Damien Wilkins to join Crossover Basketball Academy's programme in India this July

Nine-year NBA veteran Damien Wilkins will be coming to India in July to be a part of this season's 'Hoops Creating Hope' programme by the Crossover Basketball and Scholars Academy. Crossver will hold the 2014 edition of their programme in Chennai from July 7-18 this year and Wilkins will be a part of their faculty.

Wilkins played the majority of his NBA career in the Seattle Supersonics/Oklahoma City Thunder, before playing short stints with the Minnesota Timberwolves, Atlanta Hawks, Detroit Pistons, and the Philadelphia 76ers. He last played professional basketball briefly in China with the Beijing Ducks last year. Wilkins has NBA career averages of 6.3 points, 2.4 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 19.3 minutes per game, and enjoyed his best season in 2007-08 with the Sonics averaging a career high 9.2 ppg.

"It is a pleasure to travel to India this year to collaborate with Crossover; I am excited, and looking forward to having a positive impact!” said Wilkins. “Basketball has always been an important part of my life, it is the vehicle I used to get my education and more importantly promote the importance of academics."

Crossover's Hoops Creating Hope is a two-week programme for students in Chennai create and develop the link between leadership, character, teamwork, and communication with academic success and future goals using basketball as the medium for education and change. This year, Crossover will host a Sport in Education Conference on July 12 at The American International School in Chennai. Thought leaders, student voices, coaches, and educators from the US and India will discuss the positive role sport can play in a students overall education.

Wilkins will join a faculty that includes Crossover founder Shaun Jayachandran, WSN247 co-founder Carie Small, Phillips Academy cluster dean Raj Mundra, Harvard University basketball junior Jonah Travis, and Emory women’s basketball players Lauren Ball and freshman Maggie Brown. Additionally, Varun Ram - the Indian-origin player for the University of Maryland - has also confirmed his attendance. And Indian actress/model/basketball enthusiast mentioned that she'll visit the programme as well.

Wilkins comes from a family of great basketball heritage. He is the son of 13-year NBA veteran Gerald Wilkins and nephew of Basketball Hall of Famer Dominique Wilkins (who came to India for the NBA's Basketball Without Borders programme in 2008).

Crossover Basketball Academy hosts 1st ' Hoops Creating Hope' Session in Chennai

Spreading a message of academic opportunities for Indian students via the medium of basketball, the non-profit international programme Crossover Basketball and Scholars Academy are hosting their first academy session 'Hoops Creating Hope' at the St. Patrick's School in Chennai, Tamil Nadu from August 6-15, 2012.

“We are very excited to be launching the Academy this year in India," said Founder Shaun Jayachandran, "Basketball has opened doors to so many around the world and is a perfect sport for India; a dynamic, engaging sport that uses critical thinking, athleticism, creativity, and teamwork. Being on the forefront of engaging younger students with long-term goals of high school and university completion regardless of current economic struggles means that they can not only expect, but will, be part of our program for years to come."

Jayachandran will lead the team for the first session in Chennai, that will invited 3-40 selected students from the area.

Crossover Basketball and Scholars Academy is the first non-profit international program in India to leverage athletic values and skill as a means to develop academic opportunities for Indian students and create future community leaders. The main objective of Crossover Basketball is to leverage the untapped potential of basketball talent in India by improving the athletic skill sets of student-athletes with the goal of preparing those students for future recruitment, in combination of academics, leadership and/or basketball, by United States, and Indian high school and college programmes.