The Linspiration

Linsanity may be over, but Jeremy Lin is continuing basketball's greatest underdog story

This feature was first published as the cover story of the 133rd edition (2014 - No. 12) of SLAM China magazine. Here is my original English version.

Even the greatest moments in history need perspective, they need some distance, an appropriate passing of time, and the appropriate understanding of that moment’s place in our memories. Sometimes, when we live through these great moments in real time, it is difficult to predict their long-term significance. A great moment thrills us in the present, a greater moment continues to amazes us in future years to come.

It seems like it happened an eternity ago, but it was only in 2012 that Jeremy Lin – in the space of a short fortnight – went from being the last guy on the NBA bench the most popular basketball player on the planet. After being cut from two teams and sleeping on a teammate’s couch because he was sure to be cut from the third, a string of injuries turned a dark cloud into a silver-lining for Lin. The young player out of Harvard took over the New York Knicks’ starting point guard position, and within weeks, became the living embodiment of history in very fluid motion.

The legend of ‘Linsanity’ is well known by now. A relative unknown in the big bad NBA world, Lin led the ragtag Knicks to an improbable winning streak, averaging 26.8 points and 8.5 assists over a six-game stretch (setting a record for the most points by any NBA player in their first five starts since the NBA/ABA merger in 1977). He secured a guaranteed contract with the Knicks, saved Coach Mike D’Antoni’s job, outplayed NBA legend Kobe Bryant, hit a game-winning three-pointer, heard ‘M-V-P’ chants at the Madison Square Garden, was named NBA’s Eastern Conference Player of the Week, found himself on the cover of ‘TIME’ and ‘Sports Illustrated’ magazine, and reignited the NBA’s popularity in China after Yao Ming’s retirement.

Eventually, the fairytale ended. Lin shifted base to the Houston Rockets the next season, and the insanity gave way for some stability. Over the past two years, Lin has been a solid, if not spectacular contributor. The day of Linsanity are over, but the young point guard has become a consistent player in the NBA, a dream that seemed far from his reach when he was struggling between the D-League and 10-day contracts.

Still shy of his 26th birthday, Lin has already survived a lifetime’s worth of highs and lows as he prepares to begin a new chapter in Los Angeles. And we – the audience who have been witness to the history he created – can now have the luxury of perspective. ‘Linsanity’ is over, but basketball’s greatest underdog story continues to inspire hundreds of thousands of young players around the world.

Lin returned to China this offseason once more in a move to once again bring him face to face and closer to Asian fans who have long been unconditionally devoted to him. His stock in the NBA may rise and fall, but out here, he remains a bright shining star, the living embodiment of proof that basketball is much more than a genetic code, that hard work on the court can reap rewards on the court for a person of any race.

Usually, international players in the NBA – particularly those from Asia – are scouted more on the basis of their size. The tallest players, like Yao Ming, Yi Jianlian, Wang Zhi Zhi, or Hamed Haddadi have a clear advantage because they offer the one thing that coaches say can’t be taught: height.

Until Lin’s breakthrough Asian guards rarely scratched the surface of their potential. Credit for his immense development must be given to the hard work he put in to become a rising star in High School, College, and the pros out in America. But still, Lin was able to prove that smaller Asian players – if they have the right combination of internal motivation, good coaching, and the right opportunities – can be just as successful as any of the other young players getting drafted into the NBA.

In his recent visit to Beijing, Lin spoke to SLAM about how his stardom proved that basketball success is clearly more than a game of genetics and that being bigger isn’t the only key for an Asian player to make it to the NBA.

“I hope that my achievements can be an inspiration to young Asians,” he said, “I think that height is just one component, but it’s not close to being the most important one. If you look at the NBA right now, you’ll see that it’s evolving and becoming more of a guard’s game. The most talented position is the point guard position all the way across the board.”

“I hope to see many more Chinese guards – and not just big men – make it to the next level,” he added.

Lin was among the first of a usual off-season flurry of NBA superstars that visit China and help to encourage the growth of the game in the country. As always, he showed enthusiasm for the reception that the game has been getting in China.

“I think that the growing interest of the game here is great,” Lin said, “It’s great for basketball, and it’s great for the country as well. Basketball is such a fun sport and now it’s cool to see how much China has really adopted the game.”

It’s clear to see that the game that Lin professes his love for has loved him back. Lin’s NBA story is markedly different from many of his peers. Unlike his former All Star teammates Dwight Howard or James Harden, Lin did not become a high lottery pick. He wasn’t drafted at all. Everything about his journey – from his Asian background to the fact that he attended Harvard, a Division II squad, in college – was unique.

And yet, years later, he made his uniqueness – as an undrafted, Asian-American smaller player out of Harvard – into his strength. The impact of Lin’s has surely smartened up NBA execs and scouts to think outside the box when searching for prospects and not turn anyone down based on their college, size, or ethnicity.

Looking back now, it is still surprising that Lin slipped past the eyes of so many NBA teams: future prospects can be grateful that his explosive breakout will serve as an example so others like him don’t slip by, too.

Now, Lin has found a role for himself in the NBA beyond the explosive breakout, beyond ‘Linsanity’. He is now fully focused on remaining a regular NBA contributor going forward, and on evolving his role to remain efficient in the NBA.

“I want to keep getting better,” he said, “I saw some improvement in my game over the past year; and I hope that, over time, I’ll be able to see more and more improvement. Hopefully, as a team, we’ll be able to go further and further into the playoffs.”

This offseason, Lin told SLAM that he has plans to continue sharpening the edges in his game. “I want to continue to work on what I worked on last year,” he said, “On aspects of my game like three-point shooting, defense, on improving my left hand. I’m also adding floaters and stuff like that to my game to be a little more versatile on the court.”

Lin’s uncertain off-season finally came to a conclusion when the Rockets sent him to Los Angeles to become a Laker. When SLAM met Lin two days before this trade, he didn’t comment on his team status, but instead looked back on what it would take for Houston to overturn the recent First Round playoffs loss.

The 2014 First Round series between the Rockets and the Trail Blazers saw featured several memorable moments, including two 40+ games by Lamarcus Aldridge, two games that were settled in overtime, and a game-winning three-pointer by Damian Lillard that beat the buzzer and beat the Rockets for good in Game 6.

Lin’s personal high-point in the series came in Game 5 – his strongest performance of the playoffs – as he bounced back from a tough outing earlier to score 21 points off the bench and help Houston secure a victory. It was true to form for Lin, who turned disappointment and despair into motivation and success.

“I just took a step back after Game 4,” he said, “I prayed to God, and I just kinda calmed down, and I realized that I can only control so much and I have to trust in Him. Going into Game 5 I told myself that I have to be really aggressive and I’m gonna play for God’s glory and be okay with whatever happens. That’s the mentality that I had between Game 4 and Game 5.”

But overall, Lin and his team have been left with a sense of incompleteness after their season of hope was cut short so cruelly in the playoffs. Lin – who played 38 of the 71 games last season of the bench and didn’t start in game of the playoffs – saw his scoring and assist numbers take a dip from last year. He, along with his teammates, must bear the responsibility for the playoffs loss, and as he looks forward to starting over with the Lakers, he has to also focus on bouncing back to answer his critics.

The shadow of the past will always hover above him – and not just his past with the Rockets. Lin spoke about how the Rockets struggled with ball-movement last season, and as the eventual NBA champions showed, ball movement can be the key to overcome any challenge in the league.

The Spurs – who on their way to the Finals defeated the Trail Blazers in the Second Round – were the NBA’s best passing team, leading the league in assists, a wonderful habit that they continued as they demolished LeBron James and the Miami Heat with ease in the NBA Finals. Every success story in the NBA inspires others to try and emulate that success: watch out for more NBA teams attempting to copy the Spurs’ model and become better passers of the ball.

Despite being the second-highest scoring team in the league, Lin’s Rockets only ranked 18th in assists per game in the NBA, a statistic that immediately makes clear that the team relied more on isolation opportunities and individual brilliance than team interplay for their points. As a point guard – who believes that the NBA is moving in the direction of becoming a point guard’s league – Lin’s next challenge is to become the type of floor general that can orchestrate the flow of the offense and leads his team to play unselfish, pass-first basketball.

It is also no secret that the Rockets, including Lin himself, struggled on the defensive end. They ranked in the league’s bottom ten in opponent’s points allowed, for which both individuals as well as the system has been the culprit. Lin has vowed to work on his defensive duties this offseason, and his fans will be hoping that he can bounce back to become a consistent performer when guarding the ball as well.

From one perspective, the road ahead looks rocky, as Lin has to take several individual leaps forward to raise his game to a higher level. But history has taught us perspective, hasn’t it?

History has taught us about the underdog who defeated the odds to become a superstar, and let that stardom flicker to help redefine himself in the NBA. History has given us the perspective to look back at the phenomenon that ‘Linsanity’ once was two years ago, and given us the time to see the influence and the inspiration that phenomenon has had ever since. History tells us that Lin toiled night and day in practice to fight for a chance in the NBA, and that perhaps he has the drive to do it again.

But most importantly, the history of Lin’s career tells us that we still don’t know anything at all. Lin is still only 25 and potentially has many more years with the game ahead of him. We’re still watching history being made in fluid motion, and we’re still experiencing Jeremy Lin in the midst of basketball’s greatest underdog story.

The 6th Man: Jeremy Lin

This article was first published as 'The 6th Man' editorial of the 133rd edition (2014 - No. 12) of SLAM China magazine. Here is my original English version.

Forget the playoffs: the most pressure that an NBA player feels these days happens off the court. It happens in the midst of summertime and it happens off-the-court. Basketball’s maestros are most comfortable when they are asked to focus on what they do best – trying to win basketball games. But during the off-season, the chaos of the draft, trade rumours, and free agency takes over, and the same maestros are out of their element.

When SLAM China met Jeremy Lin in Beijing in early July, he was still a member of the Houston Rockets. But the man who was once responsible for causing the ‘Linsanity’ phenomenon was now in the eye of the storm again. He was hearing that he was going to end up in Philadelphia. In Cleveland. Back to Golden State. Instead of being judged on his on-court abilities, he was being reduced treated as simply cap space.

And yet, despite the storm that brewed externally, Lin was the epitome of internal calm in Beijing. He smiled. He posed for photographs. He spoke about his family. He spoke about his past, his present and his future. He spoke about the Rockets and about being back in China.

He wasn’t just handling the storm, he was taming it.

And that’s when we realized that, for the man who has struggled at every step of the way, who was refused a D1 scholarship, left undrafted, cut by two teams, forced to sleep on a teammate’s couch, and pushed to the limits of his NBA dreams, a few trade rumours are nothing. Jeremy Lin had been through real tornadoes; the offseason uncertainty was a mere breeze.

Days later, he was a member of the Los Angeles Lakers. The drama was thankfully over, and the new chapter in Linsanity was set to begin. Now, it’s time to focus on being a maestro again.

Check back soon to see my full feature and interview with Jeremy Lin published as the cover story of SLAM China 133 here.

Giant Strides: Sim Bhullar leads with a big step forward for Indians in Basketball

 This article was first published in my column on Ekalavyas on July 12, 2014. You can find the original post here. 

Photo Courtesy: NMSU / Ekalavyas

I’m waiting for the day that this news isn’t a big deal. That a brown-skinned with South Asian features gets signed to an NBA team’s Summer League roster, and the rest of the brown-skinned, South Asian world doesn’t freak out about it. I’m waiting for the day when such an announcement is a regular occurrence that doesn’t make us raise our eyebrows or make us scramble to identify the player’s racial feature or heritage. For the day that this relatively minor bit of news doesn’t attract our breathless attention.

But, for the better of the Indian diaspora, this news is indeed a game-changer. And that’s because Sim Bhullar has become the first, the first of a community with one of the largest populations on planet Earth to break a major barrier in the hoops world. In this small step, he has taken a massive stride, and for that, he deserves all the attention that his currently being showered upon him.

The 21-year-old Bhullar is not a small man. At 7-foot-5, he is a giant on the basketball court capable of dwarfing the biggest fellow players even in the world’s ‘tallest’ sport. He wears size-22 shoes on his massive feet, and with each gargantuan step, covers much more of length of the court than his smaller counterparts.

Last week, as the hoops world tuned in to watch the finest young players get drafted into the basketball’s greatest league – the NBA – Bhullar and his size-22s took a very small step forward: Less than a day after being spurned and going undrafted in the NBA, he signed a Summer League contract with the Sacramento Kings.

While most of the serious NBA media showered their concerns on the young superstars on Draft Night or the upcoming stars on the league’s free agency market, Sim Bhullar’s tiny ripple made a massive dent. When the Canadian-born Indian – whose parents moved from Punjab to Toronto 30 years ago – signed the contract with the Kings, he became the NBA’s first-ever player of Indian-descent.

The Summer League offer is still a long way to go before the ‘NBA Dream’ is fully seen into reality and Bhullar actually makes the final cut of the Kings’ (or another team’s) roster. Bhullar will likely have to star at the league in Las Vegas over the next month and perhaps even prove his way up from the NBA’s Development League, but it brings him one step closer to becoming the first desi to ever play in the NBA. And thus, be brings all the desi basketball lovers from around the planet – from Toronto to Jalandhar by way of Birmingham, Houston, and Indore – one step closer to our collective dream.

For those who have closely followed his progress, the story is well-known by now. Sim and his brother Tanveer grew in height and in basketball skill with the same phenomenal acceleration and began to earn some fame in High School. The ‘Giant Bhullars’ moved from Canada to the USA to better develop their skills, playing at the Kiski School in Pennsylvania and the famous Huntington Prep School in West Virginia. For college, Sim was recruited to play for the New Mexico State Aggies in the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) in Division 1 of the NCAA. A year later, his 7-foot-5 brother Tanveer followed.

Sim played two successful seasons for New Mexico State. He was named WAC tournament MVP twice, as he led the conference in blocks (3.37 per game) and shooting percentage (64.8) and helped his team reach the NCAA national tournament in both seasons.

But two months ago, the 21-year-old giant decided to forego his final two years of college eligibility and declare for the NBA Draft. Instantly, he captured the imaginations of South Asian basketball fans everywhere, who were hoping that there would be an NBA team out there willing to take a chance on the biggest prospect – vertically, at least – of this year’s draft class. He went undrafted, but disappointment swiftly turned into elation as it was soon announced that he would be joining the Sacramento Kings.

Of course, there is a sense of cynicism among many about this news. Ranking fairly low in the eyes of most scouts among available prospects, Bhullar’s name wasn’t called after complete 60 picks in the first and second rounds of the NBA draft. Despite his size, and abilities, few have been expecting Bhullar to be physically ready to handle the frenetic pace of an NBA game, the highest level of the sport of basketball in the world. And yet, despite his perceived weaknesses, the Kings gave him a chance.

Which should be surprising, but it isn’t. The Kings are owned by Vivek Ranadive, the first and only Indian-born owner in the NBA and the man most aggressively pushing for the sport of basketball to gain popularity back in his homeland. Over the past year, Ranadive’s Kings have hosted Indian-culture nights, launched the NBA’s only Hindi-language website, and his point guard Isaiah Thomas visited Mumbai and Chennai this offseason. The Kings were one of the few teams where Bhullar had a pre-draft workout, and it seemed to be an open secret that they would be among the frontrunners to bring his 7-foot-5 presence to the NBA.

This is where the cynic speaks up, claiming that Bhullar was given a chance by the Kings more for his potential commercial outreach to you and I – the fan of Indian basketball – than for the skills that he can bring for them on the court. In that case, mission accomplished: the Kings and Ranadive, through Sim Bhullar, indeed, now have India’s attention.

But now, it will be up to Bhullar to prove that he is more than just a marketing tool. That he deserves a shot in the NBA for the talent he brings on-court instead of the hype that he brings off of it.

Bhullar will become the tallest active player in the NBA if he signs onto the Kings’ roster for the season. He has a long wingspan and big hands. He’s a great rebounder on both ends of the floor, has a soft scoring touch around the basket, and can absolutely shut down opponents once he gets his positioning on the defensive end of the floor. Although he seems to have lost a lot of weight over the summer, Bhullar still needs to get better conditioned and also work on further developing his post-game. There is a lot of room for improvement in the young man’s game, which is actually a good thing given that he has shown the willingness to improve so drastically in the past two years and can get much better in the future.

Off the court, Bhullar’s effect, like his size, can be massive. If he eventually does become the first Indian-origin person to play in the NBA, he could be in the unique situation to b an inspiration for Indian basketball players everywhere. If he stays with the Kings (or their affiliate D-League team, the Reno Bighorns), expect Ranadive to use Bhullar as a vehicle to boost his outreach to India and fulfil his dreams of making the Sacramento Kings into “India’s home team”.

Several months ago in this column, I had written about the importance for Indian basketball to have role models for the next generation to look up to. India still lacks a home grown basketball star that has captured the imaginations of the fans and the media; Bhullar may be Canadian by nationality, but his cultural heritage and background will not go unnoticed by the country of his roots. Bhullar, to his credit, has embraced his role as a potential role model for the Indian community and has shown a genuine desire to help accelerate the rise of basketball in India.

As a basketball fan and an Indian, I have been elated to hear that there is an NBA team out there – owned by an Indian, no less – who is willing to give a real chance to a basketball player of Indian origin. But it would make me even happier if Bhullar shines on the court and proves that he belongs, so much so that we would be ready to look past the colour of his skin to appreciate his basketball talents. It would be fantastic to see Bhullar’s “Indianness” celebrated because of his play on-court, instead of using his heritage a substitute to fill in the gap and to simply tell an interesting story about a bit player in the NBA’s fringes.

Bhullar is inching closer to breaking one of the last racial barriers in the NBA, and this is why him stepping into a ‘Kings’ jersey for the Summer League is a big deal, why this one small step by this giant is a giant stride for Indian basketball. 

FIBA to review basketball headgear rule following pressure from BFI, #LetSikhsPlay, & more

Let's take a moment to step back, take a deep breath, and marvel at the power of the internet. Less than two weeks ago, I wrote a post detailing how the governing body of basketball in the planet - FIBA - forced a rule upon India's Sikh basketball players to play at the FIBA Asia Cup in China without their turbans. While the players complied with the rules and played for the pride of their country, there was worldwide outrage, led by significant pressure by followers on the internet and specifically social media.

And the pressure from all angles jabbing at FIBA has finally brought some real results: earlier today, FIBA announced that their Central Board will soon review their 'no headgear' rule after a formal request to do so by the Basketball Federation of India (BFI) at the FIBA Asia Congress a few days ago.

This is the first step to what detractors of the rule hope will eventually lead FIBA to allow players like Sikhs (who wear turbans) or muslims (who wear hijab) to keep their headgear on while playing basketball in FIBA/international basketball competitions. A FIBA press release today announced that "FIBA's Central Board, which is ultimately responsible for changes to the Official Basketball Rules, will review these requests and decide how to proceed in the best interest of the sport and of its 214 members." The Central Board is set to meet at the FIBA World Congress on 28-29 August in Sevilla, Spain during the FIBA Basketball World Cup.

FIBA's decision to review this rule will be seen as the appropriate step by many, including the BFI, who made the formal request to FIBA. The Sikh community and the thousands of others who support their cause - led by SALDEF and others - did an immense job at promoting '#LetSikhsPlay' on social media to protest against FIBA and asked for the international basketball federation to show the same request that the NCAA and other basketball bodies around the world have shown to players who wear turbans or other headgear for various reasons. India's Sports Minister Sarbananda Sonowal weighed in on the controversy, declaring that he was "shocked and outraged" at FIBA as he extended his protest to the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Even United States congressmen got into the act and asked FIBA for a change in what they called a 'discriminatory policy'.

But most importantly, this review will come as a relief to players like Amjyot Singh and Amrit Pal Singh, two of India's most talented basketball players who were instrumental in the team's wondrous performances at the FIBA Asia Cup in Wuhan. Until two weeks ago, both players had freely played with their turbans on in FIBA tournaments and other basketball competitions. As Sikhs who hold the symbolism of their headgear very closely to their identity and their religion, they had both expressed sadness at the implementation of FIBA's rule. And yet, they played on after being forced to tie their hair back by rubber bands or other hair bands through the course of the tournament.

The 214 members of FIBA now hold the key to a sensible and happy end to this conflict. Basketball shouldn't discriminate on basis of harmless cultural insignia like turbans or hijab. And the end of the 'No Headgear' rule will bring smiles to the faces of not just India's Sikh players but also Muslim players who have clashed with FIBA in the past over this.

Article 4.4.2 of FIBA’s Official Basketball Rules states, "Players shall not wear equipment (objects) that may cause injury to other players," a list that includes headgear like turbans, hijab, etc. FIBA claims that the rule was made to observe safety on the basketball court and uniformity of equipment within a team and currently, players are only allowed to wear headbands no wider than five centimetres in order to hold back hair and sweat.

Bizzarely, this is a 10-year-old rule, but FIBA only decided to start strictly implementing it recently and it was only imposed on Team India two weeks ago. I first reported the story on this blog days after India's first game against Japan at the FIBA Asia Cup when Amjyot and Amrit Pal were forced to take off their turbans and wait a couple of minutes after the game began before checking in. India's Head Coach Scott Flemming claimed that a misunderstanding with FIBA officials led to this last minute disturbance, which of course had adverse effects on the concentration levels of the entire squad.

While #LetSikhsPlay quickly got the wheels of protest in motion, India's own mainstream news factory typically reacted much later to this news, after India had returned back home from the tournament in China. The reaction eventually led to BFI's formal request against this ruling, but looking ahead, it will be the online pressure and the power of the internet directed that FIBA itself that could perhaps convince the ruling basketball body's voting members to rescind or edit Article 4.4.2.

The saddest part of this whole controversy? The outrage has pretty much overshadowed Team India's brilliant play at the FIBA Asia Cup, where - led by Coach Flemming - they defeated China for the first time in history in perhaps their greatest ever basketball victory and gave a tougher than expected fight to Asian giants such as Iran and the Philippines. The Indian media reacted to the negative news much fervently than the positive one. And unfortunately, Indian basketball's shining moment was portrayed by our mainstream media more as a silver lining around the dark cloud of FIBA controversy rather than the other way around.

The fight isn't over yet, but at least, there are positive signs that FIBA are willing to listen to the outcry of Indian, Sikh, and everyone else who supports this cause around the world. Hopefully, common-sense prevails over rudimentary thinking, and we can get back to basketball instead of worrying about whether a little bit of cloth covering someone's head could ever be a "threat". Especially if that bit of cloth has such a deep-lying significance to the culture and religion of the targeted individuals. The rest of the world is catching up with multiculturalism; it's time FIBA did, too.

FIBA Asia elects new leaders at annual congress in Doha

FIBA Asia, the governing body of basketball in the continent, held their annual congress in Doha (Qatar) on Thursday, July 24th, in a meeting of minds featuring representatives from 30 member national federations from across Asia. New leaders were elected for FIBA Asia's Central Board from 2014-2019, including sub-zone representatives. Hosts nations/cities were decided for future FIBA Asia events as well.

Qatar's Sheikh Saud bin Ali Al-Thani was chosen as FIBA Asia's President for the next five years, while China's Xin Lancheng was elected as the chairman. FIBA Secretary General Patrick Baumann also attended the 2014 FIBA Asia Congress.

For FIBA's South Asia Zone - which features India, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka - will be represented by Abhijith Sarker of Bangladesh.

The Congress also finalized on the hosts of the events in the 2015 FIBA Asia calendar. There was joy for Indian fans, as FIBA Asia chose Bengaluru (Karnataka) to host next year's 4th FIBA Asia U16 Championship for Boys.

Meanwhile, reacting to FIBA's ban on headgear that ultimately forced India's national team's Sikh players to remove their turbans at the FIBA Asia Cup 10 days ago, the Basketball Federation of India promised to take up the issue to defend its players' rights to follow their customs at the FIBA Asia Congress.

Check out the full list of elected representatives for FIBA Asia at the congress in Doha here.

International squads invited for this year's Coimbatore All India Basketball Tournaments

It's the Golden Jubilee of the All India Basketball Tournaments in Coimbatore, and to celebrate, this year's invitational tournaments for both men and women will feature South Asian international squads competing for the title. The 50th PSG Trophy (for Men) and the 13th CRI Pumps tournament (for Women) will both be up for grabs starting tomorrow, July 25th, in Coimbatore (Tamil Nadu). The Men's national team from Bangladesh and Women's national team from Nepal have been invited to take part in a competition that will otherwise be competed for among Indian club sides. The six-day tournament will end with the Finals on July 30th.

Photo courtesy: Ekalavyas

The tournament is being organized by the PSG Sports Club and will also mark the silver Jubilee of PSG Medical College, Coimbatore. ONGC (Men) and Southern Railway (Women) will be playing to defend their titles at the respective competitions. Nine teams in the Men's division and a total of six women's teams will take part.

Participating Teams

PSG Trophy (Men): ONGC, Indian Navy, Indian Army, IOB (Chennai), Punjab, Customs (Cochin), ICF (Chennai), Electricity Board (Kerala), Bangladesh.

CRI Pumps Tournament Southern Railway, Electricity Board (Kerala), South Central Railway, South Eastern Central Railway, Western Railway, Eastern Railway, Nepal.

This is the first time that international teams will take part in these tournaments. G Selvaraju, Joint Managing Director of CRI Pumps, told Business Standard that with the participation of international teams, both the organizers (PSG and CRI Pumps) propose to make this tournament as an Asian level championship in the near future.

Iran recapture FIBA Asia Cup title; Team India performs wonders at Wuhan

In a nine-day tournament of ups and downs, highs and lows, and surprises aplenty, the end result finally brought back some sense of predictability back to the Asian game. When the dust settled at the 5th FIBA Asia Cup in Wuhan China after the Final on Saturday, July 19th, reigning champions Iran - who are also the holders of the FIBA Asia Championship crown - finished at the top of the continental hoops bracket once more. After a few questionable early performances, Iran turned on their switch when necessary to blaze through the knockouts stage and defeat Chinese Taipei in the final.

But from an Indian perspective, the tournament will go down in the annals of basketball history as a major turning point for the national team programme. Through the course of the tournament, India defeated powerhouses China, gave a scare to the continent's other top teams, and despite just a seventh place finish, displayed performances on court that are sure to earn them respect in major Asian tournaments in the future.

Behind the prowess of their giant superstar Hamed Haddadi - the most high-profile player at the tournament - Iran stepped up on the gas in the second half of a competitive final against Chinese Taipei. With the score tied at 42-42 at halftime, Taipei could not keep up their aggressive start in the second half of the game, and Haddadi (21 points) and Mohammad Jamshidi (20) helped Iran outclass their opponents en route to the 10 point victory.

Taipei were led by naturalized player Quincy Davis in the final, who finished with 19 points and 12 rebounds. Ying Chun-Chen added 16 for Taipei, who were playing in their first final in 50 years.

Haddadi, who averaged 13.6 points and 8.8 rebounds through the course of the tournament, was named MVP.

Philippines, who along with Iran will be one of Asia's two representatives at next year's FIBA World Cup, ended the tournament at third place by edging hosts China 80-79. Philippines relied on the leadership of Ranidel De Ocampo (18) in the victory, undoing a game-high scoring performance by China's Kelanbaike Makan (23).

Philippines had been defeated with easy a day earlier at the Semi-Finals stage of the tournament, 76-55, as Jamshidi (19) and Behnam Yakhchalidehkordi (18) showed no mercy to their south-east Asian opponents. In the other semi-final, Taipei shocked China for the second time in two years (after last year's FIBA Asia Championship) with an 83-74 win. China had no answer for the duo of Cheng Liu (22) and Ying-Chun Chen (16). Makan (22) and Hanlin Tao (17) were the leading scorers for China.

India were defeated in the Quarter-Final state by the Philippines. On paper, India's seventh-place finish of the nine teams was just as where it was expected to be: above Singapore and Indonesia but below the likes of Iran, Taipei, China, Philippines, Jordan, and Japan. Apart from China, there were no other upset victories for India. And yet, India's performances in Wuhan will always be remembered for their bravery and the passion under Head Coach Scott Flemming.

Before the tournament even began, Flemming had lamented India's lack of an exposure trip under their belts to give a team an idea and identity of having played together. Game 1 came up against Japan, and India's nervousness showed. India started off the tournament on the wrong foot as Japan headed to a blowout win, 75-52. Despite some stretches of good defense, India couldn’t defend Japan from the perimeter and committed too many turnovers throughout the course of the game.

India's opening game also sparked some controversy for FIBA: after coach Flemming had been given the understanding that his two Sikh players - Amjyot Singh and Amrit Pal Singh - could play with their turbans on (as they had always done in every tournament domestic or international in the past), FIBA surprisingly enacted their 'No Headgear' rule minutes before the game against Japan. The sudden implementation of the rule led both players to wait on the bench to remove their turbans and tie their hair back with bands. For the rest of the tournament, they played without their turbans. This decision has outraged the international Sikh community against FIBA since, and many have joined the #LetSikhsPlay twitter campaign to implore FIBA to change their rule.

Meanwhile, Team India had a different worry: the very next night, they were set to face hosts and one of the tournament's favourites, China. But India had a surprise in store. Unfazed by the might and history of their opponents - whom India had never defeated in an international basketball matchup previously - India started the game confidently and held on to a surprising two point lead at halftime. China predictably improved after the halftime break and took a two point lead of their own. But the final quarter belonged to the Indians, who played inspired defense, held China to just eight points in the final period, and went on to celebrate a historic 65-58 victory. The win - which I've since dubbed the 'Wonder of Wuhan' - sparked a flurry of excitement among Indian basketball fans back home and kindled international attention on Team India more than ever before. From this moment on, Flemming's squad played with confidence and belief that they could match eye-to-eye versus any opponent.

Still basking in the after-glow of the previous day’s historic victory over China, India showed no mercy from the start in their next game against Indonesia, smothering their opponents en route to a 91-55 victory. India's captain Vishesh Bhriguvanshi was the leading scorer with 16 points, while Indonesia's Andika Ramadhani added 16, too. With two wins in Group A, India had ensured qualification to the Quarter-Final and established a strong defensive identity.

India had another positive start against Iran - the Asian champions - and once again held an early lead. But Iran chipped away, cutting India's advantage to just two points at halftime and then took complete control of the third quarter, eventually heading to a hard-fought 62-49 victory. Hadaddi had 16 points for Iran while Amjyot Singh answered back with 16 for India. Still, a better-than-expected performance in this last Group A game had India feeling confident going into the Quarter-Final.

India started toe-to-toe with the much-favoured Philippines side in the Quarter-Final, but a strong second quarter performance by their opponents had India staring at a 12-point deficit at halftime. India sharpened the edges in the second half, and when they found themselves down 16 in the game's last five minutes, they made an inspired comeback, scoring the last 12 points of the game. Yet, their just wasn't enough time left on the clock and the Philippines survived for a 70-66 victory to book a place in the Semi-Final. Amrit Pal Singh had a monster line of 20 points and 10 rebounds in India's failed comeback effort.

India were now relegated to the 5-8th place bracket, where they faced Jordan in the first game. True to recent form, India proved tougher than expected for their opponents, who were ranked over 30 places higher than India in the FIBA World Rankings. India held on to a six point lead at halftime, but Jordan's offense finally broke through after the halftime break and Ahmed Al Dwairi exploded for a game high 21 points en route to Jordan's 69-65 win. Bhriguvanshi led India with 17.

India's last game at the tournament was a 7th/8th place playoff against Singapore. India used the game to vent out the frustration of their recent losses, bucking behind Amjyot Singh's scoreline of 30 points and seven rebounds to a 85-36 blowout victory. India's dominance was highlighted by a scintillating second quarter, where they outscored Singapore 23-3.

India will be leaving Wuhan encouraged and energized by their performances. Rarely in Indian basketball history had the team captured the attentions of the fans, and even in their losses they proved to be a serious opponent to worry about for Asia's finest. Despite not having any professional players or naturalized foreign talents, India's played at a high level, with top-notch defensive performances that truly earned them the respect of attending media, fans, and other opponents.

"We’ve made some strides," said Flemming of India's improvement, "We’re now a competitive team with the best teams in Asia. But I’m greedy, and if you get that close, why not win? But… I know, I’m pleased with them. Overall, we’ve made some strides. We’re a new team, and we’re a team everybody has to worry about now."

India can particularly feel confident about the maturing games of their two starting bigs - Amjyot and Amrit Pal - who were as good a tandem as any at the tournament on both ends of the floor. Amjyot led India in points (14.7 ppg), rebounds (6.9 rpg), and steals (1.7 spg). Guard and captain Vishesh Bhriguvanshi also proved to be a capable leader and became the spark for India from the backcourt, and he was the tournament's leading assist-getter for all teams (4.1 apg). Sharp-shooter Pratham Singh had important clutch moments to become one of India's heroes at Wuhan. The likes of Joginder Singh, Narendar Grewal, Rikin Pethani also stepped up at various moments for the Young Cagers.

Flemming's team can now confidently look ahead and truly believe that can continue their recent momentum in future tournaments. Their next challenge will be an invitational tournament in Dubai, scheduled for early September. From September 20th, India could find themselves taking part in the basketball tournament at the 17th Asian Games in Incheon, Korea.

The future could be bright for Indian Basketball - now, hopefully, the federation back home can continue to focus on building the country's grassroots basketball structure to improve and identify top-level talent from the ground up and turn some of those close losses into victories. India performed wonders at Wuhan - let's hope that this wonderful run continues far into the future!

Final Standings

• 1. Iran
  
• 2. Philippines
  
• 3. Chinese Taipei
  
• 4. China
  
• 5. Jordan
  

Don't Call it a Comeback: Pratham Singh returned from injury to become one of India's heroes at Wuhan

No pressure. It was only the chance of leading India to their biggest win in history. It was only their first opportunity to ever defeat China, historically Asia's most successful team. It was only a chance to overturn years and even decades of Team India falling short of their potential, over and over again. So, yes, no pressure.

In the fourth quarter of what became a surprisingly closely-contested match-up, China made every attempt to avoid an astronomical upset. And for every question that China posed, India's 23-year-old Pratham Singh had an answer. Pratham hit three of the biggest shots of his career - clutch three-pointers - in the fourth quarter to give India the lead for good, and helped secure the win which will forever be remembered as the 'Wonder of Wuhan', of the first time India silenced the mighty Chinese on the basketball court.

And throughout this heroic, clutch performance, he remained calm. No over-reaction, no nervous breakdown, no shot taken too quickly or taken too slow. No pressure.

A few days later, when I asked Pratham Singh about his calm under the storm of that entertaining contest in Wuhan, China, at the 5th FIBA Asia Cup, he responded with humility, instead crediting the whole team for his individual performance.

"It's all about team defense," he said, "When the team is playing good defensively, and you're playing well defensively, too, then you automatically get confident and you feed off that good defense on the offensive end. The offense comes easy then. But if your defense lacks, then it gets in your head on the offensive end, too. Our team plays great defense, just as we did against China in those possessions."

Pratham talked about being lost in the moment of the game, when it's just him and the bucket, and him his job off the ball. His job was to stop China and his job was to hit those open shots. He did just that, and three after three after three, he was successful.

For Pratham Singh, each big moment now plays as the perfect balm to heal the missed opportunities of his past. One by one, each three he hit in the fourth quarter against China soothed the pains that he went through as a younger player, the pains that derailed his career and threatened to end a promising career before it could even take off.

Born in Amritsar, Punjab, but trained as a rising young talent at the Bhilai Steel Plant in Chhattisgarh, Pratham's performances caught the eye of the Indian Overseas Bank (IOB) in Chennai when he was just a teenager, They brought in the 6-3 sharp-shooter in to strengthen their wing position for the future. It was around the same time - in 2009 - that he moved up from India's junior squads to get a first senior team call-up. But Pratham's career paused before it could truly begin to ascent; a knee injury put him out of action for two years. For two years, basketball in IOB and internationally for India passed him by, and Pratham waited on the sidelines as it seemed to leave him behind.

An injury like this could've proven to be the end of an elite career for many players, but Pratham, gracious as ever, credited his IOB teammates for not letting him get down on himself.

"The team I got - IOB - were really good and supportive," he said, "So even when I wasn't playing, I wasn't disconnected from basketball. The senior players like S. Robinson and others who played for Team India really supported me and kept encouraging me. They told me that all players suffer through injuries, but it's only the ones who come back strong that become really great. Slowly I started coming back to practice and made a comeback."

The comeback, so far, has been electrifying. Once Pratham got his strength and explosiveness back, he became a can't-miss player - literally and figuratively speaking - for club, state, and country. He took a bigger role at IOB as the likes of Robinson made way for a younger generation, he helped Tamil Nadu - the state whom he represents now - reach the top by winning this year's Senior National Championship, and, most importantly, he found himself back in Team India colours - this time for good.

While the injury stole two years of basketball away from Pratham, he looked back at it now as a great learning experience, and his comeback for Team India has been all the better for it. "I was inexperienced as a Junior," he said, "But playing with and spending time with players like Robinson in IOB, I learnt a lot more about the game, I became stronger, and all of that helped me when I returned."

Since last year, Pratham has become an indispensable part of India's rotation. He made his national comeback by playing for India's 3x3 side at the FIBA Asia 3x3 Championship in Qatar. He was picked by Scott Flemming for the FIBA Asia Championship team, the Lusofonia Games, the SABA Qualifiers, and now, here at the FIBA Asia Cup. He is a regular starter for India, and for his clutch antics, a regular finisher in close games, too.

Pratham's rise has come parallel to the team's surprising rise as well. "In the last FIBA Asia Championship, we were losing to these same teams very badly in all our games," he said, "For this tournament, we didn't get an exposure trip before we started, and if we had, we would've done better against Japan in the first game. Of course, then the best thing happened and we beat China - after that our confidence level went up. Before we used to look at Iran, and think within ourselves that they're a really good team. We used to fear them. Now, we think of them, like, 'Okay, it's Iran, but we can play them well.' Teams like Iran and Philippines used to big us big. We've turned things around now."

"Our confidence level after this tournament has gone really high," he repeated, "And the coaches feel that this team can do well. Our players have improved, specially defensively. At the last Asia Championship, we played scared. Now, we know that if we practice hard in the future, we can do better."

The confidence in Pratham individually seems to be at an all-time high too, despite the fact that India followed their wins against China and Indonesia with three losses at the hands of Iran, Philippines, and Jordan. Despite the losses, the team left a strong impression and turned some heads. India's next big challenge after Wuhan will be an invitational basketball tournament in Dubai, and after that, they will likely head to Incheon, Korea, for the Asian Games in mid-September.

"My dream is that India plays well at the FIBA Asia Championship," he said, "This time we nearly did it, but missed. It was a great chance to make semi-finals but we lost by just 4 points. Next time, we'll try in Dubai tournament to reach semis or finals. And then continue good work in Asian Games as well."

These are bold ambitions from a player who represents a team that has rarely cracked the top four of Asia's best. But India's new crop of players - among whom Pratham Singh is their clutch, cool three-point threat - now have the conviction to look any opponent in the eye and believe that they could be taken down. After beating China, Pratham Singh and India have the conviction to make history again.

So yes, no pressure.

Semi-Pros: Despite having no professional basketball players, Team India are earning respect at FIBA Asia Cup

Yadwinder Singh, the most experienced current member of the Indian National Basketball team, has been travelling abroad for international tours with the squad for 12 years. And yet, despite some highlights in the past, he had never quite experienced something like this before. India had just defeated Asian powerhouses China in a game considered to be India's greatest basketball victory in history. A day later, they had easily blown out Indonesia to secure a spot in the Quarter-Finals of the 5th FIBA Asia Cup in Wuhan, China.

"We are starting to feel like a real team," Yadwinder said, "It feels great when we get into an elevator, and strangers see us and congratulate us. Now they know who we are. They know we are Team India"

India have won two and lost two games at the tournament so far, a record that sounds less flattering than it truly is. India's first victory came against China, the best team in the continent whom India had never defeated before. Their second loss was to Iran, Asian champions, who were made to sweat and stumble against the persistent Indians after amazingly, finding themselves down at halftime. On the court, India may have only had two victories; but off of it, they are winning fans, respect, media attention, and adoration.

And the primary reason for this growing attention on Team India's success has been that Head Coach Scott Flemming has made this team into a feared competitor, despite having any talents in his roster holding on to a professional contract. All of India's finest players, including Amjyot Singh, Vishesh Bhriguvanshi, Amrit Pal Singh, Pratham Singh, and more, are semi-professionals, holding various other day jobs back home in India and only participating in basketball tournaments to represent their state or the government that they work for. There is no professional league in India and none of these players has ever been paid to play basketball abroad. When they're not playing basketball, India's best players can be found employed employed on sports quotas with government agencies like the Railways, armed forces, public sector companies like ONGC and BSNL, or nationalized banks such as Indian Overseas Bank and Vijaya Bank, a trend that Gopalakrishnan R. went in greater depth writing about on his feature for Fountain Ink magazine earlier this year.

All of this is common knowledge to the average Indian basketball fan; but the media in attendance at Wuhan and fans across Asia closely following this tournament have expressed disbelief and pleasant delight over this bit of news. What's more, unlike many other Asian teams, India doesn't have a single 'naturalized' foreign player on their roster: every single one of these twelve 'Young Cagers' was born, bred, and learnt to dribble the basketball - for better or worse - in India. Naturalization in basketball is a race that may be leaving India far behind, and a lot of followers of the team - including the coach - believe that allowing interested NRI players into the national system may be an important step forward.

The surprising thing - which also saddens me a bit - is that this team has already received more mainstream media coverage in China than it probably ever would back home. A few days ago, China's national and most prominent sports channel CCTV covered India's rising profile and tried to comprehend how a team of semi-professionals could defeat China's team of young rising stars.

On their loss to India, China could (and many have) use the excuse that the team they sent to the FIBA Asia Cup was a younger squad, but even all these young players will be making big money and having prominent roles in the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) from the coming season. And in this very tournament, this same Chinese team has defeated Iran (Asian champions at their best) and Japan. All three of these teams, whom India also played, are full of professional players who play in leagues either in their respective countries or abroad - like Iran's Hamed Haddadi who has played in the NBA or Japan's Takumi Ishizaki, who plays in Germany. India's quarter final today will be against Philippines, featuring players all in the PBA and the naturalized American Marcus Douthit who was drafted into the NBA ten years ago.

If Indian players can give a good fight to these professionals, why can't they play at a professional level themselves? Amjyot Singh should be good enough to play in the CBA, and should definitely dominate any of the smaller pro leagues in the continent. The likes of Amrit Pal Singh and Vishesh Bhriguvanshi have a shot, too.

And there are many other youngsters waiting in the wings. But the problem is that, in most Asian professional leagues, there is a cap on the number of foreign players any team can have - a cap on both Asian foreigners and those outside the continent. That is why most teams in China, Japan, Philippines, or elsewhere spend their foreigner slot on North American or European players and pick more talented Asian individuals for their 'other Asian' slot. Only the cream of the crop Indians will be recruited professionally by these leagues, and it has only happened to our women players so far, like Geethu Anna Jose and Anitha Paul Durai.

Unfortunately, many of our top men players will have to wait for Indian to launch a professional league of their own, something that I have argued in the past will completely revolutionize the sport in India over the long run. The onus is already on the Basketball Federation of India (BFI) and IMG-Reliance to launch this league, hopefully as soon as next year. Only then will our top players not have to hold faux-office jobs with the railways or with banks and focus on basketball alone. Only then will they get to play quality basketball games all year, games that actually hold some meaning and value, instead of small tournaments where they face the same talent, or lack of talent, and rarely grow as players.

India's improved performances are a perfect underdog story, but they shouldn't be. India have the population, the space, and enough wealth to take bigger strides in the sport than we have taken so far. The fact that our players have been successful despite being professional should be celebrated, but the fact that it's 2014 and we can still not provide a professional platform for the same players is a shame.

Cinderella Stories, such as Team India's performances here at Wuhan, usually come to an abrupt end. But through a better basketball future for our top players, let's hope that moments like these don't remain a surprise, but become the norm. And the next time our players are recognized for being members of 'Team India', it is by strangers back home in India itself.

Indian refs also calling the shots at FIBA Asia Cup

India's national men's team are earning both wins and respect on the court at the 5th FIBA Asia Cup in Wuhan, China, but they are not the only representatives from the nation making the 'tiranga' proud: India have also sent two of its most experienced referees - Snehal Bendkel and Ceciline Michael Vino - to call the shots on the court from a different angle. The tournament has added yet another feather in the cap for both these exceptional officials.

Bendke, born in the city of Kohlapur in Maharashtra, is truly one of our lesser-known national treasures. She has a ever-growing list of "firsts" next to her resume: she was among the first Indian women to become a FIBA referees, she was the first Indian woman to be nominated to officiate at the Olympics games, and she was among the two first women of any nationality to officiate at a Men's FIBA Asia Championship last year. She has refereed in the Women's World Championship and in Women's FIBA Asia tournaments for all age groups: U16, U18, and Seniors. And now, she is back to impose her ruling on the Asian Men's scene as one of the referees at the Men's FIBA Asia Cup.

"No, the men don't bully me!" she said, "But they're not afraid of me either, they know me now. In Manila - at the FIBA ABC last year - they were surprised to find a woman officiating them for the first time. They used to come and ask and make sure if I really was an official. Now, they're used to it!"

"The level of basketball so far at the Asia Cup has been really high," she said, "These are the top 10 teams in the tournament, and they are all playing at a high level."

After accomplishing nearly everything on a referees radar, Bendke still has a few more accomplishments to check off her list: "I want to referee in the World Championship for Men, and referee Finals for the World Championships!" she said.

The last time we checked in with Ceciline Michael Vino, he had just officiated the biggest game of his career, the Final of the Women's FIBA Asia Championship in 2011. The former All India University Championship player, bailing from Nagercoil in Kanyakumari district of Tamil Nadu, has only added to his growing list of referring accomplishments since. In total, he has officiated at two Men's FIBA Asia tournaments and three Women's tournaments in the past.

Being a FIBA referee doesn't only involve staying sharp on court; there is immense responsibility among all FIBA officials to study FIBA's rule changes and live up to the high expectations to keep evolving as the game itself evolves. But Vino said that, with the change in rules, practice makes perfect. "We practice a lot whenever the rules change," he said, "FIBA always announce such changes six months prior, so it's very easy for us to cope with them by the time they are implemented."

"My best experiences so far have really been at the Women's ABC Finals in Tokyo, and the semi-finals of the next tournament in the same category in Bangkok last year," he added.

Indian fans will truly be hoping that their team's Cinderella run continues and they can shock the continent by reaching the Finals in Wuhan. But if they fail on any step of the way, we will be rooting for one (or both?) of our refs to represent us in the biggest game of the tournament.

FIBA forces India's Sikh basketball players to ditch their turbans at Asia Cup

While India's surprising success at the FIBA Asia Cup in Wuhan (China) has been a complete team effort, a special nod should be given towards the country's formidable frontcourt, which has perplexed opponents on both ends of the floor so far. India have relied particularly on 6-foot-10 Amrit Pal Singh (23) and 6-foot-8 Amjyot Singh (22), both players who have developed out of Punjab's great basketball academies. The former has been one of the tournament's best defensive players and the latter has been among India's scoring leaders.

Before the tournament began, it was clear that the two players would have to be at the top of their respective games for India to have a chance at defeating some of the more fancied Asian opponents. And yet, when the team took the floor for their first game against Japan on Saturday evening, Amrit Pal and Amjyot were out of the starting lineup.

Their omission had nothing to do with their form, their health, or their behaviour. And it had everything to do with their religion - or, more precisely - on FIBA's misunderstanding of their religious customs.

Amjyot and Amrit Pal are both of the Sikh religion, and for those who may be unaware, it is part of a strict code of conduct for Sikhs to a). not cut their hair and b). keep their hear covered under a turban so it can be in its natural, unaltered state. Like people of any religion or custom, Sikhs can't be generalized and not all of them follow the custom closely. Some cut their hair, some don't wear turbans, while some follow every strict code of conduct by the book. Turban or no turban, millions of Sikhs seem to be getting along around the world just fine - in most cases. Amjyot and Amrit Pal both play basketball with their turbans on; Amrit Pal only began wearing his turban a few years ago, Amjyot has worn it all his life. Both had taken part in various FIBA basketball events at home and abroad and their headgear had presented no issue in the past.

Until Saturday. For the first time, FIBA officials at the Japan-India game decided to invoke FIBA's "No Headgear" rule in an international game. Neither Amjyot and Amrit Pal could start the game, since they both had to scramble to open their turbans and then tie their hair back using a headband of some sort. They finally checked in two minutes later, but the roughly tied hair was uncomfortable for both of them, and additionally, the referees stopped them several times to show if their hair was fine. Both reported after the game that it felt awkward to play this way. India went on to lose that game by 20 points, but there were a variety of other reasons beyond hair-troubles for our top big men that led to that defeat.

Rules are rules, and Article 4.4.2 of FIBA’s Official Basketball Rules states, "Players shall not wear equipment (objects) that may cause injury to other players," a list that includes headgear like turbans, hijab, etc. But India claim that they were misled about the implementation of this rule. A day before the tournament, India's Head Coach Scott Flemming had been given an affirmative from FIBA Asia officials that the Sikhs in his team could keep their turbans on for the game - but before the game itself, the officials changed their minds and disturbed not just the two players in question but also Team India's flow before the game.

"I spent a long time advocating for our players the day before the Japan game and finally thought we got the ok for [them] to wear their turbans," Flemming told me a few days after the incident, "I was then told right before the game there was a misunderstanding on what we agreed to. I again pleaded for our players on this ruling. Finally, the FIBA official made the ruling and we had no choice. I would never make our players do anything they were uncomfortable with according to their religious practices. It was up to them. They both decided to adjust to play in the game. It was disruptive but I thought they both handled it well."

Flemming added, "I am personally against a rule like this that infringes on someones religious beliefs that does not cause any harm to others. [But] it's is a FIBA rule."

A few weeks ago, Habeeba Husain on SLAMOnline.com had argued for the case for allowing hijab for Muslim basketball players, and on the ludicrous notion that FIBA has felt that small pieces of cloth worn to signify religious identity could pose a threat to anyone. One could make the same argument for turbans - they are a part of the lifelong identity and a matter of pride for many of these individuals, and asking them to play without it is not only insulting to them emotionally but also a deterrent to their regular habits of physical comfort.

"We have always played in turbans, even in last year's FIBA Asia Championship in Manila," said Amrit Pal, "But playing in the Japan game without it felt very awkward. I wear a turban in practice, too, and it was strange to not have it on during the game."

Amjyot, who had never experienced playing basketball without his turban, was disturbed, too. "It felt very bad that they did this right before the game, even after our coaches had felt that we had the permission to keep our turbans on," he said, "At least, eventually, they let us fix it with a band, but even that felt very awkward. In the China game, I tied my hair back with rubber-bands to make it hold on tighter. But I find it to be much more comfortable playing with turban, of course - that is part of my habit."

By the time the China game came around, both players had found a temporary fix for their hair, and on-court, they fixed the basketball issues, too. Both of them started: Amjyot was the leading scorer in the game as India defeated China for the first time in its basketball history. Amrit Pal was a beast on the defensive end, and made life extremely uncomfortable for Chinese bigs such as Zhou Qi. A day later, India continued their bright form to blow out Indonesia. They lost to Iran in today's last group stage game, but still qualified for the Quarter-Finals.

Now, India finds itself in the Quarter-Finals with dreams to go even further. And both our big long-haired Sikh superstars will be an integral part of realizing that dream, with or without their turbans.

But more importantly for their culture and for their beliefs, we hope they earn some respect to make the rest of the basketball world realize that it's not Indians' headgear they should fear; it's their game.

UPDATE: Simran Jeet Singh & SALDEF have responded with #LetSikhsPlay campaign. Basketball shouldn't discriminate on basis of harmless cultural insignia like turbans or hijab