits as the hosts prevailed in the close game. Yeonha Beon scored a game-high 23 points in Korea's losing effort.

Women

China 70 (Nan Chen 17 pts 12 rebs, Xin Guan 14 pts, Fan Zhang 7 rebs) bt. Republic of Korea 64 (Yeonha Beon 23 pts, Jung Eun Park 14 pts, Mi Sun Lee 5 stls). Halftime Score:38-29

Japan came third in the women's competition after beating Chinese Taipei 73-61 in the bronze medal game.

In the Men's final, China sustained a close lead for the whole game and fought off Korea's comeback to win 77-71. Former NBA player Zhizhi Wang scored 20 points to lead a balanced effort for China. Donggeun Yang for Korea added 17 points for the losing team.

Men

China 77 (Zhizhi Wang 20 pts, Jinhui Ding 14 pts 8 rebs, Yue Sun 14 pts) bt. Republic of Korea 64 (Dongguen Yang 17 pts, Joo Sung Kim 15 pts, Sungmin Cho 15 pts). Halftime Score:43-37

Iran won the Men's bronze medal after beating Japan 74-66

The Indian teams did not have a successful competition after qualifying for Asian Games basketball after 28 years, as the Men and Women's teams suffered defeats in all their group stage match-ups.

The Indian Men's team had early success as the won their pre-qualification match-up against Afghanistan to enter the tournament's group stage. Trailing by eight points at half-time, a balanced effort from India's starters led to a succesful comeback victory 83-76. Jagdeep Singh led a balanced effort from the Indians with 22 points. Trideep Rai (18), Hareesh Koroth (17), and Yadwinder Singh (15) also chipped in with important contributions.

But India's five group games saw them fall to 0-5 against their opponents. Despite Hareesh Koroth's 24 points, India lost big to Qater, 97-48. Chinese Taipei played a high-scoring game against India which they won 93-66, as Jagdeep Singh again led India with 22 points. Jagdeep continued his strong play in the tough game against Iran next, scoring 24 points in a losing effort, where Iran won 78-63. Yadvinder Singh also added 17.

India had a promising start in their last two games, against the Philippines and Japan, but succumbed to late game fatigue at lost both. Philippines beat India 78-57 and Japan won 85-58.

In the Women's tournament, India were baptised by fired in their first game against a strong Chinese squad, who won big, 107-39. The Women continued to suffer in a tough draw, as their next game was against eventual semi-finalists Republic of Korea, who won 98-44. The Girls showed a much improved performance in their final game, as Geethu Anna Jose powered to 20 points and 12 rebounds against Thailand, still to lose a close game 62-54 in the tough fourth quarter.

Although the box scores might have shown a dismal performance for the Indian team, the truth was that both the Men and the Women showed glimpses of competitiveness in all their games, just to succumb to problems regarding fatigue. The Indian teams were just not fit enough to hang with Asia's best for 40 minutes a game, which led to several epic second half collapses.

But first qualification in 28 years is still a positive step up. Hopefully the influence left behind by American coaches Bill Harris and Tamika Raymond paves the way for a brighter future for the game in India.

Indian Sr. National Teams named for 2010 Asian Games

The Sr. National Basketball teams to represent India in the Men’s and Women’s basketball competition at the Guangzhou (China) Asian games, set to be held from Nov 12-27, have been announced.

This is the first time that India will be taking part in this tournament in 28 years. Indian basketball teams had last played in the competition at the Asian Games in New Delhi in 1982.

Vishesh Bhriguvanshi (Men) and Prashanti Singh (Women) have been named the captains of their squads. For the first time, the Indian National teams are being led by American coaches: Bill Harris for the Men’s team and Tamika Raymond for the Women.

Teams

Men

Vishesh Bhriguvanshi (Captain)
Jairam Jat
Jagdeep Singh
Prakash Mishra
Sunil Rathee
Yadivinder Singh
Kiran Pal Singh
Trideep Rai
Hareesh Coroth
Dinesh
Eudrick Pereira
Dishant Shah
Head Coach: Bill Harris
Assistant Coach: Rajinder Singh

Women

Prashanti Singh (Captain)
Geethu Anna Jose
P Anitha
Bharti Netam
Pratima Singh
Akanksha Singh
Pushpa
Harjeet Kaur
Raja Priyadarshini
Sneha Rajguru
Smriti Radhakrishnan
Rajpreet Sandhu
Head Coach:Tamika Raymond
Assistant Coach: Sat Prakash Yadav

The Men’s team will face Afghanistan in Group D of the Preliminary Round 1 on November 13. If India wins, they will join the winners of Group B (either Philippines or Saudi Arabia) into Group F of the Preliminary Round 2. Chinese Taipei, Japan, Qatar, and Iran are the other teams in Group F. 17 men’s teams in total are participating in Asian Games Men’s Basketball.

The Indian Men's team will travel to Hong Kong on October 5th to play some friendly matches in preparation for the competition in China.

Only seven women’s teams are participating, and the Indian Sr. Women’s National Team has been drawn in Women’s Group X along with China, Korea, and Thailand.

Video: Chinese National Team beat the Brazilians. Literally.

Hmm... Talk about a "friendly" match.

If you haven't seen this video yet, it's time to feast your eyes on one of the most atrocious things to happen to a major basketball game since Ron Artest went up the stands.

About five days ago, the Chinese National Basketball team were playing a friendly against a team from Brazil, part of their preparation for the 2010 Asian Games that will be held in the home soil for the Chinese (in the city of Guangzhou). In just the first quarter of this game, the referee called a foul on a Chinese player, and the coach of the China Sr. Men's team American Bob Donewald, Jr. reacted angrily (really angrily - cursing out loud, smashing the scorers table, etc.). Play between both teams became rougher, until finally, an open fight busted out on court.

Actually, I would be wrong to call it a "fight." In a "fight", two parties attack each other. This wasn't like that at all - this was more like a spanking. For the lack of a better phrase, the Chinese players "opened a can of whoop-ass" on the Brazilians, beating up black and blue on their home court. The Brazil players did not really respond, and even when everything seemed to be calm and the players began heading back to their locker rooms, they were attacked by the entire Chinese contingent again.

Here is the video:



Shameful. Just shameful.

From China.org.cn:

China's coach, Bob Donewald Jr, was quoted by sina.com as saying: "We really didn't want to pick a fight, but we had to protect ourselves. One of our players was sent to the hospital with concussion. The Brazilian behavior was unprofessional
But the witness told a different story.
"Donewald was the one who goaded the Chinese players into fighting. The players had been pretty much normal until the coach's outbursts. Donewald was howling at the players and the referees from the first minute," said the witness.
"Chinese players Ding Jinhui and Zhang Bo carried out two ferocious fouls immediately after a timeout during which Donewald had said something to them," the witness said.
'Chinese players deliberately picked a fight'
"The Brazilian players applauded the fans as they walked off the court. But that was seen as a provocation by the Chinese players and they chased after them and attacked them again. They deliberately picked a fight," the witness said.
The match was abandoned and the Chinese side put on an in-house training session instead. But the spectators demanded their money back and the organizers have promised a refund.

According to BBC.co.uk, the China's players will be made to attend classes on good sportsmanship.

This is so damn awful, really, the Chinese Federation should be ashamed for this, especially since it is so close to their own Asiad event in less than a month. And Coach Donewald should've known better than watching (or even coaxing) his young players into this kind of situation.

Indian Men are in the preliminary round in the Asian Games' basketball tournament. Head Coach Bill Harris is known for his defensive capabilities, but he'll need some masterful defense to block against this kind of physical assault if India play the hosts.

Dishant Shah: Sky's the Limit

If it hadn’t been for a few encouraging coaches, we would have lost one of India’s rising young basketball talents to another sport.

At 18, Dishant Shah from Baroda is slowly beginning to make a name for himself at the highest level of basketball in the country. The undersized center (he’s 6’8”) just returned from Yemen after captaining the Indian junior side at the U18 FIBA Asia Championship. Upon his return to India, he was the only junior player invited to train with the Sr. National Men’s team that is preparing for the Asian Games.

But all this could’ve been so very different. It was only five years ago when Dishant was busy spending his time perfecting another sport.

“I used to have interest in cricket before,” said Dishant, “That is all I used to play.”

Fair enough – nearly every child that has breathed the Indian air has at some point thrown a cricket ball or dreamt perfecting that square drive. But luckily for the Indian hoop world, a basketball coach approached Dishant to take up a different game after he noticed the youngster’s sudden spurt in height.

“I admit I didn’t like basketball that much in the beginning,” said Dishant, “It was a completely different sport. But when I hit the court and started playing a lot, I saw a sudden improvement. I began to enjoy myself because soon after I was chosen for the Gujarat Sub-Junior team.”

As the national tournaments and call-ups became more frequent, Dishant became more motivated towards basketball, and his love affair with the game grew deeper. He played his first Sub-Jr. Nationals in Billai, right after which he was selected for the Indian Sub-Jr. team. He kept on being invited to more camps. In July 2008, he captained the Indian Youth (U16) team to the Children of Asia International Sports and Games in Russia.

A month later, Dishant was promoted to the Junior squad, joining the team to the U18 FIBA Asia Championships in Tehran (Iran). Dishant kept reaching for higher, and as his performances improved, so did the attention.

He received his very first senior team call-up in 2008, when he was part of a young squad that went to Hong Kong for the Super Kung Sheung Cup.

Dishant was also chosen for the NBA’s Basketball Without Borders – Asia camp that took place in Beijing in 2009. “The BWB was a great experience,” said Dishant, “Several NBA players were there as coaches and we learnt a lot from them.”

A simple twist of fate, a change of sport, and voila… The country saw the development of a devastating basketball talent. Dishant captained the U18 squad Middle Asia Zone qualifying for the FIBA Asia Championships, and after dominating their opponents, the team travelled to Sana’a (Yemen) for the final tournament. India finished 13th overall, but Dishant was still proud of his team's performance.

“We need to keep taking part in competitions like this,” he said of the tournament in Yemen, “It brings us great experience and makes us confident.”

India was grouped with Japan, hosts Yemen, and Iraq. Although they lost all their three group games, Dishant said that the game against a tough Japan side brought out the best in the squad. “We were actually leading up until the last four minutes,” he said, “And then their great three-point shooters brought us down.”

Dishant was one of the strongest performers for India at this stage, and his height and versatility caught the attention of new Indian Sr. Men’s coach Bill Harris, who called the youngsters to Chennai to try-out for the Senior squad. Dishant is amongst the select squad of 14, 12 of whom will be part of the final team to travel to Guangzhou (China) next month for the basketball tournament in the 2010 Asian Games.

So far, Dishant has been playing at the center position for this squad, too – India has an undersized team, but Dishant believes that they will be able to overcome their height disadvantage under the new coach. “Yes, India is a short team and we will face many bigger players in China, but we cannot back down from anyone just because they are taller,” said the confident young star, “We have to use certain defensive techniques to negate opposing big men. We have to simply pay attention to our basics and fundamentals and we should do fine.”

“What we need most is coordination and teamwork amongst ourselves – although we have some good individual players in the squad like Vishesh Bhriguvanshi, Jagdeep Singh, Yadvinder Singh, and others, it is important to know that basketball is a team game, and we will be able to compete as long as we play in that way.”

Dishant himself as an excellent post game, featuring a smooth shooting touch from inside the ‘D’. Whether or not he makes the final cut, this is sure to be another important experience for a player who has rapidly improved from a cricketer/basketball novice to U18 captain and member of the Indian senior team. “I have already been very motivated ever since I was called for these tryouts,” said Dishant, “I want to make the best out of it. I am a younger player and I want to learn from all the talented seniors around.”

Dishant has also sung praises of his new coach. “Coach Harris’ main strength is in defense, and we are feeding off that. A good defensive team always wins. We have been emphasizing on certain defensive tactics with the coach, such as on-the-ball defense, recovery, and providing help defense to a teammate that has been beaten – this is something that we don’t usually do in India.”

“We have a good coach, so our chances for the Asian Games are good. I hope that we can bring back some good results.”

From a casual young cricketer to a budding basketball star, Dishant Shah has already come a long way. He may be a fresher on the senior team, but seeing the pace with which he has already achieved success, there is no doubt that in the near future he blooms into one of India’s leading basketball players.

From the WNBA to India - Tamika Raymond takes on a brand new challenge

Soon after it was announced that the Indian Sr. Men's team will be led by American coach Bill Harris, formerly of Wheaton college, there was a collective flurry of celebration over the basketball networks around the country. "Yes... FINALLY... gud going... All the best Mr. Harris..." Facebook pages announced the news deliriously with ALL CAPS and Twitter updates were retweeted with glorious abandon. No, Harris wasn't the saviour for Indian basketball, but he was definitely an important foundation as the team built itself towards respectability before the 2010 Asian Games.

There was just one niggling problem.

Pratima Singh, India's Women's National player, shared her grievances first: "why not for the girls team.... this is not good...," which she later followed on by "humare baare main bhi to soche koi (someone think about us, too)!"

The rest of the girls watched jealously for a few days, as Harris landed in Chennai and started his era with the Senior Men. Indian players, particularly the women, are known for their hunger to keep learning, keep exploring, keep improving... Just like the men, they wanted their leader, too.

And it didn't take long before their wish was granted. After a thorough search for coaching talent in the USA, the NBA found recommended a former WNBA player and NCAA D1 assistant coach the BFI. BFI's Secretary-General Harish Sharma presented Tamika Raymond to the Women's squad.

Raymond brings with herself the perfect balance of experience and approachability. She is still young, only two years retired from her career as a professional basketball player in the WNBA, which is the most competitive women's basketball league in the world. After being drafted sixth overall by the Minnesota Lynx in the 2002 WNBA draft, Raymond played for the Lynx for six years, before taking her talents to Connecticut to play for the Sun for a year in 2008.

But being a professional player wasn't enough: Raymond also began to work as assistant coach at Ohio State University in the off-season, juggling both careers of a player and a coach with ease for several years. After five years at Ohio State, she took up the assistant coaching job at the University of Kansas. Both these institutions have great basketball programmes and play at the highest level of college basketball in the US – NCAA Division I.

But this is her first gig as head coach – and with a wonderful twist of fate, she finds herself in South India. "I was doing some work with the NBA internationally, and I heard that they wanted my name in the pool of people being considered for the India job," Raymond said, "I thought it was a great situation and so I agreed."

"My past experience is surely to help me with this new responsibility," she added, "At Ohio State, I worked with an older coach who stressed on the fundamentals of perfecting the women's basketball by breaking down and studying every bit of information about the game. At Kansas, I worked under a younger coach who believed in exploring new concepts and disciplines of training student athletes."

"Being young and a former pro-athlete myself, I feel I will be able to relate very well with the girls here. I hope I will be able to understand their issues better and we can all work together."

Raymond has been in India for less than two weeks, but she has already organised the team into following a strict, regimented training schedule. Time is scarce – the Asian Games tip off in a month, and India will have to be prepared to face the likes of China, Korea, and Thailand in their group.

But no matter how good a coach, it is the players who inevitably decide on the success of a squad. So far, Raymond seems to be happy with the group she has been given to work with. "The girls have responded well to the practices we have had so far," she said, "They're very talented, proud, and respectful, but the best thing is that they are like sponges: they want to keep learning, they want to keep working in the gym, and want to care for the game of basketball. All this combines to show for the great energy that they have in practice."

Raymond also commented that the Indian Women were strong in their basketball fundamentals, and seemed to have high basketball IQ and retention.

As the team shapes up, Raymond envisions a squad that is strong defensively but also is efficient with its offensive execution. "I want us to be a smart team in our tactical approach and I want us to play hard," she said, "I think if we do that, we can perform pretty well at the Asian Games. I have seen the statistics from the previous games that these girls have played and I think we can improve on them."

Raymond noted that there are various ways in which the team can be improved, and they can do it by following certain aspects of the US model. "In the US, there are certain extra things that the players do which takes them to the top," said Raymond, "There is more stress on weight training, on a strenuous conditioning regiment, and tactical breakdown of offensive and defensive fundamentals."

"We have a lot of talent there, so there is no reason why India can't achieve its potential in basketball. Yes, we have a long way to go, but we're all working together to improve the game here: I really admire the work the BFI has been doing in India."

That race towards improvement is in full swing. Basketball in India was getting all the right kind of support from IMG-Reliance and the NBA – and now, with the hiring of the two American coaches for our senior teams, the players feel confident to start learning. Start delivering.

The girls didn't have to wait too long or complain too much. They have their coach, now, and they have a mission. There was no reason to be jealous of the boys anymore. Facebook statues rejoiced and the ‘Like' thumbs went up as the news of Raymond taking charge of the Sr. Women's team spread. Even Pratima Singh was satisfied.

"THANK U...:)," she commented, "WE R HAPPY..."

If Raymond's team continues to play hard, the rest of us will be very happy, too.

Indian Men and Women teams drawn for Asian Games Basketball

The 2010 Asian Games are a little more than a month away, and preparations for the Indian senior basketball teams at the competition have been going on in full swing in Chennai. The men's and women's national teams have also been blessed recently with two new American coaches Bill Harris and Tamika Raymond respectively to guide them into this crucial competition.

Now, the draw has been made: the draw was held at a ceremony in host city Guangzhou (China) on October 7th, draws were made in in eight sports, including Basketball, Water Polo, Handball, Sepak Takraw, Rugby, Football, Volleyball and Gymnastics (Artistic, Rhythmic and Trampoline).

And if you don't know what Sepak Takraw is, neither did I until about three seconds ago. Okay - I did know the game, I just didn't know what it was called. Sepak Takraw is "kick-volleyball", where you combine football and volleyball together.

Anyways, back to the hoops draws. 17 Men's teams will be participating - and the Men's draw is looking complicated. The better eight of these teams (China, Korea, Uzbekistan, Jordan, Chinese Taipei, Japan, Qatar, Iran) have been placed into second round groups E and F. The rest of the team are spread across Groups A-D. The winners of Group A and C join Group E in the second round, and the winners of Group B and D join group F in the second round.

All good so far? Now, India is in Group D along with Afghanistan. If they win, they can move on to the next round to play Chinese Taipei, Jordan, Qatar, and Iran in group F. And it's not going to be a cakewalk, mind you, because the last time the Sr. Men's team were in competitive action at the South Asian Games, they lost to only one team (including the final): Afghanistan - who actually beat India twice in the competition.

The other teams in the men's pool are: Hong Kong, Kuwait, DPR Korea, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Turkmenistan, Mongolia.

The Women's pool in the tournament only has seven teams divided into two Groups. Indian Women are in Group X, along with China, Korea, and Thailand. Chinese Taipei, Japan, and Maldives are in the Group Y.

The 16th Asian Games will be held from November 12-27, 2010