Akanksha Singh: Small Wonder

11 years ago, the Varanasi District girls basketball team that was headed for the Under-17 School Nationals in Gorakhpur had a little problem. They only had 11 players on the squad, and needed a 12th from somewhere to complete the roster. They placed their faith on an unproven, small wonder, an 11-year-old who made enough of an impression to bolster her hoops career forever.

‘Bacchi’, the nickname-given to 22-year-old Indian national point guard Akanksha Singh, literally means ‘young girl’. With exceptional performances in over the past year for state, club, or country, Akanksha may have grown into a burgeoning young superstar, but she was only a actually just a little ‘bacchi’ when her life changed.

See, Akanksha comes from a heralded family of Women basketball stars from Varanasi , the ‘Singh Sisters’ – her three older sisters, Priyanka, Divya, and Prashanti had already made a name for themselves on the court. Divya and Prashanti, in particular, had scaled great heights – both had been stars of the Indian Sr. National Women’s team, and both of them had captained the National side at different points.

Growing up in a family of basketball achievers, Akanksha didn’t really have any other choice except to follow their path on to the famed UP College Basketball Court in Varanasi. “Before I started playing, I used to just go bicycling to the court and saw my older sisters playing,” said Akanksha, “The competition and the close games used to excite me a lot. When the next batch of sub-juniors began to play, I joined them, and that’s how I was first introduced to the game.”

But her big break came at the most unexpected of times: Sitting in her Grade VI classroom, the 11-year-old was called out of her class and told that the U17 Varanasi Girl’s team needs a 12th player. Since her older sister Prashanti was in the team, the little Akanksha – at 11, by far the youngest in the team – was taken along.

“That tournament changed my life,” she remembers, “I didn’t get to play too much really, but in a game against Lucknow, the coach surprised me by sending me on the court.”

The tiniest girl on the floor then proceeded to hit a couple of big shots, surprising herself. “I scored just five points,” she said, “But because I was so small everyone loved me for it, and I got excited too! That moment made me really confident that basketball was going to be my game.”

And then the ball got rolling faster: Akanksha practiced harder, and in the next few years, she moved up from Sub-Junior level to Youth level, until she received the next surprise, when she was taken with her older sisters Divya and Prashanti to the Junior (U18) team. Once again, she was an afterthought initially – small in age, experience, and size – but it didn’t stop her from getting her few moments of shine.

She quickly moved up the ranks, surprising herself with her own improvement and growing confident on court. And then the moment arrived that Akanksha remembers as one of the highlights of her young life. “I still remember the first time I was picked to play for India – it was the Indian U18 side,” said Akanksha, “It was the U18 Asian Basketball Championship (ABC) for Women in China. The first time I held my India jersey made me very sentimental!”

That wasn’t the only time that Akanksha felt her emotions nearly getting the best of her. Because guess what? Being in a family full of basketball stars isn’t always peaches and cream. Expectations for success are high, and patience for failure is far too low. With Divya and Prashanti making a name for themselves in the National and International circuit, there was a lot of pressure on Akanksha to follow in their footsteps, prove to the world that she can be in the same class that we have come to expect from the ‘Singh Sisters’. At 5 foot 6, she is also shorter than her older sisters, and like every shorter basketball player, she had to always go a step extra to prove that she belonged. Akanksha admits that, at first, it was a little too much to take. Luckily for her, she transformed that pressure into motivation, practicing further to live up to the billing.

“After my first Junior Nationals, I began to feel the pressure,” she says. “Divya and Prashanti had begun to make a name for themselves. I used to work extra hard because I felt that if I make any mistakes, it would hamper my chances of making the India team.”

But it was the older sisters who came to the aid of Akanksha, helping her regain her confidence. “They had a lot of encouraging things to say to me as I developed,” Akanksha remembers.

Another thing that helped her confidence was her fast-developing skill with the basketball. A common sight during basketball games is the bored look on the faces of some of the bench players, those who have little influence on the outcome of the game. But Akanksha made the most of her time as benchwarmer waiting for her number to be called.

“I used to just sit or stand around the bench while the game was going on with a basketball, and I never stopped dribbling,” she said, “I kept dribbling and dribbling until my handle became a lot better. The coaches used to notice this and then, they began to use me in the end of games, when the opposition played full-court defense on us. I was a good ball-handler in the pressure situations – and that’s how, although my older sisters played the forward positions, I became a point guard.”

The lesson here: even bench-warming can be a learning process!

In 2003, Akanksha Singh made her debut in the Senior Nationals and played for the Uttar Pradesh team when she was just an 11th Grader. “Many of the older girls didn’t take my seriously because I was small, but I always found a way to surprise them!”

In 2004, Akanksha followed her sister’s footsteps into the Delhi team. She had been playing with them a lot as a youngster, and this gave her another chance to play with them and develop a better understanding. As anyone who has ever played regular basketball with a sibling knows, there is a unique experience of understanding and expectations between the two: Siblings tend to understand each other’s movements mentally when the others on court may be a step or two behind, but siblings also judge each other’s mistakes harsher than everyone else on the team.

Akanksha’s experience of playing with her sisters has been no different – whether it has been in pick-up games in Varanasi, National tournament games for Delhi, or international games for India. “I can understand them better, I know their expressions, and get them the ball. I know exactly what they’re going to do.”

And just like her older sister’s mentored her, Akanksha took on the mentor’s role for the youngest, fifth Singh sister, Pratima. “The two of us love to play together,” she said of the 21-year-old, who is now also in the Delhi side, “But I like her to practice playing opposite me so she can get better!”

Suddenly, 2010 became the breakout year for Akanksha Singh, the ‘Small Wonder’. During the month of May, which is considered to be the off-season in Indian basketball, the Mastan League, a first ever professional-style club competition, was organised in Mumbai. “I wanted to play well so people know my name,” Akanksha said, “Even though it was the off-season I didn’t stop practicing. Once the tournament began, the game started to come very easily for me.”

Easy enough that Akanksha walked away with the award for the tournament’s MVP. But she wasn’t done announcing her coming-out party to the Indian basketball world. When India took part in the Asian Games basketball tournament in Guangzhou (China), Akanksha was just one of the smaller stars in the 12-women roster. It was American coach Tamika Raymond, brought to lead India into this competition, who injected another boost of confidence into the youngster, giving her the starting point guard role for the team.

“I wasn’t expecting to start, but Coach Raymond made me work hard to earn it. She began to play me a lot more during the practice sessions – every time there were mistakes with the offense, I was substituted in. I quickly learned that I was being sent in to fix those mistakes, and so I went ahead and did it.”

And suddenly, there was no doubt of her sublime ball-handling and scoring skills anymore – Akanksha responded well and saw her own game elevate to the highest level. She has been on a tear ever since her return from China, becoming a formidable force for Delhi and running the offense like a perfect point guard is supposed to.

And now, for the first time perhaps, Akanksha Singh may be finally established. She is small, but her skills surprise no one anymore. She is one of the 24-women heading for the Indian All Star game in Mumbai in a couple of weeks, and opponents can no longer afford to overlook her talents.

But the youngster is far from done climbing the ladder. She has bigger dreams, for herself and for her country. “I want to be part of a team that finally wins a medal for India. We may not look formidable right now but I don’t think such a feat is impossible. With the right kind of coaching, I think we can reach that summit.”

Coming from someone who has looked up at every summit and then confidently mastered it, experience has now taught us to know better than doubt the ‘Bacchi’s’ ambitions.

Hoops DNA: Shireen Limaye follows her mother's footsteps to basketball stardom

Nature or Nurture? It has been an age-old argument: are an individual’s personality and skills developed by their DNA, or are they developed by the way in which the individual is raised? Or to put it simply: Are we born the way we are, or do we become who we are because of the environment around us?

It’s a complicated debate with possibly no absolute answer: every individual seems to be influenced by a little bit of both.

Shireen Limaye, Maharashtra’s budding hoops star, is probably not going to be any help in solving the debate either. See, Shireen is lucky to have the best of both worlds: She’s got hoops in her DNA, as her mother, Suvarna Limaye, is a former player National level basketball player. But Shireen has also been nurtured to become the best player she can be, playing basketball under her mother’s coaching from when she was just five years old.

The fruits of her nature and nurture are now developing into an exciting final product. If you read this before Sunday, Shireen would still be 15-years-old. She turns 16 on February 13th, and at her young age, she has already charted great peaks. She is currently part of Maharashtra’s Federation Cup squad, as she is one of the youngest, if not the youngest participants at this ongoing championship in Raipur (Chhattisgar). She got her first senior call-up for Maharashtra at the Sr. Nationals in Delhi last month, and a confident showing proved that she could hang tough even with women twice her age.

“Of course, the first time I took the court as a Senior player, I felt a lot of pressure going against the best,” Shireen admits, “But at the same time I felt very proud to be there.”

Shireen’s mother, Suvarna, says that Shireen has grown up around the game. Suvarna, who is a coach in Pune, says that she used to carry Shireen on the court since she was just six months old! Shireen began training under her mother, and by age nine, she became the youngest to represent the Pune district in the U13 tournament.

“In a way, it was really easy to work with Shireen,” says Suvarna, her mother and her coach, “She has basketball in her genes! But also because she is incredibly passionate about learning the game.”

Shireen has much more than her mother’s basketball skills in her genes: her father, Vijay Limaye, has been a National-Level swimmer; her elder brother, Animish Limaye, has represented India’s U17 basketball side.

With this sporting background, Shireen had no trouble thriving in an environment where she was encouraged to play the sport she loved. Her high-point came when she represented the Indian Youth Team at the Youth Asian Basketball Championships, which were held in Pune in August 2009.

But she had a curious change of course since: Shireen got an interesting offer to change sports for a little while and represent India in the Netball tournament held at the 2010 Commonwealth Games. She practiced for a year with the new Netball team, before getting a chance to represent the country in Delhi, but this time, in a different sport.

“It was strange for me to switch to Netball at first, and the first two weeks it took some time to adjust but after that I got a grip of it,” said Shireen, “When we finally got to Delhi, it was great! We had a cheering Indian crowd behind us to make a good atmosphere.”

It took another brave, sudden transition in sports for Shireen again: The Commonwealth Games, where she represented India in Netball, lasted from October 3-14, 2010. 10 days later, Shireen joined the Maharashtra Junior Basketball Team that played at the Junior National Championships in Vashi. Along with other young stars in the team, Shireen helped Maharashtra ride the home support to reach the final of the tournament before they lost to Kerala.

“The transition between sports, I admit, was pathetic!” Shireen exclaimed, “But I had to manage.”

She also vehemently denies any further calling towards Netball. “I will always pick basketball! I don’t think Netball will have a future for me!”

As long as she can keep honing her skills, Shireen is sure to have an improving future in the game. She plays a versatile game, switching between guard and forward positions with ease. At 5”10, she is taller than most girls she competes with at her position, and with good ball-handling skills, she is looking to perfect her point-guard game which will allow her to overpower smaller opponents. She has also learnt from watching her mother play: “My mother had really good pivot moves in the post, something that she worked on with me and I have been able to pick up.”

With a lot of potential waiting ahead, Shireen is ambitious about her future.“After I finish my 10th Boards, I want to go to America to study,” she says, “In five years, I wish to see myself in the WNBA.”

Blessed with the perfect blend of nature and nurture, Shireen has little reason to doubt her dreams!

Basketball’s Federation Cup to tip off in Raipur (Chhattisgarh) from Feb 10th

In a competition where the finest basketball teams in the country are set to be pitted against each other, the 25th IMG-Reliance Federation Cup Basketball Championship for Men and Women will be held Raipur (Chhattisgarh) from 10th-15th February, 2011. The championship will be conducted by the Basketball Federation of India (BFI) in association with the Chhattisgarh Pradesh Basketball Association.

The Federation Cup is a tournament that features the top eight teams in both the men’s and women’s divisions from the previous year’s Sr. National Basketball Championship. Thus, the top ranked teams from the 60th National Basketball Championship (in Ludhiana) will take part in the Federation Cup this year.

The participating squads are:

Men

1. Indian Railways
2. Tamil Nadu
3. Uttarakhand
4. Services
5. Andhra Pradesh
6. Chhattisgarh
7. Karnataka
8. Kerala

Women

1. Indian Railways
2. Delhi
3. Chhattisgarh
4. Karnataka
5. Kerala
6. Tamil Nadu
7. Maharashtra
8. Andhra Pradesh

The host team qualifies automatically – this year, hosts Chhattisgarh already fell in the top-eight of both divisions. The Men and Women’s teams from Punjab will not be participating, and have been replaced by Kerala (Men) and Andhra Pradesh (Women).

The 24th edition of the Federation Cup was held at Alwar (Rajasthan) from October 22nd-26th, 2009. ONGC (Uttrakhand) were champion amongst the Men while SEC (Indian Railways) won the Women’s division.

Chhattisgarh star Anju Lakra set to defend her home ground in the Federation Cup

With the Indian basketball fraternity focusing more and more towards the youth and the future of the game, 27-year-old Anju Lakra became an outcast to the system. After being part of several senior teams, including the FIBA Asia Basketball Championships (ABC) for Women in Chennai in 2009, Anju was snubbed from the side when selections were made for India’s first ever appearance in the Asian Games in Guangzhou after a 28-year-gap.

But with age comes maturity: Anju, who has been playing the game for 15 years now, has taken the snub as a motivation to make it to the biggest stage again. “Maybe this time I wasn’t good enough for the team, but the Asian Games will take place again in four years, and now, I will be aiming for them,” she said. With the next edition of the ABC to take place in August this year, Anju also wishes to get a call-up to the camp for the squad that will head to Japan.

Back in domestic action though, Anju continued her Midas touch with the game this year: she was part of the Indian Railways side that again won the National Championship in Delhi last month, and towards the end of January, she carried her home state Chhattisgarh to the final of the Savio Cup in Mumbai, only to lose in the final to Southern Railway. For her extraordinary efforts in the tournament, Anju was named the Savio Cup’s Best Women Player.

Anju had a curious start to basketball – back at age 11, the tomboy approached her PT teacher at her school in Billai, hoping to get a chance to learn Hockey. The PT teacher recommended Anju towards Handball instead. It was her another year of learning Handball in her school until one day, Chhattisgarh Basketball’s Secretary Rajesh Patel spotted her playing. “You should try basketball,” he suggested.

And Anju was hooked.

Patel has a formidable reputation for building basketball in Chhattisgarh - Around 120 players have received training from him and received government jobs under sports quota. He has been the coach of the Indian Junior and Youth women basketball teams and 25 players trained by him have represented the Indian national team.

Luckily for Anju, she wisely took up his suggestion and shifted sports. Back then, before the formation of Chhattisgarh as a separate state, Anju played at the Sub-Junior and Youth level for the Madhya Pradesh side. When asked if it was strange to separate into a new state in 2000, Anju replied that on the contrary, it was a positive thing. “We had so many good players from the Chhattisgarh area who couldn’t make it to the talented MP side back then,” she said, “When Chhattisgarh was formed, I was happy that so many other players who were playing with me in Billai got a chance to represent the state.”

And in less than a year, Anju was back playing National Basketball – this time for Chhattisgarh, and in the Women’s Festival in Haldia, West Bengal. It didn’t take long for her to face her former teammates and her former state when Chhattisgarh faced MP in the third place playoff of the tournament. Anju and Chhattisgarh prevailed. “It was very exciting to play them and beat them for the first time!” she said.

Since her youth, Anju has been a mark of consistency, and a model for many young girls out of Chhattisgarh hoping to choose basketball as a way forward. She played her first game for India in the Junior ABC in New Delhi in 2000. Her first Senior call-up came a year later for the ABC in Bangkok. She played in more major tournaments, including the Senior ABC in 2005 and the ABC back home in Chennai, 2009.

Her versatile skills and ability to lead on court has made her a valuable asset to whoever she has represented – be it Indian Railways or Chhattisgarh. Anju is a 5 foot 4 forward, equally adept at playing as a playmaker and a scorer, although the strongest part of her game is definitely her accuracy from the long range.

Chhattisgarh lost to Southern Railway in the final of the Savio Cup, where Anju had to face several of her Indian Railways opponents like legendary Center Geethu Anna Jose and Anitha Pau Durai. “We have been going to the Savio Cup a lot and performing well – but to beat Southern Railway, we have to find a way of stopping Geethu,” Anju admits, “We can match up to them in other ways but still don’t have that size. It will take a couple more years before we can develop some talented tall girls to represent Chhattisgarh.”

“For now, our tactic is to try and outrun our opponent to score,” she said, “I have been playing well offensively, but whenever you focus too much on offense, your defense suffers. This is an area of my game which I feel needs the most improvement.”

Next up on Anju’s plate will be protecting her home turf, as the 25th Federation Cup, featuring the best eight teams from last year’s National Championship, is set to take place in Chhattisgarh from 10-15th of February. It will be a chance for Chhattisgarh and Anju to get immediate retribution from their rivals. “We will be playing on our home court,” Anju said, “So we will be extra motivated to play harder. Our main rivals are Indian Railways and Delhi, and these are the two teams that we have to keep our eye on.”

Even after 15 years in the game, Anju still remains hungry for more success in basketball and continues to dominate, especially since her performances at the Savio Cup. She credits everything to the game for helping her become who she is. “It is basketball that has brought me here,” she says, “In basketball, I have found a place where I can clear my mind. As I’ve grown with the game, I have become more independent and confident.”

“Every time I’m on a basketball court I have felt a great, family atmosphere,” she added, “All the coaches I have worked with have been supportive and helped me improve. That is why this game is so important.”

With no shortage of confidence and motivate, Anju will definitely be one to watch once the Federation Cup tips off in Raipur next week!

Indian Women's Basketball: Dream Team

So it's Republic Day over in India, and as we celebrate our constitution, we must also note another important crucial topic - the improving status of the Indian Women's Basketball team. Yes, the Indian Eves have had trouble recently in major international competitions such as the 2010 Asian Games or the 2009 FIBA Asia Championships, they are still a steadily rising force, with confidence and popularity at an all time high.

Just like I did with the Indian Men's team last week, I've decided to come up with a 'Dream Team' of my favourite Indian Women's players. I've based this on the performances of the squad over the past year and of the best players in some major tournaments such as the Senior Nationals.

Indian eves struggle with one major hurdle - the lack of height. Legendary player Geethu Anna Jose is the only one in my squad over 6 feet, and making it a lineup where even the 'big' players are around the 5'8" range. But hey, we have to work with what we have, right? I've tried to provide as much balance in terms of size and experience/youth as possible. And please, don't even start with any regionalism North/South bullshit: this is the INDIA team as I see it, period.

So, once again, if I was coach of the Indian Women's Sr. National Team, this would be my squad:

My Indian Women's Dream Team

Starting Five
PG: Akanksha Singh
SG: Anitha Pau Durai
SF: Prashanti Singh
PF: Sneha Rajguru
C: Geethu Anna Jose (Captain)
Bench
Harjeet Kaur
Raspreet Sidhu
Bharti Netam
Pratima Singh
Jeena PS
Raj Priyadarshini
Kokila

Also would like to give Honorable Mention to stars such as Pushpa M, Smruthi Radhakrishnan, Kavitha, Sangeeta Kaur, and L. Suganya.

Over to you: if you were Indian Women's Coach, what would be your 12-man squad?

Giant Expectations: Satnam Singh Bhamara

It almost seems like Satnam Singh Bhamara is asking to be doubted.

When you’re a teenager from India, 15 years and one month old, already grown to the size of a 7-1 monster, the first reaction is wonder and awe, the second is doubt. People wonder what could go wrong; they wonder what the catch is. When you’re blessed with a unique inside-outside skill set, nimble feet, soft hands and a developing shooting touch, people instead wonder what your weaknesses are. When you begin training at the IMG Basketball academy, which has featured the likes of Kobe, Vince Carter, Chauncey Billups, Joakim Noah and Kevin Martin, the doubters say that it sounds too good to be true.

When you’re the son of a poor farmer in India, a boy from a village separated a long dirt road away from the rest of civilization, who picked up his first basketball less than five years ago, you’re asking for the questionable looks. When you’re the biggest basketball hope (literally and figuratively) for India — a country desperate to make a mark in the basketball world — you’re likely to receive a cynical shrug of the shoulders. “India isn’t there yet,” they say. “The kid isn’t there.”

Not yet. But he might be. If you haven’t yet heard about him, it’s time to converge your respective focuses (or foci) on Satnam Singh Bhamara, the 15-year-old, 7-1 Indian giant, currently on a scholarship at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, FL and attending the Pendleton High School. He is currently in the first year of a potentially four-year scholarship until he graduates from high school.

India has been slowly growing as a basketball market, and Bhamara’s potential might be a zenith of a variety of different efforts taking place to grow the game back home.

Rewind to a year ago: The 14-year-old Bhamara was already a formidable 6-11. Back then, during India’s National Basketball Championship, a yearly tournament pitting the best state teams of India against each other, Bhamara was a wide-eyed spectator, too young to participate, watching as a man-child in a man’s world.

A year later, I meet him at the same championship in New Delhi. This time, he’s back as a famous young man in the country’s basketball circles, garnering attention from other players, media and fans. He’s a spectator again, but only because he has a limited time back in India before he flies back to school in the States. A prominent Indian referee sees him and remembers: “Satnam used to help us set up the scorers’ tables last year. We had nicknamed him Chhotu (Little One). Look at him now!”

“You can still call me Chhotu!” Bhamara jokingly interjects.

But there is nothing ‘little’ about Bhamara, not in height, nor in hype. The first time I met him was back in July 2010, when Bhamara was among 50 other under-14s who were chosen by the Basketball Federation of India (BFI) to appear for IMG scholarship tryouts. IMG, a US-based international sports and media management company, have been investing heavily into sports in India. A year ago, they formed an alliance with Reliance Industries, India’s largest and richest private sector company, and the powerhouse duo of IMG-Reliance signed various sponsorship deals with Indian sports federation. Most notably, IMG-Reliance signed a 30-year agreement with the BFI to assist, finance and promote the growth of basketball in India.

One of their first steps was to choose eight Indian youngsters among the 50 best for scholarship at the IMG Academy. From the moment he walked into the tryouts in New Delhi, Bhamara was a shoo-in.

His fascinating story begins in a little village in India’s north-western state of Punjab: Ballo Ke Village, District Barnala, population 463. The son of a 7-foot farmer, Bhamara spent his early childhood helping out his father on the farm and growing up to 5-9 when he was just 10 years old. It was then that one of his father’s friends recommended that he take the tall youngster to Ludhiana, a nearby town and a major basketball hub of the country. Somewhere lost in translation, Bhamara thought that he was going to play volleyball. He didn’t know a thing about the game when he first stepped on court.

Four years and nearly 15 inches later, he had grown into one of the finest young players in the country. After blazing his way through the Punjab inter-school and junior leagues, Bhamara began to collect his international credentials. He represented India in the FIBA Asia U16 Championships at Malaysia in November 2009. Back home, he took Punjab to the gold medal of the National Youth Championships at Trichy (Tamil Nadu, in South India) in June. He was recommended by the BFI to be part of a three-player contingent of Indian youngsters sent to Singapore for NBA’s Basketball Without Borders (Asia) camp.

It was no surprise then that he was picked by IMG’s Basketball Director Andy Borman and coach Dan Barto for the scholarship. Bhamara was at the perfect age and with the perfect potential skill set, ready to be molded into a basketball monster. To play at the highest level, Bhamara cannot count successes in small Indian championships or Asian tournaments; he had to train with and compete against the best.

But more than a basketball adventure for the youngster, it has been a strange change of lifestyle, too. Bhamara and the rest of the Indian youngsters made their first trip to North America, going to school in a whole new academic system, learning hoops in a way never been taught to them before, focusing more than ever on weight training and fitness, taking extra classes to learn English (seven of the eight, including Bhamara, were virtually alien to the language), getting used to live in a residential school far away from home, and getting used to not eating their Moms’ home-cooked Indian meals.

Four months later, Bhamara makes his first visit back home — he was always built with the body shape of an ideal center, blessed with both height and muscle — but he came back looking even fitter and leaner than ever, thanks to the intense training and exercise regimen that he had gone through with his coaches at IMG. He was given a superstar’s welcome in his little village, when hundreds showed up to catch a glimpse of him coming back home.

And then he was back at the National Championship as a minor celebrity, back at the same event he had been errand-boy a year ago.

“I have changed and improved a lot over the past four months,” says Satnam, “but I want to improve even more. I want be an example for other Indian players so they can come forward and see what is necessary to be a complete player. They need to know the importance of building strength to help improve their game.”

Indian athletes, particularly the basketball players, have faced one major criticism in the past: They may have the shooting and running skills, but their athletic ability and strength leaves much more to be desired. More than basketball, the coaches at IMG have focused their early interest in making sure that Bhamara gets into shape to hang with the toughest. Bhamara has followed suit, becoming a gym rat, working on everything from exercises to help improve his forward and lateral speed, jumping ability, shoulder exercises, and lifting weights to get into tougher shape.

But his basketball training hasn’t been left behind. Bhamara notes how his current regime involves focusing on movement — a lot of movement — so that his size can be complemented with speed to make a momentum nightmare for opponents. Bhamara, who is part of IMG’s youth team, doesn’t hesitate to talk about how his improving inside game and movement has helped his team get some big results.

“My game is basketball,” he says. “The media in America has asked me why I don’t play other games, but I’m only interested in basketball. This is the game that has given me everything I have, taken me from a village to a good education in America. I love playing this game and owe everything to it. That’s why I keep working hard to improve.”

Satnam says that there are two players he looks ‘up’ to, even though both of them are shorter than him. One of them is Punjab State and Indian Senior team star Jagdeep Singh. The other, curiously, is Kobe Bryant.

You can credit (or blame) the over-Lakerisation that NBA audiences in India have been subjected to in the past. Over the last decade, most games NBA games broadcasted in India have involved either the Lakers, Celtics, Spurs and whichever franchise LeBron James shares his talents with. I ask him, Why, despite the difference in size and gameplay, does he idolize the Black Mamba? He answers, “Kobe plays like he has no problems on court; he works hard, but he dominates smoothly, with ease. That is the kind of mentality I want to have.”

And this is exactly the kind of mentality that India, and all those holding a stake for the development of basketball in India, are hoping that Bhamara develops. In an interview with an Indian newspaper a few weeks ago, Harish Sharma, the Secretary-General of the BFI, said, “He is a great prospect. I am sure he will do what Yao Ming did for China. Indian basketball will change in case one of our boys makes it to the NBA.”

And although one talented, tall, teenager alone cannot change the basketball culture in India, the NBA will be hoping that with an idol to look up to, young Indians, just like young Chinese a decade ago, will start believing in basketball. The game is never going to challenge India’s premier game, cricket, but for basketball to score even a minor percentage of the market in a 1.2 billion population will be a heavy number.

Troy Justice, who has been the director of basketball operations of the NBA in India, has been working with Indian talent for several years now, and has kept a keen eye on Bhamara’s ascension. “He is blessed with three things that, combined, have made him into a very special prospect globally — a young age, his height, and his skill set,” said Justice. “He has natural basketball instincts, a strong work ethic, and has become a focused student of the game. I have enjoyed working with him and look forward to seeing his growth as a person and player over the next few years.

“I think he has tremendous potential and a bright future in basketball.”

But Bhamara is adamant that his focus is on the present before anything else. “I’m not thinking too far ahead right now,” he says, “I’m in IMG’s youth team, so I want to play well enough to play for the juniors. After that, I will think about qualifying for the Senior team, and after that, I can think further.”

“If I get a chance to, of course I want to play in the NBA.” Bhamara adds, “If I can make it there, I will be able to do more for other Indians dreaming of making it to the NBA. But I will have no problem if it doesn’t work out. I will come back to India to play for Punjab and contribute to the Indian national basketball system.”

“Right now, I’m only concerned with improving my own game. After five years, we’ll see what happens. Right now, my priority is working on my strength — I know I’ll be playing tougher competition and have two or three players guarding me, and I have to get stronger to face that.”

Bhamara is still too young, and perhaps, still too unaware, to fully understand the implications of his rise as a basketball star. Just like China, who have gone hysterical about hoops over the past decade, India will eventually become a serious basketball market. It is a question of who and when — Yao may have been the biggest star, but he wasn’t the first Chinese to make it to the League (that honor goes to Wang Zhizhi). Bhamara’s potential improvement will determine if he can even make it to that level, much less survive once he gets there.

Right now, he’s just a 15-year-old, except that he’s blessed with a little more size, a little more talent, and a little better training support than the rest of us. He carries a load of expectations a little heavier than the rest of us, too.

So go ahead and doubt him all you want: not good enough, too much hype, too weak, too slow, too soft, too foreign. I doubt if Satnam Singh Bhamara will hear any of it: Right now, he’s just a kid addicted to hoops. And all he wants to do is get better.

Right now, he’s just a 15-year-old, except that he’s blessed with a little more size, a little more talent, and a little better training support than the rest of us. He carries a load of expectations a little heavier than the rest of us, too.

So go ahead and doubt him all you want.

This article was first published on SLAMOnline.com on January 13th, 2011.

Arjun Singh: Point Perfect

As a chubby young child, Arjun Singh got the nickname ‘Golu’, which literally translated, means 'Round One'. As he grew older though, he left the chubbiness and roundness behind him – but it was another round thing that caught his full attention.

The basketball.

From the looks of it, this new ‘Golu’ in Arjun’s life is likely to stick with him forever.

Fulfilling his potential as an explosive youth star, Arjun Singh has become one of the most respected and feared young players in India over the last few years. Still only 20 years of age, Arjun is already becoming a key ingredient of India’s senior national team. He has starred in several national and international tournaments already, and is looking to cement his position as India’s top choice at the point guard position in the future.

Following the footsteps of his older brother, former Indian international Amit Singh, the Varanasi-boy Arjun started playing basketball when he was just 11 years old. “My brother had a serious knee injury that ended his career early,” Arjun said, “I always liked the game and used to watch my brother playing so well and winning – I knew I had to make this game my future, too.”

Arjun began playing the game at the UP College basketball court in Varanasi, where his ascension as a basketball star mirrored another young player that started with him – Vishesh Bhriguvanshi. Arjun and Vishesh started off playing together at the same age, making it through to the UP Sub-Jr. team together, and then moving on to the Youth, Junior, and finally the Senior level. Arjun also followed Vishesh to Indian Railways, where the duo combined to make a devastating backcourt for Railways’ two of the last three years of National Championship victories.

Arjun’s first experience to a national side was when he was called up to play for the Junior FIBA Asian Basketball Championship (ABC) back in 2008. The youngster got his first exposure of playing internationally in Tehran. He followed this with another call-up when the team went to Kuwait for the Stancovic Cup.

Things started to get better for the youngster: Arjun, along with Vishesh, was part of the squad that won gold for India at the 1st Beach Games in Bali (Indonesia) at the 3-on-3 championship.

2010 was an up and down year for Golu: After playing for India in the South Asian Games in Dhaka, he went on to have his best performance to date for India as the Junior ABC in Yemen neared. A good ball-handling PG for his tall height, Arjun and the Indian Junior Team dominated opponents at the Middle Asia Zone Qualifying matches held at Bangalore. His performances gained him steady crowd support too, and when India headed to Yemen for the tournament in September, he announced his arrival at the Asian stage, finishing as India’s leading scorer in a tournament that was otherwise a disappointment for the talented young team.

“The ABC experience was great,” Arjun says, “This was the second time in this tournament for me and many of the other players. I was able to play more confidently this time. Plus our coach was Mr. Ram Kumar, who is also my coach at Indian Railways. With him on our side, I knew that the training for this tournament was going to much better.”

Unfortunately, Arjun faced a setback at this tournament: despite his good performances, he suffered an injury that kept him out of contention for India’s Sr. Team which went on to make the country’s first appearance in an Asian Games basketball tournament since 1982.

Arjun watched from home as India, after winning their grudge match against Afghanistan in their first game, went on to lose their next five matches against Qatar, Chinese Taipei, Iran, Philippines, and Japan. “We lost, but India played very well,” Arjun defended his fellow players, “The team lacked experience, but still played much above their level through stretches in many of the matches.”

Arjun’s injury kept him out of the team for the Super Kung Sheung Cup in Hong Kong too, but he chose the biggest domestic stage – the National Championship – to announce his much-awaited comeback to basketball. In his second year for Indian Railways, for whom he is the starting point guard, Arjun became a fan favourite at the tournament, wowing opponents and supporters alike with his improving abilities. Indian Railways went on to win their third straight National Championship gold, defeating their rivals, Services, in the Final, 74-62.

Arjun was in scorching-hot form in the final, scoring a game-high 27 points. Boasting an exciting line-up of Arjun, Vishesh, Gagan Deep Singh, Prakash Mishra, Yadivinder Singh, and Kiran Pal Singh, blazed through the tournament in style.

But there is one problem that plagues Arjun despite the domestic success: many of the successful Indian players continue to get caught up in an unhealthy cycle of winning big in domestic tournaments, and then, unprepared to handle better talent, India’s national team ends up suffering internationally. “We need more exposure against better international teams before major tournaments,” Arjun said, “The Men’s team had little exposure together between the South Asian Games in January and the Asian Games in December. We can’t improve if we just keep playing against each other at home.”

Still, Arjun remains optimistic about improvement, both for the Indian National team as well for his own game. “It will take time, but I think we are close to figuring things out,” he says, “We need to make a habit of playing and practicing together to become a stronger side. Once we can find the perfect combination of players in the team, we should be able to improve. Of course, all of us have to remain motivated and keep training harder.”

“I want to keep improving my game, too,” Arjun adds, “Right now, I’m a good passer of the ball and can be quick running the floor. But to hang with international opponents, I have a lot more work to do. I have to add more body weight to take on stronger opponents, as well as try and get faster.”

With a sunny future in basketball ahead of him, the boy known as Golu has come a long way at a young age. For now, his focus is on the next challenge ahead of him: the upcoming Savio Cup in Mumbai, where he will once again lead Indian Railways as the team’s premier feeder. Following that will be the Federation Cup and the basketball tournament at the National Games later in February. Railways doesn’t play in the National Games, but Arjun will be there: A highly touted player, he is wanted both by Punjab (where his current job posting is) and Jharkhand (who, as hosts, can call upon any player). His decision could well bolster one lucky side at the tournament.

Though the young star’s ambitions, clearly, lie strongly with the National side. “I want to keep representing my country,” he says, “India’s position is down right now, so I feel that it will be my responsibility in the future to help fulfill the shortcomings we face today.”

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!"

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.

Indian Railways complete a three-peat double of National Basketball Championship

Indian Railways stamped their mark over Indian Basketball as they completed three-years of double victory of both the Men’s and the Women’s squads at the 61st IMG-Reliance National Basketball Championship for Men and Women at the Talkatora Stadium in New Delhi on Tuesday, January 4, 2011.

For the ninth straight year, the Women’s final of the National Basketball Championship was held between budding rivals Indian Railways and Delhi. And for the eight straight year, Indian Railways upheld their dominance in the rivalry and over Women’s basketball in India by destroying Delhi 95-55. Indian Railways have won 23 of the last 25 National Championships, and once again, this was their year in the tournament.

It was more of the same in the Men’s Final, as Indian Railways muscled their way towards a gritty victory against their rivals, Services. This was the third straight National Basketball Championship title for the Railways Men.

After eight days of excitement, from December 28th – January 4th, at the Talkatora Stadium and the Modern School in Barakhamba, the finals of the championship were a showcase event. In the Women’s game, Delhi were no match for Railways’ devastating duo of Geethu Anna Jose (29 points) and Anju (23), as they were blown out by 40 points. Prashanti Singh and Raspreet Sidhu scored 18 and 16 points respectively for the hosts.

In the Men’s game, youngster Arjun Singh caught fire to lead Indian Railways a victory over Services, 74-62. Arjun had 27 points, whereas Jay Ram Jat scored 25 points in a losing effort for the Services side.

In the third place match-ups, Tamil Nadu Women edged out Chhattisgarh in a close encounter, 55-51, behind 18 points apiece by S Kokila and Apoorva Murali Nath. In the Men’s game, Punjab’s superstar Jagdeep Singh found his groove to score 33 points as Punjab beat Kerala 89-67. Amjyot Singh added 16 points for Punjab as they sealed third place. Basil Philip was the top man for Kerala in the match, adding 26 points.

Harish Sharma, the Secretary-General of the Basketball Federation of India (BFI) expressed his satisfaction towards a successful tournament. “Thanks to the help of our sponsors, IMG-Reliance, this was the biggest national championship to date. The play on the court didn’t disappoint and it’s obvious for us to see that basketball is growing at an acceleration pace in India. Once again, I would like to thank and congratulate all the participating teams, coaches, managers, support staff, and fans who have helped make this a memorable championship.”

“2010 was a big year for Indian basketball and I’m hoping that 2011 will be even better!” Sharma added.

BFI’s president RS Gill was the honorable guest to present the awards to the winning teams, along with Arjuna Award winner and Indian Basketball legend Mr. Khushi Ram. Both the winning teams received a cash prize of Rs. 1.5 lakhs each. Runners-up were rewarded Rs. 1 lakh each and third-place winners were rewarded Rs. 50,000 each.

Scores

Women’s Final: Indian Railways 95 (Geethu Anna Jose 29, Anju 23) bt. Delhi 55 (Prashanti Singh 18, Raspreet Sidhu 16).

Men’s Final: Indian Railways 74 (Arjun Singh 27, Gagan Deep Singh 13) bt. Services 62 (Jay Ram Jat 25, Dalip Kumar 14).

Women’s Third-Place Match: Tamil Nadu 55 (S Kokila 18, Apoorva Murali Nath 16) bt. Chhattisgarh 51.

Men’s Third-Place Match: Punjab 89 (Jagdeep Singh 33, Amjyot Singh 16) bt. Kerala 67 (Basil Philip 26, Jomon Jose 13).

Final Standings

Women

Indian Railways
Delhi
Tamil Nadu
Chhattisgarh
Maharashtra
Kerala
Andhra Pradesh
Punjab
Madhya Pradesh
Rajasthan

Men

Indian Railways
Services
Punjab
Kerala
Tamil Nadu
Uttarakhand
Chhattisgarh
Andhra Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh
Delhi

India's best basketball players to receive extra pay

You may have already heard about this, but the new year came with a bit of great news for Indian basketball stars. The finest in the game have rarely gotten the recognition or the motivation that they need to keep improving at the highest level.

But times are set to change for 2011. The Basketball Federation of India's (BFI) Secretary-General Harish Sharma announced that India's men and women basketball players who will represent the country in different age categories will receive a monthly pay package, which will be an extra form of salary for them, set aside only for their services to Indian Basketball.

This extra salary marks another important step that the BFI has taken to promote the game in India ever since signing a 30-year long sponsorship deal with IMG-Reliance, who are now responsible to help promote and support the growth of basketball in India.

From the BFI website:

Around 75 players in the Senior, Junior (U-18) and Youth (U-16) category in both the men and women section who were picked to represent India in 2010 have been graded in three categories A, B and C and will get a pay package of Rs 30,000, Rs 20,000 and Rs 10,000 respectively.

All these players will get their first 'salary' for three months starting October, November and December 2010, in the New Year, during the course of the 61st Senior National Basketball Championship currently in progress here. All these players will get the remuneration directly from the IMG.

This is exciting news for Indian basketball players and prospective players. Sharma had mentioned that the players will be divided into three different categories, or grades, depending on their talent/potential, and will be paid accordingly. The categories will be extremely flexible and will change dynamically depending on performance.

Too often, in my interviews with some of India's finest players, there is a hint of disillusion about basketball after a certain point. Players reach up to the highest level, get a service job, keep getting national selections, keep playing, but somewhere in this process, the love of the game and the motivation to become a better players seems to wither away. An extra bonus like this should give some of these star players the competitive spark needed to stay at a certain level to maintain their pay grade or work to enter a higher grade.

Of course, the final goal, as Sharma has proclaimed several times and as India's basketball fans have been expecting, is the launch of India's professional basketball league. Such a league will not only bring basketball to a bigger stage but also help our players become full-time basketball professionals with guaranteed salaries.

Basketball comes of age in Bihar

It started off as a routine flip through the list of teams at the National Basketball Championships. Looking for the oldest and youngest players out of the 50 teams (27 Men and 23 Women) playing in this competition, I came across a curious detail on the Bihar Women’s team page.

Name: Chandi. Date of Birth: 15-05-1999.

15 May 1999. In a championship of the country’s toughest and best senior players, there was an 11 year old in the midst.

This couldn’t be right, I thought. Sure, some teams like to bring in youngsters with their squad for experience, but 11 years old? Chandi seemed to be still three years away from sub-junior status.

I moved back and took another look at the Bihar page. An incredible six players in the team were listed at 18 years or younger. Five of them were under 15. Priyanka Kumar (18), Mandi (14), Anushka Raj (13), Jagrity Suman (13), Kritika Ranjan (12), and Chandi (11) make up half the squad of a team that had so far had a 1-2 record in the championship, which included a victory of Jammu and Kashmir and a close loss to an experienced Haryana side.

Bihar is one of the youngest basketball federations in India, and after ten years in hoops wilderness, it has made a much-welcomed return to national basketball with affiliation to the BFI approved in 2010. I dug a little deeper to find Debashish Banerjee, the coach of the Bihar Women’s squad. A former player and experienced coach, Banerjee used to represent Bihar more than a decade ago when the state was last active in national basketball events. In November, 2000, Bihar lost a major chunk of its land and its people to the new state of Jharkhand, and ever since, also lost its basketball participation.

“Basketball is still very young in Bihar,” says Banerjee, “Most of the youngsters in this team only began playing the game seriously less than two years ago. There has been great enthusiasm in the game ever since: there are 300-350 girls that play basketball in Patna alone and a thousand more across the state.”

The current Bihar team comprises of a starting five of more experienced Bihari players that had spent the previous few years perfecting their art around the country, for teams like Eastern Railways and others. The rest, as Banerjee said, are novices, although their age and inexperience hasn’t caused a stutter for them on court.

Starting afresh for Bihar has helped level the playing field. Even with a growing talent pool , the team managers and coaches have chosen a number of pre-teens to line up his squad. “It is not about their age,” Banerjee says, “They were the best players available for the team, and so we brought them.”

The Bihar Men’s team is a young squad too, going through some of the same growing pains, and have so far lost all three of their games at the National Championship.

But the future for this state that is now attempting to make a comeback in basketball is bright. Banerjee is sure that the future will see an improvement in facilities and coaching personnel for the Bihari players. These are the first National Championships for many of the youngsters in Bihar, but by the time they grow into their potential, they would have had many years of top-level basketball experience under their belt.

They might be young, but they’re certainly here to stay: welcome back to basketball, Bihar!

Delhi sets the biggest stage for the biggest games

National Basketball Championships have been held in India before – 60 times before to be exact – but there is something special about the 61st. Something different. The cheers are louder. The lights are brighter. The passes are so crisp that you can hear them zoom by.

The best Indian players in the business are displaying their talents at the 61st IMG-Reliance National Basketball Championship in New Delhi with the biggest prize in Indian basketball at stake. There is no bigger stage for the biggest games in the country, and the national capital has stepped up to host this fierce competition. But what will make this championship truly memorable that it is the first year that the Basketball Federation of India (BFI) is receiving full sponsorship for its events by the IMG-Reliance partnership.

As BFI’s secretary-general Harish Sharma said to reporters to Monday, basketball is indeed ready to take the next step and conquer India.

An electric atmosphere is greeting players and fans every day at the Talkatora Stadium and the Modern School at Barakhamba, where the games are being held. On Friday afternoon, Andhra Pradesh face a challenge from Chandigarh in a relatively quieter affair, but not lacking in drama and intensity. A trumpeting sound from the crowd screamed over the applause – it was no vuvuzela, but a cheaper and equally effective knock-off! At the Talkatora Indoor Stadium, the players rushed and hustled their sneakers over the squeaky bright wooden floor, looking like one of the best basketball-playing surfaces in the country. An LED screen atop the stands show the live action as it unfolds, and then show highlights from basketball around the world during the breaks, including from the international games and the NBA. Hip-Hop and Punjabi music blares during time-outs and quarter-ends. The AP-Chandigarh game enters crunch time, and the small crowd gets on their feet for the last few minutes. AP hold on to their nerves in their end, stretch out their lead, and pull off an impressive 15 point victory.

The crowd gets larger and louder as the sun goes down. atmosphere reaches fever pitch by the evenings, when the marquee teams like Indian Railways, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Services, and of course, the hosts Delhi take centre-stage. Railways, who are the two time champions in both the men’s and women’s divisions, are once again the favourites to find their way to the Indian Basketball’s Promised Land!

But the best thing about this kind of competition in India is the showcase of India as a cultural phenomenon itself. No matter where in India the players hailed from, they shared a common enthusiasm for basketball. On Friday alone, the Talkatora stadium bore witnesses to players communicating in Telugu, Marathi, Hindi, Punjabi, Kannada, Malayalam, Tamil, and English. It’s a snapshot of the complete picture of Indian on one basketball court, communicated through dribbles, jumpshots, and hustle plays.

The Talkatora stadium itself has become a temporary temple of sorts to Indian basketball’s finest. Fans walk cardboard cut-outs of their basketball idols, getting am impression of the ones who are making a name for themselves in the sport across the country: players like Shiba Maggon, Sambajhi Kadam, Riyazzudin, Akanskha Singh, Anitha P., and many others.

On the court itself the action hasn’t disappointed. With quick, on-point passing, awesome athletic ability, and some dead-eye sharp-shooting, the Nationals are serving as the perfect platform for Indian basketball fans to catch a glimpse of their country’s elite.

The tournament moves on to the Quarter-Final stage from the 2nd of January, and the Finals are scheduled to be held on the 4th. The stage for the biggest teams has been set; now all eyes will be on the biggest teams to step up and claim it!