NBA Rising Stars Invitational: The Dream, the Gap and the Future of Indian Basketball

The dream, the gap and the future of Indian basketball TimesofIndia.com in SINGAPORE: When The Velammal International School took the floor on Tuesday morning, the first impressions of the NBA Rising Stars Invitational had already been made.The South Korean teams looked physically imposing. The Australians brought size and pace. Japanese teams moved with the confidence of a system that produced players like Rui Hachimura and Yuki Kawamura. Around the OCBC Arena, the differences in basketball cultures could not be overlooked.In the midst of them all stood the lone representatives of India. School from Chennai.Some of the brightest young talents from all over Asia gathered under one roof for a week. Some arrived with systems in place behind them. Others brought decades of basketball tradition.Velammal arrived with something else: Expectations. Not necessarily from the tournament. But from a country still searching for its first breakthrough moment in basketball.The journey to Singapore began months earlier. Velammal emerged champions in the regional clusters before overcoming some of the strongest school teams in the country.The performances eventually caught the attention of the Basketball Federation of India, who recommended the Chennai school for the tournament.“We came here to win,” Kushal Singh told Timesofindia.com ahead of the team’s first game.“Every team is here to win. But we want to give everyone a hard fight. We want them to know that we can jump as well. Indian basketball is not slow. We can compete and we can challenge strong teams.”“We hope to make history here.”

Kushal Singh

A dream that survived familiar advice

Long before Singapore and the NBA, Kushal got used to hearing the questions that accompany most Indian athletes who dare to choose a sport other than cricket. Why basketball? Why not study? What about the future?People advised him to become a doctor, engineer or lawyer. They felt that basketball was not something worth betting one’s life on. His parents thought otherwise.“People tell them, ‘Let him study. You are not serious about his future,'” Kushal said. “But my parents always tell me, ‘Just go play. We’ll take care of everything. They keep pushing me forward.’The former NBA Academy India recruit has never hidden his ambitions. “My biggest dream is to become the first Indian to represent in the NBA.When asked in which round he would like to be drafted, Kushal smiled. “Any round. I want to be drafted.”Next to him is point guard Fjodor Prem Athithan, whose basketball roots go even deeper. His mother Malavizhi is a former basketball player and his father Prem is a college football player. The game was always about the soft-spoken boy. However, his dream is different from Kushal’s.“My ambition is to play for India and help India win an Olympic medal.”

A coach who stayed with the game

For Shamsher Basha, the man leading this group, basketball has been a journey spanning more than two decades.He learned the game by watching seniors in Cheyyar before moving to Chennai and developing under coach TNR Chandran. Inspired by some of Tamil Nadu’s most successful coaches, he eventually moved into coaching 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 found opportunities abroad and at universities.Yet Basha believes the real problem facing Indian basketball starts much earlier.“The biggest difference is the fundamentals,” he told Timesofidia.com. “In countries like Japan, the fundamentals taught in schools are very strong. In India, the fundamentals are not very strong yet.”Infrastructure remains a challenge. So is nutrition. But perhaps the biggest battle is changing perceptions.“People in India don’t value sports enough,” Basha said, adding, “In countries like Japan and China, parents are very interested in sports. In our country, many people think that sports are a waste of time. Due to this mentality, coaches face many problems.”

Shamsher Basha, Kushal Singh and Fyodor Prem Athithan

A view to the next level

Back in Hall 3 of the OCBC Arena, nearly two quarters against Indonesia’s Jubilee High School, Velammal looked comfortable.The score indicator went back and forth. They led during stages of the opening half and looked capable of matching the pace.Kushal attacked relentlessly and hit his threes at will. Fyodor, the point guard, more in Isiah Thomas contributed 15 points and four assists. He glided down the court with ease, reading passing lanes brilliantly and producing timely hits while dictating the tempo.

Kushal’s attack

Then the game changed.As the pace increased, the edges became visible.“We scored very well in the first quarter and led. We also led in the second quarter,” Basha said afterwards.“We lacked stamina in the third quarter. Thanks to that, they took advantage of it with fast breaks and attacks. They scored easily, including three-pointers and free throws. Our guys were very tired,” he added.The absence of Justice Ilesanmi Kayode, Gabriel Atem and Kuru due to visa issues only made the situation more difficult.“If these players had come, we would have definitely won this tournament,” Basha said. Unfortunately, they were unable to obtain visas.’The final score was 95:61.

Team photo after the match

Still, for Basha, simply sharing the pitch with teams from Indonesia, Australia, South Korea and Japan represented an opportunity his players would have struggled to find at home.“We never expected to play in this tournament, so the selection itself made us very happy,” he said.“Students have a very good opportunity. We meet people from Korea and Japan, make friends and even watch NBA players. Sitting at home, we would never experience such experiences.”Basha believes that more tournaments of this kind can help bridge the gap that Indian basketball still faces.“If more tournaments like this are held, Indian basketball will definitely grow. Playing against foreign players and traveling outside India gives us valuable experience,” he said.Even the players left the first game with something more important than disappointment: Perspective.“We know other countries are better at basketball, so we have better competition,” Kushal said.“Back in India, we were number one, so we could compete with any team there. Now that we’ve seen this level of competition, we understand as a team what we need to work on, what we’re good at and what we’re not so good at.”“We can improve and come back next time to give these teams better competition. These teams are great at basketball, so we’ll know where we are as individuals. We just have to come back better.”For Fyodor, lessons came in different ways.“It was a very good experience,” he said. “They pressed the whole field. There was no full-field pressure in India, just zone defense. Here it’s full-field pressure, so next time we should do better and make the right moves.”

The dream remains

On the opening day of the tournament, Rui Hachimura talked about wanting to inspire more players from Asia to make it to the NBA.“I think all of Asia,” said the Los Angeles Lakers forward.There is still a long way to go for Indian basketball.But inside the OCBC Arena this week, that distance will be more understandable.One teenager dreams of helping India win an Olympic medal; another dreams of hearing his name called at night. Others’ dreams will be more or less the same.And for the Chennai school representing India on the bigger stage, still searching for its place in basketball, that dream remains reason enough to keep going.