Naturalization in Basketball: Is India getting left behind?

Indian basketball is on a steady rise. The national team scored a tiny improvement - from 14th to 11th at the recent FIBA Asia Championship and there is cautious optimism about the young crop of talents that could help raise the level of the game in the future.

But there seems to be one major issue troubling Team India: all players in the Indian national team are Indians.

Don't be confounded. India is amongst the very small handful of regulars competing for Asia's most prestigious basketball trophy that doesn't have a single foreign naturalized player on their roster. At the FIBA Asia Championship in Manila, Philippines in August, Indian defense stumbled against names like Jerry Johnson of Kazakhstan, Gregory Stevenson (aka Moon Tae-Young) of Korea, JR Henderson (aka JR Sakuragi) of Japan, and CJ Giles of Bahrain.

FIBA rules allow every team to have only one naturalized foreign player on their roster, if the player had been naturalized after the age of 16. Once a player plays for a country in an official FIBA competition after the age of 18, he or she cannot play for anyone else.

This ruling has given the opportunity to several talented, mostly American players, who struggle to find roster slots in the NBA (much less have a shot at USA's stacked national team) to make their senior international debuts with foreign squads. From research done by HoopsHype, when all Men's FIBA competitions in advance of next year's World Cup come to an end in September, 66 players born in the United States could have potentially represented 37 different countries.

In the past, the USA have also boasted of several high-profile cases of naturalized foreign players that boosted their national team. Legends like Patrick Ewing (Jamaica), Hakeem Olajuwon (Nigeria), and Tim Duncan (US Virgin Islands) all naturalized to play for America. Young All Star Kyrie Irving has dual citizenship of Australia and USA, and has already made it clear that when his number is called, he will be playing for the latter.

There are several high-profile cases of naturalized players in Europe, too. One of the most famous is American turned Russian JR Holden. Holden may have never played in the NBA, but the 37-year old enjoyed a legendary career in the European leagues. He was awarded Russian citizenship by Vladimir Putin in 2003, led Russia to the gold medal at the 2007 EuroBasket, and was part of Russia's 2008 Olympic squad, too.

Congo's Serge Ibaka was granted Spanish citizenship in 2011 after living in Spain for a few years, and is now part of their stacked frontcourt. American Chris Kaman acquired German citizenship in 2008, since his great-grandparents were German, and has represented the German national team since the 2008 Olympics.

Closer to home in Asia, the plethora of naturalized stars playing for the various national teams became a key factor in the FIBA Asia meet. Most teams have one, and it's always an interesting story. Former UCLA forward JR Henderson played professionally in Japan since 2001 and applied for Japanese citizenship in 2007. To comply with Japanese naturalization requirements, Sakuragi taught himself to read, speak and write Japanese at a "rudimentary level". He chose the name 'Sakuragi' which translates to 'cherry blossom tree', but is also the name of a character on the popular Japanese manga series Slam Dunk.

At the FIBA Championship, the Philippines featured big man Marcus Douthit, Jordan had Jimmy Baxter, Chinese Taipei fielded Quincy Davis, Lebanon featured Loren Woods, Kazakhstan had Jerry Johnson, and Korea gave the slot to Korean-American Gregory Stevenson, who became Moon Tae-Young. CJ Giles played professionally in the Philippines, Lebanon, and Iraq, before finally settling in with Bahrain and joining their national squad. Former NBA journeyman Jarvis Hayes finds himself a citizen of Qatar, and has become one of the stars of their national team. Qatar have faced controversies in naturalization before: At the 2011 FIBA Asia Championship, they were disqualified from the tournament when five of their players were found ineligible without proper citizenship documentation.

Then there are some high-profile cases from the weirder side of things. Word is that Knicks F/C Amar'e Stoudemire, who has Hebrew roots from the mother's side of his family, is applying for Israeli citizenship and has been invited to play for their national team by President Simone Peres. Stoudemire is currently a part-owner of Israeli pro club Hapoel Jerusalem. Meanwhile, basketball's greatest underdog-turned-star, Jeremy Lin, sparked interest by both Chinese Taipei (where his parents are from) and China (where his grandparents are from). He was offered Taiwanese citizenship to play for the national squad. But if he does so, unlike the other countries mentioned above, he would have to first renounce his current, American citizenship, and then re-apply for it again. For now, the 25-year-old seems to have not given up on the American dream.

There are some significant exceptions to the trend. Two of the best teams in Asia: Iran (the winners of the 2013 FIBA Asia Championship) and China haven't needed naturalized talents to dominate basketball in the continent. China have a long history of basketball fanaticism and are always able to find decent talents amongst their 1.4 billion population. Iran have won the FIBA ABC three out of the last four times, and are riding high in the era of dominating big man Hamed Hadaddi. Without naturalization, both these countries have shown ways of remaining relevant and successful in Asian hoops.

Which brings us back around to good ol' Hindustan, the other naysayer refusing to take advantage of FIBA's naturalization rule. Like Taiwan, to become an Indian citizen, one has to surrender their foreign passport, but unlike Taiwan, one cannot apply for it again. India doesn't allow dual-citizenship. The rules for becoming an Indian citizen state that the foreigner must either have Indian descent, or if they don't, marry an Indian, and/or reside in India for about a dozen years. For those that don't wish to give up their foreign passports, the best that they can hope for is to become an Overseas Citizen of India (OCI), but it means that they cannot vote, run for office, and will not receive an Indian Passport. And - and here is the part that concerns us - they can't represent Indian national teams in any sports.

Over the years, a number of extremely talented Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) have expressed an interest and desire to return to India and get a shot at the national team. These include former Canadian College player of the year Inderbir Gill, former Houston-Baptist player Timir Patel, and Australian-Israeli-Indian player (and former NBA India employee) Eban Hyams.

There are a whole host of Indian-origin players - past and present - who have played NCAA Division 1 basketball. If they weren't asked to surrender their US or Canadian passports, there would be no doubt that a handful of them would love to continue their basketball journey in India and help the national team against Asia's finest.

Scott Flemming, the American Head Coach of India's national Men's squad who had the front row seat as India played against other Asians (and naturalized Asians) at the FIBA Championship, seems to think so too. In a recent interview, he is quoted to have said, "On the international level, if the Indian government would loosen the rules allowing top players of Indian descent that do not have a passport to participate in our national teams, we could be much more competitive. I witnessed the majority of the other countries allowing such players to participate on their teams at the Asia Basketball Championship. In addition to that, most of them had “naturalized” players who were primarily from the United States. Right now, this causes a significant disadvantage."

So is India clearly getting left behind, or is there a long-term advantage in importing foreigners into the Indian roster?

If there is one major drawback to the naturalization trend, it is that in many cases, the talented foreign (mostly American) players become more than the system itself. They are expected to produce big numbers and dominate on both ends of the floor. Their presence might win, say, two more games at a FIBA Asia tournament, but in the process, they can hinder the development of the domestic talent. It is a delicate balance in finding an NRI - or other - to play for India; he may help the progress of the team, but in the process, he may hurt the progress of his teammates. Having a professional-quality player can bring positive energy into practice and help raise the training and preparation of Indian teams to international standards, but isn't that what a foreign coach is already there for?

The slow progress of basketball in India is definitely a concern. Fans have waited long enough for local talent to develop (without outside boosts), and yet, that talent continues to produce similar results in international tournaments. Without that outside boost, we may never see a stark improvement. Or maybe the answer lies in finally launching a domestic basketball league that will help young Indians see a clear future in basketball, bring more professionalism in the sport, and help Indian scouts find and train players and take advantage of the billion-plus population the same way that China has.

For now, the debate rages on. This is a government matter, beyond just the world of sport, and it seems unlikely anytime soon that India will allow dual-citizenship the same way that other nations do. Until that day, we have to wait for home-grown talent to keep progressing, and maybe in the process, we will finally find a diamond or two in the massive Indian haystack.

Indian-Origin players to have played NCAA D1 Basketball

No Indian national has yet had the experience of playing basketball at the highest collegiate level in the world, the NCAA Division 1 in the United States. But that said, there is no shortage of our larger Indian diaspora - specifically Indians who grew up in North America - who have represented at that level in some shape or form. The world paid attention as Canadian-Indian Sim Bhullar had his breakthrough playing in the national-tournament for New Mexico State and went on to become the first Indian-descent player in the NBA. It's time we compile a list of all others before Bhullar who have played a little (or a lot) D1 ball in the past, or our still playing at that level in the present.

This post grew out of popular demand, demand to showcase that players with desi genes certainly have the potential to take the next higher step in hoops. I've been able to collect the names of the list through past research and experience and the aid of some very helpful readers. I thank Rahul Desai for the idea and for getting me started and Sunpreet Sher Singh for suggesting more names to add to the list.

I'm looking to add the names of all Indian-origin D1 basketball players to the list. Being slightly tanned, enjoying the occasional Tandoori Chicken, and having a man-crush on Aziz Ansari doesn't count; You gotta have some desi in your DNA. First generation, second generation, third generation, born in India or abroad, full India, half Indian, one-fourth Indian, whatever. Hopefully, a talented player from India will one day get the opportunity to represent the country at this highest college level, too.

The list isn't perfect and it definitely isn't complete. Please contact me to notify me of any errors and suggest any further names that I'm sure to have missed.

Indian-origin players to have played NCAA Division 1 Basketball (In last-name Alphabetic order)

• Pasha Bains (Clemson, Wyoming): 1998-2001
  
• David Bagga (Arizona): 2005-09
  
• Vishal Banipal (Idaho State): 2011-12
• Sim Bhullar (New Mexico State): 2012-14)
• Tanveer Bhullar (New Mexico State) 2013-
• James Blackmon Jr. (Indiana): 2014-
• Anikar Chhabra (Harvard): 1991-95
• Manroop Clair (Hawaii, Seattle): 2012-
  
• Sandeep Dhaliwal (Columbia): 2009-10
  
• Samer Dhillon (USC): 2013-
• Shaminder Gill (Washington State University): 2001-05
  
• Tony Gill (Pacific): 2012-
• Robin James (Rutgers): 1991-95
  
• Venkatesha Jois (Eastern Washington University): 2012-
• Sanjay Lumpkin (Northwestern): 2012-
  
• Arjun Ohri (New Jersey Institute of Technology - NJIT): 2009-12
  
• Timir Patel (Houston-Baptist): 2007-08
  
• Varun Ram (Maryland): 2012-
• Andy Saharan (University of California-Riverside): 2010-11
  
• Manny Sahota (Cornell): 2010-
  
• Sam Singh (Bradley University): 2004-10
  
• Dipanjot Singh (Univeristy of Illinois at Chicago): 2009-11
  
• Veer Singh (Seton Hall): 2015-
• Sai Tummala (Arizona State, Hawaii): 2013-
  

To learn more about some of these players, check out my in-depth feature and interview with Pasha Bains, considered by many to be the greatest Indian-origin player ever. Youngster Manroop Clair is also mentioned in that story. I've written a lot about Sim Bhullar and his brother Tanveer; here is my most recent feature recapping Sim's first season at New Mexico State. Here is an old Q-and-A with Timir Patel, and this is an even older post and video of Manny Sahota. I also spoke to Maryland's Varun Ram for this blog last year. 

7th Savio Cup tips off in Mumbai!

One of Mumbai's most respected and loved basketball tournaments returns: the 7th edition of the Savio Cup All India Basketball Tournament will be held at the Don Bosco High School in Matunga, Mumbai, from January 8-15, 2012. Once again, some of the best Men's and Women's club teams from around India - plus the now-regular American side 'Shooting For Success' - will take part in the tournament.

Six Men's teams and three Women's teams will take part in the competition, tipped off at 4 PM on Sunday, Jan 8th, with a Men's clash between hosts Maharashtra and the recent winners of the Senior National Basketball Championship, Punjab.

The inauguration ceremony was held at 6 PM on Sunday.

Fr. Bosco D'Mello, the Principal of the Don Bosco School said, "The Savio Cup Basketball tournament for Men and Women is back to enthrall and entertain us in 7th year in succession. It has been growing in reputation and stature year after year and this year in its 7th edition it promises to get even bigger."

The teams participating in the Savio Cup this year are:

Men: Punjab, Indian Railways, Services, Maharashtra, ONGC, Shooting For Success
Women: Southern Railway, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra

Railways were the team to beat last year in both the divisions: the Men's side defeated Shooting For Success in a classic final game, while Southern Railway Women also got their stiffest challenge in the final game against Chhattisgarh.

Shooting For Success, a San Antonio (USA) based basketball club and foundation, will be participating for the fifth consecutive year in the Savio Cup, and they have become one of the favourites of the locals for boasting their athletic lineup of stars. This team will be led once again by their point guard and leader David "DJ" Jones. This year, a new addition to the side will be 6'10" big man Timir Patel, an Indian-origin basketball player from Texas who has played at the highest level of college ball in the US as well as trying his skills in several different countries around the world.

Every year, the Savio Cup also features an exciting slam dunk contest: here is a short video of last year's dunk contest to whet your appetite for the 2012 Savio Cup!

Timir Patel Q&A: I want be an example for young Indian basketball players

Timir Patel may only be 25 years old but he's already seen quiet a bit of this world: an American of Indian descent, Patel was born and raised in Houston, Texas, but his parents hail from the city of Anand in Gujarat. The 6 foot 9 inch tall forward/Center has taken his basketball talents from all around the US, and in the way became one of the few people of Indian origin to play Division 1 basketball, the highest level of college basketball, in the US. He has since played hoops in Romania and China as well.

I first read about Patel from an article on Hoops India. I immediately felt that I should follow it up: like I wrote in my article about American-Indian CCAA Player of the Year (or Indian-American?) baller Inderbir Gill a few days ago, people like Patel and Gill are good examples against the dogma that Indians aren't athletic enough for the elite level of hoops - with the right diet, conditioning, competitive environment, and training facilities, anything is possible!

I have corresponded with Patel since and got the opportunity to ask him a few questions. Most recently, Patel was supposed to head to Japan to take part in a showcase basketball event, but the Tsunami/Earthquake/Nuclear crisis forced him to cancel his current plans. He has already experienced great ups and downs in the course of his career and is now figuring out a way to contribute to basketball in India.

So without further ado, here's my Q&A with Timir Patel:

Hoopistani: How did you get into basketball? At what point did you know for sure that basketball will be your life?

Patel: Growing up I was always taller than everybody my age but surprisingly I did not start playing organized basketball until I was 14. Starting at such a late age I was very raw and was still growing into my body. Needless to say I was not very strong or coordinated but I had a good group of coaches and teammates that encouraged me to get better everyday. My high school team at Cinco Ranch was very good and because I was still developing my game I did not get a chance to play varsity basketball until my senior year. I played very well my senior year and was a integral part of a team that finished 25-7 and ranked as one of the top 20 teams in the state of Texas. Also, I was one of three of Division I signees from that team.
I guess you can say it is then that I knew I wanted to play basketball as long as I could. I went from not being looked at by any colleges to getting a few Division I scholarship offers my senior year. It was also then that I knew how much I had improved from when I first started playing basketball but still had a long way to go to reach the potential to be a great player. That hunger is what still drives me to this day to become better every day.

Hoopistani: How was the experience of playing college hoops and the States, particularly at Division 1 (D1) Level?

Patel: The experience of playing D1 basketball was one of the best blessings ever. I am honoured to say that I am one of a handful of Indians to play at the highest level of college basketball. I started off at Prairie View A&M University. For my sophomore year I transferred to junior college, Blinn College, because I did not want to sit out a year at a D1 school per NCAA rules. The only thing was that my coach did not play me at all in the first part of the season. We had one of the most talented teams in the country easily and were not performing up to those standards and it was frustrating not being to help my team out. Finally about 6 games into our conference play I went from playing no minutes to being in the starting lineup. I played well and was able to help the team.
Even though I had not played much that season I still had D1 offers from some schools but after taking my recruiting visits I decided the University of Nebraska Omaha was the best fit for me. Although it was not a D1 school it was high major D2 school with the same atmosphere of D1 school. Initially, I struggled on the court, but started coming along at the end of my junior season.
Because of some family issues, I had to transfer back home to Houston, to the Houston Baptist University (HBU). It just so happened to be that HBU was transitioning to D1 so I was going to have a opportunity to play D1 basketball again my senior year. It was hard leaving Omaha but I went to a better situation being close to home and being a part of the first D1 team at HBU. This was a great honor because it meant being part of something that is going to be big in the future and also putting something back into the city I was born and raised in.
I would have to say coming back and playing in front of my family and being able to help HBU transition to D1 is one of my biggest highlights of my college career. My fondest memory would be all the relationships I made while in college because of basketball.

Hoopistani: You have trained with several current and former professional players during your transition from a college player to a pro. Can you talk a bit about those experiences?

Patel: After I graduated from college I was ready to pursue my pro career and one of my good friends that played overseas was training at a gym with a personal trainer that had many pro athletes as clients. As soon as I went there I saw the difference from college and the pro game, my first day the trainer explained to me that in the pro game its all about minimizing mistakes and being efficient as possible. There was a consistent group of guys that came everyday for pick-up games, including Rashard Lewis, Maurice Taylor, Moochie Norris, Terrence Morris, Ansu Sesay, Gerald Green and many other players who play overseas. All these guys were always mentoring me on how I could improve but the thing that will always stick with me was how hard they worked. They had no egos and were all humble like they didn't ever play in the NBA and brought a work mans attitude everyday.

Hoopistani: Where has your professional career taken you so far?

Patel: It was a tough transition getting a professional deal coming out of college, since I played behind two guys and didn't put up very good numbers in my professional career. I got a tryout with a team in the top league in Romania, called Brasov, but they didn't have enough money to offer me a contract.
When I got home, I was a little disappointed, but also motivated because I knew I was so close - I just had to get over the hump. In May 2010, I was invited by Coach Cyril White To God Be The Glory (TGBTG) gym to go for a two-game tour against the Bayi Rockets, a top league team of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA).

Hoopistani: How was the experience of playing in China? What is the level of the league there? What is the level of basketball in general in China, in terms of talent and fans?

Patel: China was a better experience for me than Romania. Chinese players seemed to have a high basketball IQ and were all fundamentally sound. It is no surprise that the CBA is considered one of the top leagues in the world, right next to the NBA and Euroleague.
I attended a draft camp in the second league in China (NBL): I played well, averaging 11ppg and 7 rpg but was not selected. The level of talent in that camp was very high with guys that played in some of the top leagues in Europe and the NBDL.
In terms of the fans I would have to say the games I played in China were some of the best atmospheres I have ever played in. Every arena that we played in was sold out and after some of the games we had to be escorted out by security because fans had run onto the court and wanted to take pictures, etc. With two very good leagues and a great fan interest in the game it is no wonder that China is on its way to becoming one of the basketball powers of the world.

Unfortunately, I got terribly sick while in China: I lost 45 pounds (20.4 kgs) during my illness and was put on a strict diet when trying to recover. When I first got in the gym, I was not even able to run with out almost falling. I could not even touch the rim. But I was hungry to play again and get back to level I was playing at before I got sick. Slowly but surely I was able to regain my weight and with that came all of the skills I had before. I am blessed to say that right now I am stronger, quicker, jumping higher and playing better than I ever have before and also regained all the weight I lost.

In December last year, I was offered a trial by the Foshan Lions team of the CBA (the team which Stephon Marbury plays for). Teams that finished in the bottom five in the CBA can have one asian import along with there two american imports: That is when I tried to get my Indian passport, but it never happened and ultimately that was why the deal fell apart.

Hoopistani: I have read that you now wish to connect the with basketball in India. Could you please talk about some of your future plans?

Patel: As far as promoting the game right now I am just trying to be an example for all young Indian basketball players that have a dream of playing in college and professionally. I know there is not many people that will put India and basketball in the same sentence but know if one person opens the door and lays the foundation then many more can follow.
I would like to play for the national team but unfortunately there is a rule that will not let me play unless I have an Indian passport. I have an Overseas Citizenship with India but that does not pass and since India does not let people have a dual citizenship like most countries my hands are tied.
India has the same potential to become a basketball power like China and they are starting to realize that potential. It is exciting to see the development going on and if I cannot play for the national team I would still like to be a part of this development in any way possible. Hopefully I can sit down and speak with the Basketball Federation of India (BFI) soon about what opportunities they have and how I can help them.