Ram Kumar (basketball)

Ram Kumar

Ram Kumar in action
Born 4 February 1964
Jhajjar, Haryana
Parent(s) Khushi Ram
Awards Dhyan Chand Award

Ram Kumar (born 4 February 1964) is a former Indian basketball player and current coach of the junior Indian team.[1] He played for India during 1985 to 1996 and represented the Indian national basketball team at several international championships. He also served as the captain of Indian national basketball team from 1991 to 1995. He played the position of shooting guard. In the National Championships, Ram Kumar represented Indian Railways and during his playing days, Indian Railways won eight Gold, three Silver, and three Bronze medals. Ram Kumar is the son of former basketball player Khushi Ram, an Arjuna awardee. A spectacular shooter known for his impeccable 3 point shooting, Kumar emerged as one of the top shooting guard in the Asian circuit .He is a recipient of Dhyan Chand Award in 2003 for the lifetime achievement in Indian basketball. Kumar is also regarded as the best coach of the country till date .

Career

He started his career in the year 1983, when he played his first National Championship at Calicut. Ram Kumar first joined income tax department in Jaipur and later moved to Western Railway in the year 1987. Also known as old war horse of railway, he followed his father Khushi Ram's footsteps and became a basketball player. He was honoured by prestigious Dhyan Chand Award in the year 2003 and also Maharana Pratap Award in the year 1989 for being the best sportsman of Rajasthan. Former Olympian Ajmer Singh is a contemporary of Ram Kumar and they made good combination on the court. Kumar was top scorer at many National and International Championships for India. His younger brother Ashok Kumar was also former international basketball player and former India captain. Ram Kumar is one of the finest shooter India has ever produced and India has never seen a shooter of Ram Kumar's calibre in its history. He got offer to play in professional leagues in Romania and Iran but turned down the offer . As told by his father late Khushi Ram who was his coach and made him country's crackest shooter that, Ram started playing in his early teens, as a teen he would end up shooting 500 balls in a day at the practice sessions which is actually a difficult task to do for a shooting guard. I was really touched by his shooting techniques and his gifted physical strength . Above all his zeal to learn the technicalities of the game impressed me a lot and Ajmer Singh had the same thing, who was also a remarkable pivot player, that's the reason I spent most of the time with both of them on the court to improve their quality game

Kumar after his retirement in 2003 is serving as the coach of "Indian Railways Basketball Team" and has also coached India Junior Basketball Team in year 2003 and 2004 that played at Kuwait and Bangladesh where the Indian team won silver medal. He is currently working as a Senior Sports Officer at Rail Coach Factory at Kapurthala. In 2010, he has been the coach of Indian team that won the Asia zone qualifying round for the 21st "FIBA Asia Cup Basketball Championship" to be held at Yemen and coached the Under-18 Indian National Basketball Team at Junior Asian Basketball Championship held at Tehran in 2004 .[2]

Ram Kumar receiving The Dhyan Chand Award from former President of India, Dr A.P.J Abdul Kalam at Rashtrapati Bhawan in 2003
Achievements in international fields

Awards and honors

References

  1. ↑ "33 sportspersons honoured". The Tribune. 29 August 2003. Retrieved 10 September 2010.
  2. ↑ "India triumphs in Asia zone qualifier". The Hindu. 15 August 2010. Retrieved 10 September 2010.