Hoopdarshan Episode 11: Using Basketball as a tool for Education in India - with Shaun Jayachandran

On Episode 11 of Hoopdarshan, hosts Kaushik Lakshman and Karan Madhok are joined by Shaun Jayachandran, the Founder of Crossover Basketball and Scholar's Academy. For the last three years, Shaun has been visiting Chennai in India with Crossover volunteers to reach out to youth from low-income households and help them explore important life-skills through the sport of basketball. On this episode, we discuss Crossover's mission to change Indian education one hooping kid at a time, his talented team of volunteers, and why Yo Yo Honey Singh should write a basketball rap anthem.

Shaun Jayachandran has been teaching science and mentoring students in private schools in the USA for ten years. His basketball background traces back to the John Wooden coaching tree, via UCLA's Bill Sweek. Jayachandran founded Crossover Basketball and Scholar's Academy as an international education program in India to leverage athletic values and skill as a means to develop academic opportunities for Indian students. The main objective of Crossover Basketball is to use basketball as a vehicle of change in communities in India by combining the ideas of academics and sport, all free of charge to the participating students. Crossover impacted the lives of over 500 students at their 2015 Academy this year from June 29 to July 10. Learn more about them here.



Hoopdarshan aims to be the true voice of Indian basketball, and since we're such hopeless fans of the game, it will become the voice of everything basketball related we love, from the NBA to international hoops, too. On every episode of Hoopdarshan, we will be inviting a special guest to interview or chat to about a variety of topics. With expert insight from some of the brightest and most-involved people in the world of Indian basketball, we hope to bring this conversation to a many more interested fans, players, and followers of the game.

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