Brandon Jennings in India: “Basketball is an easy game that anyone can enjoy”

Brandon Jennings isn’t exactly the typical NBA star. While most of the NBA’s best players follow a similar path to stardom (High school star, College star, lottery pick in the draft, and then, slowly growing into a productive NBA player), Jennings took a different route that took him from the West to East to the West, and in this journey, he has collected a plethora of experiences that make him the unique player that he is today.

From Compton (California) to Rome (Italy) to Milwaukee (Wisconsin), and now, the Milwaukee Bucks point guard who has just completed his second professional year in the NBA, added two more destinations to his resume: the cities of Mumbai and Pune in Maharashtra, India. In the process, Jennings became the 16th NBA/WNBA player/legend to visit India over the past three years. He came to this country following the footsteps of Dwight Howard and Pau Gasol last year, but Jennings is a different case.

Firstly, it’s his height: Troy Justice, the Director of Basketball Operations in NBA India, said that the NBA was adamant in making sure that this time around, a smaller player is brought over to India so that even the young players who aren’t gifted with naturally bigger bodies can feel encouraged that they can work hard to stand amongst the best in the world. At 6 foot 1 inch, Jennings is one of the shorter players in the NBA, but that hasn’t stopped him from being a burgeoning superstar.

This is his story, so far, in summary: He was one of the most acclaimed high school stars in the USA, before he skipped college and headed to play professional basketball in Europe, playing amongst the best in the world, far away from home, at the tender age of 18. He came back to the NBA a year later, was picked 10th by the Milwaukee Bucks, and had a successful rookie year, highlighted by a 55-point performance in just his seventh NBA game.

Last week, Jennings came to India where he took part in several programmes. He participated in the ‘Magic Bus’ programme to hold a basketball clinic for kids from vulnerable communities. He attended and judged the Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA National Skills Challenge Finals on May 15 in Mumbai. And he traveled to Pune to become the first NBA player to visit the city, where he also held Jr. NBA/WNBA and NBA Cares clinics.

I got the opportunity to hold a short Q & A session with Jennings at the end of his trip in India. In addition to several questions that I threw at him concerning the present and future of basketball in India and of his own play in the NBA, I also asked him a few questions sent over to me by Jennings fans via Twitter. Enjoy!

Hoopistani: Is this your first time in India? How has the trip been so far?

Jennings: Yes it is my first time here. The trip is going really well, although I am a little jet-lagged! I have had some incredible food in India, and I’ve especially enjoyed the fish and chicken dishes. Mumbai reminds me a lot of New York City, because it’s a city that is always alive and busy. The weather has been good, too.
Of course, the highlight of my trip here has been the experiences I’ve had teaching kids the fundamentals of basketball.

Hoopistani: What has been the most memorable experience of your time in India?

Jennings: Just getting the opportunity to observe the Indian talent and work with them has been great. I have seen a lot of talent in India, and the kids are very eager to learn.

Hoopistani: You worked with the Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA programme – how do you rate the talent level of the kids you saw there?

Jennings: The game of basketball is still relatively new to these kids – but I’ll say that they have the fundamentals and the mentality right. They want to be good at basketball – and from what I saw, they listen to their coaches and have been coached very well.

Hoopistani: You also took part in the ‘Magic Bus’ NBA Cares programme (a not-for-profit organisation using ‘sport for development’ for underprivileged childrend) in Mumbai – tell me about that experience?

Jennings: That was tough – I was teaching fundamentals to children who didn’t know anything about basketball. Many of them didn’t even have shoes on their feet. They played barefoot or in sandals. It took me back to my younger days in the hood I grew up in where I played against guys who couldn’t afford to buy shoes.
But the wonderful part was that they were eager to learn the game of basketball and have fun. They understood me and we enjoyed the experience.

Hoopistani: What do you think India needs to do to raise the level of the game here?

Jennings: The first thing is that we must accept that cricket is the #1 sport in India – basketball might not get to the top but it can be the #2 sport here. To raise the level of the game, the young players just have to keep practicing hard. Basketball is an easy and a fun game that anyone can enjoy.

Hoopistani: You have a unique view of global basketball, especially after your experience in Italy. Do you think playing away from the USA for a year improved your game?

Jennings: I didn’t go to college in the USA and became a professional at 18, and I stayed with my family overseas. Playing with grown men at that age helped me mature my game a lot. It also brought in certain habits that are common in the European game, such as twice-a-day practices which instilled a habit of hard work in me. All that hard work helped me raise my game to the next level.
Before the NBA Draft in 2009, many of the people hadn’t really seen me play for a long time or knew about my game. I think it helped me, because they were curious to see what I had learnt in Europe and that’s why I got picked 10th.

Hoopistani: What do you predict for the future of global basketball?

Jennings: The game of basketball is getting everywhere now. I’ve seen it being played all over the world. The NBA is doing a good job in promoting the game, and in India, the sport is growing and getting a big response.
The international competition in the game of basketball is getting great. We have seen this for several years now, and we saw it in the Final of the Beijing Olympics, where a very talented USA team had a hard time beating Spain.

Hoopistani: What is so special about the game of basketball that it can be embraced by so many worldwide?

Jennings: Basketball is a simple game – you can put up a hoop anywhere and play. It’s unique, easy, and fun. You don’t even need too many people to get started – it can be played one-or-one or five-or-five. It’s this simplicity that makes it such a popular sport.

Fan Question- Karan Talwar, New Delhi: What do you think about the new point guard revolution in the NBA?

Jennings: I think it’s great – it’s a new era. I love that some of the best players in the NBA are now smaller guards. Especially with someone like Derrick Rose winning the MVP, it gives other point guards hope for the future.

Fan Question- Kaushik Lakshman, Bangalore: How did the European experience give you an edge last season? How is the style of play different there?

Jennings: I got to travel all around Europe and play some of the best talent in the continent – the Euroleague is the second-best league in the world after the NBA and the competition was tough. The style of play in Europe focuses more on team ball, and it is never about just one player. That habit naturally rubbed off on me and it helped me play with the team-ball philosophy in the Bucks.

Fan Question- David Stern, Milwaukee (USA): What will be the goals for the Bucks in the upcoming season?

Jennings: We want to bring the winning mentality back into the team. We are hoping to finish top five in the Eastern conference, and get back the same form and team chemistry we had in my rookie season.

Brandon Jennings to visit India!

NBA's rising star Brandon Jennings of the Milwaukee Bucks will travel to India from May 13-18 to conduct a series of events to grow the game of basketball in Mumbai and Pune. He will become the 16th NBA or WNBA player or legend to travel to India in the last three years, as part of the league’s continued commitment to grow the game.

Jennings will attend the Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA National Skills Challenge Finals on May 15 in Mumbai. The event is the culmination of the largest school-based initiative ever conducted by the NBA in India. Since March, the NBA and HP have taught basketball and life skills to youth in 500 schools in Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, Mumbai, and Pune. Additionally, 500 coaches attended two-day clinics in each city where they learned coaching techniques and received a “Basketball in a Box” coaching kit, which will provide them with a resource to grow basketball in their community. HP Dream Screens were used at all coaching clinics to provide video demonstrations to help illustrate certain coaching techniques.

The first thing that comes to the mind of most fans with Jennings is the legendary 55 point game as a rookie on November 14, 2009 against the Golden State Warriors. Jennings became the youngest NBA player ever to score 55 as he did it in only his seventh NBA game. Jennings averaged 16.2 ppg for the Bucks as a sophomore last season.

Before his NBA career began though, Jennings was already a legend - he was one of the best players to come out of high school and spent one season (2008-09) playing in Europe, with Lottomatica Virtus Roma in Italy. He was selected with the 10th overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft by the Milwaukee Bucks. He guided his team to the NBA Playoffs in his rookie season and became the first player to win Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month four times.

“Having played in Italy, I have seen first-hand how the sport is growing globally and I am excited to visit India with the NBA to help continue the growth of the game,” said Jennings. “The NBA has the best basketball players from around the world and it is amazing to think that one of the kids I teach in India could one day play against me in the NBA.”

Fifty youth from across India have advanced to the National Skills Challenge Finals by qualifying at City Championships. Jennings will crown the boys and girls National Champions, and conduct a basketball clinic for participants. HP and the NBA will provide the champions with an HP laptop and a trip to New York City to train with an NBA coach and visit NBA headquarters.

On May 16, NBA Cares will partner with Magic Bus, a not-for-profit organization in India to conduct a basketball clinic in Mumbai. Magic Bus works towards creating equal opportunities for children and youth from vulnerable communities. Over the past 12 years, Magic Bus has used its unique “sport for development” approach to empower children and youth to make positive life choices in areas of gender, education, livelihood and health. Jennings will work with youth from two communities, using basketball to illustrate the importance of living a healthy, active lifestyle.

Jennings will then travel to Pune where he will become the first NBA player to host an event in the city. He will conduct a clinic for children and coaches who participated in the Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA program on May 17 and will host an NBA Cares basketball clinic for disadvantaged youth on May 18.

So this is Jennings' schedule in India - catch him if you can!

May 14: Magic Bus/NBA Cares Clinic - 4:00-5:00 PM, Magic Bus, Mumbai.

May 15: Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA Skills Challenge Finals - 3:30-7:00 PM, Indian Gymkhana, Mathunga, Mumbai.

May 17: Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA Clinic - 4:30-6:00 PM, PYC Gyhkhana Club, Pune.

May 18: NBA Cares Clinic - 9:00-10:00 AM, Pune (Venue TBD).

It would have absolutely criminal for me not to embed this: so here are highlights from Jennings' fabled 55 point game. He was scoreless in the first quarter, scored 10 points in the second, then 29 in the third, and 16 in the fourth. Bucks won the game 129-125.

NBA’s Greg Stolt: “In India, Basketball thrives because of the people’s passion.”

There could perhaps be no more suitable candidate for the NBA to send to India to help promote the game than Greg Stolt. Stolt, who works with the international operations unit of the NBA, made his third trip to India in late March/April 2011, during which time he has continued on the trail that his fellow NBA authority and the Director of Basketball Operations in India Troy Justice has been blazing for the last few years. In his most recent trip, Stolt was involved in helping conduct coaching clinics in Bangalore and New Delhi and the Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA Skill Challenge in Mumbai and Pune.

Stolt’s resume is proof that he is the perfect candidate for the job because he brings with him experience of playing high-level basketball in the United States and across the world, as well as experience in behinds the scenes management that the development of the game requires, especially in other parts of Asia.

Stolt played college basketball in the University of Florida, and after finishing his degree, he tested the waters of the NBA as a player with a few tryouts. When that didn’t work out, he spent his professional career living the dream of a international basketball journeyman: from the D-League in the US, to league’s in Belgium, Spain, France, Japan, and Australia, Stolt played basketball overseas for six years. Afterwards, he settled with a job in Japan, which helped him improve his business acumen.

“The NBA recruited me to work for them because I’ve seen how things work in several different countries,” Stolt says, “My mixed background of business, basketball, and international experience helps a lot.”

Stolt has been working with the NBA for two years now, during which time he has visited India three times: In December 2009, he came to India for refurbishments and inaugurations of basketball courts in Mumbai and Chennai. Then again in the summer of 2010, he was involved with the running of the first season of the Mahindra NBA Challenge for two months.

“My job is to help improve the level of the game in India,” Stolt adds, “Along with Troy Justice and the rest of the NBA’s team here, I have been working with several people locally to build a strategy for the growth of the game here.”

Stolt also has knowledge and experience of the business of basketball in three other important Asian countries which could be used as reference models for the game in India – China, Japan, and South Korea.

Comparing the game in India to the other three countries, Stolt said, “These other markets are probably a lot more mature than India right now, in terms of their federation structure, their infrastructure, and the system of basketball development from the school level.”

“But in India, we see that change is coming – sport is growing quicker than ever before, especially since the success and popularity of the IPL or the Commonwealth Games. India is a little behind, sure, but it’s getting there. The best thing about this country is that its proactive and the people here are yearning for change.”

This year, the tasks were varied for Stolt, but equally important nonetheless. Since the NBA is targeting teaching the game to younger players in India so that they can get an early start, both the coaches training programme and the Junior Skills’ Challenge programmes are going to be crucial.

“We can’t go out and coach every child in this country,” Stolt says, “That’s why we have been holding the coaches’ training programme, so that these coaches know how best to train 12-year-olds. This programme was especially helpful for the young coaches, whom we provided with as much of our own knowledge and resources as we could.

In the two coaches’ clinics held in Bangalore and Delhi, there were about a 100 coaches in attendance each time. Stolt’s NBA-India associates Troy Justice and Marty Conlon extend the clinics to other cities like Pune, Mumbai, and Chennai, and a total of 500 coaches are expected to have been involved countrywide.

Meanwhile, the Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA Skills Challenge was set out to involve students from over 500 schools in Bangalore, Chennai, Mumbai, Delhi, and Pune in a youth basketball development programme. Stolt worked in Pune and Mumbai, where an average of 140 kids participated from each city.

“I think the Junior Skills Challenge was right on target,” says Stolt, “When the kids came out to compete in the challenges, we saw that the coaches we had worked with earlier had already prepared them in the right way. They knew the right drills and the fundamentals."

With the on-field work over, Stolt returned to the NBA office in New York to work on the other side of his job: planning and strategy. One of the NBA’s long term programmes, he says, has been to identify more markets in India for the type of programmes that have so far been held in some of the country’s major cities. The NBA is hoping to develop a database of the people with whom they have been involved in India and also study the results of the public’s reactions to the various programmes held by the NBA here. “We want to shape things to be perfectly suitable for the Indian market,” he says.”

And as far as he is concerned, Stolt is certain that the people that he has worked with will make the tasks a whole lot easier. “The one thing that pleasantly surprised me a lot about coming and working with India were the people involved with the game here,” Stolt said, “Unlike China, Japan, or Korea, who have structured leagues and systems, there is no guaranteed career paths for the coaches, players, trainers and referees in India: but they do it for the love of the game, and the game thrives here because of the people’s passion. That is a wonderful thing.”

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!

Which is India's "Basketball City"

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The time has come for you to decide: Hoopistani is ready to take nominations to decide what city in Hindustan should be crowned The Capital of Hoopistan! Which is India's Basketball City?
Cities should be nominated on the basis of the amount of talent produced, major tournaments held, those that play host to the most famous/succesful teams, those with the most illustrious history in basketball, or those with the most number of diehard hoop fans.
Write in your comments on the Hoopistani blog, or send your nominations via facebook, twitter - @hoopistani, or e-mail. Write about the city you feel should be nominated and back up your nomination with your strongest argument!
Is it Mumbai, which seems to be hosting the dearth of basketball tournaments nowadays, from the RMBT, to the Mahindra-NBA Challenge, or the Andheri-YMCA Tournament, or the Mastan League next month?
Or it could be Bangalore, which is a future location for the Mahindra-NBA Challenge, has a host of hoop fans, and nearby Tumkur is the home to the Sumpoorna Basketball movement, and the place where countless Indian national camps are held, including the national training camp recently held by JD Walsh, Craig Esherick, and Bob Baker.

Is it Chennai, the host of the 2009 FIBA Asia Women's Championship, as well as home to great national players, and a city with a long history of basketball fans and memorable training camps? The Tamil Nadu basketball Association also happens to be one of the most organised associations in the country.
What about cities in Punjab, like Ludhiana or Kapurthala? The Basketball Association of Punjab is one of the most impressive and succesful ones in the country, and of course, the state has a historical tryst with hoops. Ludhiana has hosted countless national tournaments, and Punjabi basketball players such as TJ Sahi and Manny Sahota have made waves around the world. Kapurthala is the legendary town which is believed to be the birthplace of basketball in India, and it featured many great players that represented the country over the past century.
And of course, I'm not forgetting India's capital... New Delhi has long been the place where several succesful school, college, and club teams have performed, where prodigious talents have been honed to reach their full potential. And of course, the city features one of the most basketball/NBA hardcore fan followings in the whole country. Could the capital of Hindustan also be the capital of Hoopistan?
There is also Baroda in Gujarat, which has a strong fan following of the game and has produced players like Dishant Shah, Himmatnagar’s Rikin Pethani, and others who have made waves around the country.

There are cities like Pune and Hyderabad, where there is no shortage of players and fans addicted to the game of basketball.
And honourable mention should go to my hometown, V-Town, Varanasi, the town which has one of the most amazing track records of producing national level basketball talent, from Trideep Rai, to current Cagers' captain Vishesh Bhriguvanshi, to the Singh Family of India - four sisters to take over the national women's team, and its a city where institutions like the Banaras Hindu University (BHU) and Mahatma Gandhi Kashi Vidyapeeth (MGKV) have been promoting basketball for years.
There are many more... Nominate your city, and submit your argument... In one week, the top five nominees will be announced for voting. One of these will then be chosen as the Basketball City of India.

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