NBA Academy India to host second Women's programme next week

In 2017, the NBA opened doors to its first-ever elite India basketball Academy in Greater Noida, inviting dozens of the top young men from around the country to practice, study, breathe, and live basketball. While the boys have been lodged as permanent boarders at the Academy itself, the NBA extended its reach last year to invite talented young women, too, for a first-time women's programme, featuring international basketball trainers to conduct the camp. The programme was a huge success, shifting the spotlight towards the top young female players in India, and famously, allowing the opportunity for Bengaluru's Sanjana Ramesh to be singled out and earn an NCAA D1 scholarship to Northern Arizona.

Now, less than eight months after the first camp, the NBA will host the second NBA Academy India Women's Programme, at the Jaypee Greens Integrated Sports Complex in Greater Noida from January 22-25, 2019. 24 female prospects aged 17-and-under have been invited from across the country to participate in this camp. 1996 Olympic Gold Medalist and Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame member Jennifer Azzi and former college coach Blair Hardiek – the global technical directors for women’s programming across the league’s seven academies – will oversee this year’s camp.

Last year, Sanjana Ramesh and Vaishnavi Yadav were named camp co-MVPs.