TimesofIndia.com in SINGAPORE: By the time The Velammal International School started on Tuesday morning, it was the first sight NBA The Rising Stars Invitational had already been created.South Korean teams look interesting. The Australians brought size and speed. The Japanese teams rode with the confidence of a system that has produced players like Rui Hachimura and Yuki Kawamura. Around the OCBC Arena, the difference in basketball culture was impossible to miss.Among them were the only representatives of India. A school based in Chennai.For one week, some of the brightest young talents from across Asia will gather under one roof. Some arrived with established practices behind them. Others brought years of basketball tradition.Velammal arrived carrying something else: Hope. Not really from the competition. But from a country still looking for its first big moment in basketball.The trip to Singapore had started a few months earlier. Velammal went on to become regional champions before defeating some of the strongest teams in the country.The game attracted the attention of the Basketball Federation of India, which promoted the Chennai school to the game.“We have come here to win,” Kushal Singh told Timesofindia.com ahead of the team’s first match.“Every team is here to win. But we want to compete with everybody. We want them to know that we can also hoop. Indian basketball is not slow. We can compete and we can compete with strong teams.”“We hope to make history here.”
Kushal Singh
A dream that escaped popular advice
Back in Singapore with the NBA, Kushal he was used to hearing the questions that follow many Indian athletes who try to choose a sport outside of cricket. Why basketball? Why don’t you study? What about the future?People advised him to become a doctor, engineer or lawyer. They felt that basketball was not something to bet on. His parents thought otherwise.“People tell them, ‘Make him study. You’re not sure about his future,'” Kushal said. “But my parents always told me, ‘Just go and play.The former recruit of the NBA Academy in India did not hide his intentions. “My biggest dream is to be the first Indian to represent in the NBA.”When asked which team he wanted to be signed up for, Kushal smiled. “Every round. I just want to be written.”Next to him is Fyodor Prem Athithan, whose basketball roots run deep. His mother Malavizhi is a former basketball player and his father, Prem, a university football player. The game was always about the soft-spoken guy.
His dreams, however, are different from Kushal’s.“My goal is to play for India and help India win an Olympic medal.”
The coach who stayed with the game
For Shamsher Basha, the man who leads the team, basketball has been a journey of more than two decades.He learned the game watching adults in Cheyyar before moving to Chennai and growing under coach TNR Chandran. Inspired by some of the Tamil Nadu‘a very successful teacher, he eventually moved into teaching himself.Sixteen years later, he continues to work with young players.Over the years, several of his students have represented India and Tamil Nadu. Others have found opportunities abroad and in colleges.However, Basha believes that the real problem with Indian basketball starts much earlier.“The big differences are important,” he told Timesofidia.com. “In countries like Japan, the basic principles taught in schools are very strong. In India, the basics were not very strong. “Architecture is complex. The same goes for food. But perhaps the biggest battle is to change the mindset.“People in India don’t appreciate sports enough,” said Basha, adding that “in countries like Japan and China, parents love sports. In our country, many people think that sports are a waste of time.
Shamsher Basha, Kushal Singh and Fyodor Prem Athithan
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Back at the OCBC Arena Hall 3, about two quarters against Indonesia’s Jubilee High School, Velammal looked good.The scoreboard went back and forth. He led in the opening stages and looked capable of matching the pace.Kushal attacked relentlessly and hit three wickets at will. Fyodor, the point guard, mostly in Isiah Thomas gave 15 points and four assists. He was moving across the court with ease, reading passing lanes and making timely passes while dictating the tempo.
Kushal attack
Then the game changed.As the speed increased, the edge became visible.“In the first half, we scored very well and took the lead. We had the same in the second half,” Basha said afterwards.“In the third quarter, we had no energy. Because of this, they benefited from quick breaks and attacks. They scored easily, including three points and free throws. Our boys were very tired,” he added.The absence of Justices Ilesanmi Kayode, Gabriel Atem and Kuru due to visa issues only made matters worse.“If these players had come, we would have won the tournament,” said Basha. Unfortunately, they could not get their visas.The score read 95-61.
Team Photo after the game
However, for Basha, just sharing the stadium with teams from Indonesia, Australia, South Korea and Japan represented an opportunity his players would have struggled to find back home.“We never expected to play in this tournament, so we are very happy to be selected,” he said.“The students have a great opportunity. We meet people from Korea and Japan, make friends and watch NBA players. If we stayed at home, we wouldn’t have these experiences.”Basha believes that more of this kind of attraction can help overcome the disparity that Indian basketball continues to face.“If more tournaments like this are organized, Indian basketball will definitely be. Playing against foreign players and traveling outside India gives us important experience,” he said.Players also left the first game with something more important than disappointment: Sight.“We know that other countries are good in basketball, so we have good competition to play with them,” said Kushal.“In India, we were successful, so we can compete with any team there. Now that we have seen this kind of competition, we have understood as a team what we need to work on, what we do well and what we are not good at.“We can adjust and come back next time to give these teams good competition. These teams are very good at basketball, so we know where we are individually. We have to come back well.”For Fyodor, these lessons came in many forms.“It was great,” he said. “They were pressuring the court. Back in India, there was no full court press, but zone security.
The dream remains
On the opening day of the tournament, Rui Hachimura spoke about wanting to encourage more players from Asia to reach the NBA.“I think about all of Asia,” the Los Angeles Lakers player said.For Indian basketball, the road is long.But inside the OCBC Arena this week, the distance will be palpable.A young man dreams of helping India win an Olympic medal; one dreams of hearing his name being called on the night of going to war. The dreams of others will be very similar.And for a school from Chennai that is representing India on the big stage, still searching for its place in basketball, the dream is still reason enough to keep going.
