The Hindu : A foreign coach in the near future

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Jun 23, 2003

Sport

Sport - Basketball

A foreign coach in the near future

By Our Sports Reporter

HYDERABAD JUNE 22. The Basketball Federation of India has decided to engage the services of a foreign coach as early as possible to complement the efforts of the current chief coach, K.K. Chansoria and to keep abreast of the latest patterns.

"We have asked the ABC and the FIBA-Asia officials to identify a coach and we are highly optimistic of getting things finalised within a month", said Harish Sharma, secretary general of BFI, after a visit to the on-going National camp at the Kotla Vijaya Bhaskara Reddy indoor stadium here.

Apparently pleased with the facilities at the venue, Mr. Sharma felt it was time to take advantage of the support being extended to the sport both at the National and the State-levels.

"The emphasis will be more on youth in the coming years and exactly for this purpose we have picked 12 players in each of the four zones for intensive training. In fact, we will request the Sports Authority of Andhra Pradesh whether it would be interested in hosting a combined camp for them here," he explained.

During a brainstorming session with the Indian probables at the camp, Mr. Sharma made it explicitly clear that it was time to leave behind the complacency and approach the task on hand with the required level of seriousness.

He was trying to drill the simple logic that unless the National team performed exceptionally well at the international level, despite so many odds, the sport could not be expected to be treated in a special manner. A medal in the ABC championship should go a long way in the cause to promote the sport, he stressed.

It is also informed that the BFI has decided to have another two or three camps, after the qualifying event for the ABC in Delhi next month, if time permitted.

The BFI will also soon put forward a proposal to set up a full-fledged academy in Hyderabad. "We are working on these lines and will then talk with the concerned authorities,'' added Mr. Sharma. Mr. Sharma also pointed out that the Federation was exploring the possibilities of the Sports Authority of India setting up the discipline at the indoor stadium where the camp is on.

"Hyderabad will be one of the major centres in our long-term planning,'' he said to a query. "As part of this, I will be very keen to host an international tournament too,'' added Mr. Sharma.

The BFI secretary-general also tried to emphasis the need to sustain the tempo to popularise the sport across the country. "We are even planning to start school-level tournaments in 10 cities and then host an inter-city championship for all the winners,'' he added.

The BFI will work in much better coordination with the SAI and the FIBA-Asia officials over the next few months to tap talent and improve the standards of the game.

The message from Mr. Sharma was pretty simple — train, play and perform well.

Meanwhile, the chief coach, Mr. Chansoria, has finally joined the camp after being busy with the junior Nationals in Punjab till a few days back.

"For the next 10 days, the focus would be on combined team offence and defence. Speed is the catchword at the highest level. Quick patterns of attack, advance as early and as far as possible and falling back in time to guard will be the features in the camp,'' he explained. "We are good in under-basketing. But depending on the ability of the foreign teams to block the scoring chances on this front, we should be really good in long-range shooting i.e. three-pointers.,'' he said to a query.

The 58-year-old feels that the best of the coaches may not produce the desired results even after intensive and scientific training sessions unless the boys have a decent exposure to real match-situations against the best teams.

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