Last year, Noida played host to Australian cricketer and former World Cup-winning great,
Matthew Hayden, who guided young players from Uttar Pradesh in a special training camp. This time, it was the turn of emerging basketball players to have a similar experience. A special training camp organized by the
National Basketball Association
(NBA) saw 28 emerging basketball players from across India, being trained under three-time
NBA
champion and former
Los Angeles Lakers
' point-guard, Brian Shaw.
Shaw, who was on his maiden visit to India, made his first stop in Noida and shared tips and expertise from his 30-year career during the two-day camp held at a private facility here.
Shaw's trip to India was a part of NBA's Jump programme, which aims to select the best young players from five cities across India and train them under international coaches. At the conclusion of the training camp, one player will get to participate in NBA's national D-League (development league) tryout, giving them a shot at playing in the world's top basketball league.
Shaw was quite impressed with the sports facilities in Greater Noida. Talking about the basketball courts here, he said, "That's one of the things that I'm most impressed with. We don't have many places like this even back in the US. Facilities that can hold these many players and provide them with international-level exposure are rare. This, by far, surpasses what my expectations were of a facility here in India."
After his first training session with the Indian players, Shaw told us, "I was impressed that everybody competed really hard against each other. They got a good understanding from what the coaches were trying to implement and teach them. It's hard to judge in such a small duration, but the talent here is impressive." As a part of the ice-breaking session during the camp, Shaw even danced with the young players, trying his hand at bhangra for the first time.
In addition to Shaw, former international player
Heshimu Evans
, along with professional coaches like
Joao Rocha
and
Chris Summers
were also present at the camp. All the 28 under-21 players in the camp were divided into four teams with each given its head coach to maximize personal coaching. NBA India official Carlos Barocca, said, "We have some of the best players from India from this age group here. We have at least 8-9 players who have the talent to go far - possibly even the NBA if they are lucky. Now, it's just a matter of time for India. We just have to wait and see where the next big thing in Indian basketball is coming from. Brian Shaw is a good example of the kind of player these kids should emulate."
The young players were all praise for Shaw and the camp. Darshan Kumar, an 18-year-old from Delhi, said, "It was a great experience, interacting with international coaches and getting tips from someone as seasoned as Shaw. These facilities are great and the entire camp was one of the best experiences of my life."
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