The North-East finally has an official basketball academy

Basketball development in the North-Eastern states of India usually lags far behind the northern or southern states, and this lag shows up with poor and unprepared performances in national basketball championships in India. This is why it brought great relief of basketball fans from the North-East when the much-awaited North East Basketball Academy was finally inaugurated in Guwahati, Assam, on January 13th.

Veteran sportsmen Pulin Das formally inaugurated the academy at the Assam Olympic Association.

Here's more from the Assam Tribune:

Mukut Medhi, secretary general of the academy, informed in the opening ceremony that initially they will select 10 boys and 10 girls for the residential camp while another 10 boys and 10 girls will have day boarding facilities. The players will be of in the age group of 14 to 18 years.

The academy has already selected two girls from Meghalaya, two boys and two girls from Tripura, one boy and a girl from Manipur, two boys from Mizoram and five boys and as many girls from the home State Assam. The organisers also have appointed Yolinda Hynniewta as coach for the girls while Mukut Medhi himself will be in charge of boys.

According to the source above, the Academy will be receive the majority of its funding from the Basketball Federation of India (BFI). The academy will use their own Hengerabari basketball courts for training, as well as incorporate the Maligaon basketball courts and the Sarusajai indoor stadium on rent basis.