For 'juggler' Shiba, life is like a dribble

CHENNAI: Shiba Maggon juggles with her roles as basketball coach and umpire just like the way she dribbled when she was a player. With nonchalant ease. The 35-year-old former India captain, who came back from Jinan in China last month where her wards came fifth in the Asia U-16 tournament, lost no time to change into her umpire's shirt.
"This is something I really like," she said, with her customary smile in place."I got the FIBA licence in 2008 but couldn't officiate for I was still playing. Now that my playing days are over I thought I'd make use of my referee licence," added Shiba, who retired in 2010. "The 2010 Nationals in Delhi was my last tournament and the final against Railways my last competitive match."
Though Delhi lost in the final to Railways, a side which has been the undisputed powerhouse of women's basketball, Shiba has a history of being the mastermind in the toppling of Railways, the only time it has happened in the last 15 years.
"That was at the 2003 Nationals. I had just joined MTNL and was playing for Delhi after winning six consecutive titles for Railways, and we beat them in the final. That was a cool win."
Shiba started playing basketball very late and had it not been for a family tragedy, she would never have been a player. "I never was fond of basketball. I had been to the courts, I had seen my sister and my cousin play, but the game never attracted me that much. Waking up early in the morning for practice was not for me," she recalled.
But that was all to change soon. Her 19-year-old sister Shelly died in an accident and life was never the same again for a 15-year-old Shiba.
"She was the star of the family. She was a national netball player, a korfball player and she was also in the national basketball camp. She had gone for a trip from college and the next thing we heard was that she'd drowned in a pool. Our family was shattered."
With the eldest daughter no longer in the world to fulfil her parents' dream, Shiba decided to take it upon herself. "I started playing basketball for I wanted to do it for her. I started working hard. I wanted to realise her dreams of playing for the country and besides, my father also wanted me to play the game. I joined SAI and in a couple of years I was in the Indian camp," said Shiba, who has the distinction of representing India as a player, coach and official in international events.
But right now, coaching is her real passion. "I love coaching more than officiating. It's a challenging job. You get to learn new things everyday. And you get the opportunity to pass on what you have learned over the years to the younger generation," she said.