Basketball in India

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Basketball in India

Basketball in Dharamsala, India
Country India
Governing body Basketball Federation of India
National team India

The Basketball Federation of India

In the government of the Basketball Federation of India, Indian Basketball follows FIBA International Basketball Federation rules for organizing basketball championships.

History

In India, the game of basketball started its journey in 1930 when it was played for the first time. The first Indian National Championship for men was conducted in 1934 in New Delhi. The Basketball Federation of India (BFI), which controls the game in India was formed in 1950. Throughout history, Indians learned to appreciate the game because of its fast scoring and intense activity from the beginning until the end.

Nowadays, it is considered as one of the widely played sports in India. India is one those first few countries in the history of basketball that adopted the game within a few years of its inception and its teams actually consisted of five players on the court.

Basketball in India Today

Basketball in India is played in most of the high schools, colleges and universities. There is considerable patronage for the game among the younger generation. Basketball in India is played by both men and women of all ages and ability. Many government institutions have professional basketball teams, who work for the institution and play for them: ONGC in Uttarakhand, Indian Overaseas Bank in Tamilnadu, Indian Bank in Karnatka, Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited in New Delhi, Indian Railways, and Kerala Electricity Board play for their respective institution and state.

There are many championships for senior, junior, and youth levels for boys and girls. Invitational all-India tournaments like Master Prithvinath Memorial (New Delhi), Don Bosco Invitational Tournament (Mumbai), Ramu Memorial (Mumbai), and many other tournaments in the southern part of India are being organized every year. Unlike many other countries like America, Russia, China, and Japan, basketball in India does not follow seasons. Indian basketball has championships throughout the year for different age groups. Championship for youth are mainly organized between April to July when children are having summer break from school.

Being one of the earliest countries to adopt basketball, India has so far produced numerous talented basketball players, who have earned recognition in the international arena. Indian basketball players have also won several trophies for their country. There are several basketball players in India, who have been honored by the government of India through the prestigious Arjuna Award and Dhyanchand Awards. Basketball in India is mainly being run and managed by a large number of national and state level associations, spread all over India. These basketball associations are working with a common view of popularizing the game in all parts of the country. Apart from that, developing the overall infrastructure for the game and uncovering new talent from the grass route level are some of the other principal objectives of the Indian basketball associations.

International Support & Influence

JD Walsh Basketball School in India (JDBASKETBALL)

American basketball coach JD Walsh, a former player for the University of Maryland, College Park and current basketball coach, first came to India in 2007 to operate a social program Child Nurture and Relief (CHINAR), an organization that runs an orphanage in Srinigar, Kashmir. They invited Walsh to visit and conduct a social program to aid in the psychosocial rehabilitation of the youth, and from this, Hoops for Health was born. This three-year program has won the Nike Sport for a Better World/Changemakers award for work with at-risk youth.[1] Simultaneously, a young man wrote a note expressing his dream to become the first Indian in the NBA. In June 2007, Walsh agreed to visit Pune and show his skills and work with him and his club, Deccan Gymkhana. Walsh ran by some accounts (Times of India: May 28, 2007) the first ever American-style basketball camp in India for the two hundred participants in Pune (Fergusson College), sponsored by the Maharashtra State Basketball Association.

JD Walsh JDBASKETBALL has conducted over 100 clinics in nine cities (Bangalore, Chennai, Kolkata, Midnapore, Mumbai, New Delhi, Pune, Patiala, and Trivandrum) for over 5,000 Indian youth. Working as a sports ambassador, Walsh has completed work with US Consulates in North (New Delhi), South (Chennai), East (Kolkata), and West (Mumbai) India and delivered programming for five State basketball associations throughout India (Maharastra, Karnataka, West Bengal, Punjab, Tamil Nadu) and the Basketball Federation of India, the governing body of basketball in India. He has led coaches' training sessions in Chennai Tamil Nadu Basketball Association (Sport Development Authority Tamil Nadu) and in Karnataka with Indian National Team Head Coach, Alexsander Bucan, for BFI and Olympic official Mr. Govinraj.[2] Walsh received a special award of distinction from Pune Municipal Corporation on June 15, 2007 by party Mayor and Leader of the Opposition, Vikas Mathkari, and was special guest with David Hopper (US Consulate General, South India Chennai) to garland statue of Harry Buck, founder of India's oldest YMCA in Chennai on December 13, 2008.

In May 2009, JDBASKETBALL ran clinics in Mumbai, Chennai, Delhi (Delhi Public School), and Punjab Patiala Netaji Subhas National Institute of Sports (NSNIS) with famous Indian coach, Ramesh Kelley. The Mumbai clinic sponsored by the Basketball Federation of India was held for over 700 in attendance at the Youth National Championships in Nagpada, Mumbai (May 14, 2009).

Recpieint of US Department of State Sports Initiative grant awarded with partner George Mason University and former Georgetown University Head Basketball Coach, Craig Esherick and George Mason University professor Bob Baker to operate on ground coaches clinics and training for India coaches at George Mason University

He has been quoted in Indian Press as building a training academy in North India.[3]

NBA in India

The National Basketball Association has realized the immense potential of the sport in this large and growing market, and is working hard with the Basketball Federation of India to expand the popularity of the sport.

Late in 2008, NBA great, Robert Parish, came to India as part of the NBA/WNBA Hoop School Program. This relationship further expanded into a cultural exchange, which saw Bollywood superstars Lara Dutta and Dino Morea make a trip to watch the Los Angeles Lakers in action, and on April 8, 2009, saw the NBA inaugurate a refurbished basketball court in a suburb in Mumbai.[4]

IMG Reliance joint venture

In June 2010, a deal was struck with the BFI(Basketball Federation of India) and the IMG Reliance joint venture which aims to take Indian basketball to a professional level. The 30 year deal sees IMG Reliance take control of the game launching a league, controlling merchandise, developing infrastructure and other commercial aspects in this new development. The BFI will launch and control school and college leagues with assistance from the IMG. IMG Reliance will also construct academies in India in line with the IMG Florida sports academy. In July, coaches from Florida came to India to select 8 boys and girls between the ages of 13-15 to take to the US on a scholarship. The first batch was selected and is preparing to undertake the scholarship at IMG Florida. More scholarships will be offered with the aim of launching India's first professional league in 4 years. IMG chief Ted Fortsmann and Reliance owner Mukesh Ambani see the IPL as a perfect model to use. Therefore, a franchise system is likely to be put into place.

At the moment the NBA are not involved with the joint venture but Ted Fortsmann is willing to work with the NBA who already run recreational leagues in India with another leading Indian business, the Mahindra Group. These are set in expand from the initial 3 cities to other parts of India.

See also

References

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  4. ↑ Lara Dutta and Dino Morea visit the Lakers

External links

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