Scott Flemming returns: Former national team head coach will lead NBA India operations

By the time his three-year tenure ended as Head Coach of India's Men's Basketball National Team in September 2015, Scott Flemming left the country with an unmatched legacy. From 2012-2015, the American coach carried the national team to unforeseen heights with confidence-boosting victories and helped strengthen the domestic grassroots basketball structure.

Now, two years after serving as head coach of Northwest Nazareth University back in the USA, Flemming will return to India to continue the job he began - the development of Indian basketball - under a different title. On Monday, July 31, Northwest Nazarene announced that Flemming was stepping aside to begin a new role as the Senior Director of Basketball Operations for NBA India.

"Going back to India is close to my heart, but working for the NBA takes it to another level,” Flemming said. “It would have taken a job like this to pull me away from NNU. I was enjoying what I was doing."

More on this news from the Idaho Press:

With NBA India, Flemming will oversee a program which has grown from a grass roots organization, to a program which is hosting major events. Flemming will be involved in hosting events like the Global Games, and Basketball without Borders, which will bring NBA stars to India to teach at camps. Flemming said there is also talk of holding an NBA preseason game in India.
But one of the biggest goals for the program, Flemming said, is identifying and producing the player who the program hopes will become India’s first NBA player.
Satnam Singh Bhamara, who played for Flemming on the Indian National Team, became the first Indian drafted when the Dallas Mavericks took him in the second round of the 2015 NBA draft, but he has yet to play at the NBA level.
“That was one big step to get a player drafted,” Flemming said. “They saw what Yao Ming did for China. That’s one of the goals, so they’re trying to evaluate and identify talent.”

Flemming first came to India when he was hired as the national Men's NT coach by the Basketball Federation of India (BFI) in September 2012 after 30 years of coaching experience in the USA, including serving as an assistant coach with the NBDL squad Texas Legends. Flemming helped the national team hold their heads up higher with respectable performances at the 2013 FIBA Asia Championship, a gold medal at the Lusofonia Games, and important experience at the Asian Game. He was responsible for leading India to the 'Wonder of Wuhan', our biggest ever international victory over hosts China (for the first time) in the 2014 FIBA Asia Cup in Wuhan, China. In a country with fleeting basketball success where foreign coaches had been hired and dropped like flies, Flemming had lasted the test of time and the challenges of a broken system to become arguably India's greatest international coach ever.

Beyond his international influence, Flemming also served as an adviser to coaches domestically, helping to further cultivate and grow basketball at the grassroots level in India. He took part in various Coaches Coaching programmes around the country, launched the Indian Basketball Coaches Network (IBCN), and made basketball player development videos to reach out to the legions of hoop hopefuls in India. He and his wife Chawn forged valuable relationships with coaches and players in India and he went out of his way to have honest and open communication through interviews, his blog, and social media with the Indian fans and media. Memorably, Flemming fought for the religious rights of India's Sikh players Amjyot Singh and Amritpal Singh when FIBA forced them to play without their turbans at the FIBA Asia Cup.

Over the last two years at NNU, Flemming posted a 20-32 record for the Crusaders, including a 12-14 record this past season. The Crusaders tied for sixth place in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference standings, just missing out on the conference’s postseason tournament due to tiebreakers. Assistant coach Paul Rush will take over as the interim coach to help the team prepare for the upcoming season.

Flemming has the coaching expertise, India experience, and an attitude to deal with the challenges that India might present, and he is the ideal hire to lead NBA India's basketball operations. The league is obviously betting big on India as a market for basketball and a vast land from where they hope to unearth an NBA talent. With the launch of the NBA Academy India in Greater Noida earlier this year, they have already selected the first batch of youngsters to hone and develop into future potential stars. With Flemming on the team, hopefully they will take the next major step for the game's development in the country.

Basketball Without Barriers – FIBA to finally allow headgear like turban and hijab in the international game

This article was first published in my blog for The Times of India on May 4, 2017. Click here for the original piece.

Three years ago, India’s national basketball team had one of its greatest moments in history. On July 13, 2014, at the FIBA Asia Cup in Wuhan, China, India – ranked 53rd in the world – did the unthinkable: they defeated China – Asia’s top-ranked squad – for the first time in over seven decades of international basketball. I was in the stands at the Wuhan Sports Centre Gymnasium, one eye on my computer screen live-blogging this historic game, the other eye staring at the court in disbelief. Soon, the moment went viral and arguably became Indian basketball’s biggest cause for celebration.

But this isn’t a story about that day. This is a story of July 12, just 24-hours prior to making history, when the same Indian team created news in a completely different way, sparked an infamous controversy for the Switzerland-based International Basketball Federation (FIBA), and propelled a crusade that took over three years to resolve.

On July 12, 2014, India’s coach Scott Flemming prepared his team for the first game of the tournament against Japan. Minutes before tip-off however, I noticed that two of India’s most important players – the giant Punjabi duo of Amjyot Singh Gill and Amritpal Singh – were missing from the starting line-up. It turned out that FIBA officials at the game had summoned a controversial policy – the “No Headgear” rule – and withheld the two turbaned Sikh players from entering the game. On the sidelines of a major international basketball contest, Amjyot and Amritpal had to take off their turbans, open their hair, and tie it back together with headbands and rubber-bands. It was awkward moment, Amjyot told me after the game, but for the sake of the team, the two players pleaded to return and play. The team never recovered from the funk and lost by 23 points.

Like most Sikh players, Amjyot and Amritpal had become accustomed to growing their hair long, practicing basketball, and playing in international and domestic games with their turbans. But, according to Article 4.4.2 of FIBA’s Official Basketball Rules, headgear like turbans, hijab, or yarmulkes were considered injurious and banned. Another Indian Sikh player, Anmol Singh, was forced to remove his turban at the FIBA Junior Asian Championship in Qatar a month later. Around the same time, Qatar’s women’s basketball team pulled out of the Asian Games in South Korea because the ban asked them to play without their hijab.

The response to FIBA’s close-minded policy – which considered harmless religious headgear a hazard to the game – raised concern with activists and policy-makers around the world, including protests by top American lawmakers. Soon, FIBA announced their decision to review this policy, and in early 2017, recommended a change in the rule at their annual board meeting.

Good news finally arrived at FIBA’s Mid-Term Congress in Hong Kong this week: the congress of 139 national federations unanimously ratified the board’s decision for a new rule that will now allow players to wear headgear. The rule was developed with caution to minimise risk of injuries and preserve consistency of colour of the teams’ uniforms. It will come into effect from October 1, 2017, which is soon, but not soon enough: the big FIBA Asia tournaments for Women and Men this year will be held in July and August.

This is a smart, progressive step by FIBA. Basketball is not a game that belongs to a single culture anymore. There are star players and new avenues to the game all around the world, and changing this institution will help basketball grow in more communities.

However, there is a poignant afterthought to this story. Let’s return back to Amjyot and Amritpal, back to July 2014, and that championship in Wuhan that thrust India into international news for the wrong and the right reasons. A day after adjusting their hair, the two players ended up being the main difference-makers in India’s win over China. Amjyot led all scorers in the game with 13 while Amritpal played suffocating post defence on China’s top players, including future NBA-draftee Zhou Qi.

But even the thrill of victory couldn’t wipe away the sour taste of this experience. To avoid becoming a distraction for the national team again, both Amjyot and Amritpal cut their hair short a few months later. The two bigs have since continued on their path to success, playing professionally in Japan, participating in an Australian league draft combine, and teaming up to defeat China again last year.

Amjyot and Amritpal will be in the forefront of the queue of a long line of talented Sikh basketball players in India, most of whom have been the product of the same basketball academy in Ludhiana, Punjab. As India prepares for the FIBA Asia Cup this year, names like NBA draftee Satnam Singh, NBA D-League draftee Palpreet Singh, and veteran forward Yadwinder Singh will all be vying for roster spots.

Several other international sports, like football and volleyball were ahead of the curve in allowing acceptable headgear; it took an uphill battle, but basketball – finally – seems to have caught up. In the past, all of the Indian Sikh players mentioned above chose to avoid controversy and cut their hair off for basketball participation. In other parts of the world, women players in hijab and Jewish players have faced similar forks in the road between career and religious practice. Looking forward, talented athletes around the world will hopefully not have to make that decision again.

Hoopdarshan Episode 13: The Making of Indian basketball's finest, Amjyot Singh

One of India's most talented basketball players, 22-year-old Chandigarh boy Amjyot Singh's skills made him a regular starter for India's national team, gave him a pivotal role in India's historic win over China last year, and brought him a pro contract to play in Japan. In Episode 13 of Hoopdarshan - the first podcast on Indian Basketball - Amjyot joins hosts Kaushik Lakshman and Karan Madhok in a candid conversation about his starring role for Team India, his experiences playing in Japan, facing FIBA's 'No Headgear' policy as a Sikh player, and listening to romantic slow jams before big games.

First promoted to India's Senior Men's team in 2011, 6-foot-9 Amjyot has played a huge role for India at every major international tournament since, including the 2011 and 2013 FIBA Asia Championships, the 2012 Stankovic Cup (where he was captain), and the 2014 FIBA Asia Cup. Amjyot became one of two first Indian male players to play pro internationally, when he and Amrit Pal Singh joined Hyogo Impulse of Japan's BJ Summer League. Back home in India, he plays for IOB in Chennai. He was named one of the 2015 FIBA Asia Championship players to watch by FIBA, and he spoke to us on the podcast about his growing role for India, his ambitions to become one of the best in Asia, and going head-to-head with India's NBA draftee, Satnam Singh.



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.

Make sure to follow Hoopdarshan on Soundcloud or search for 'Hoopdarshan' on the iTunes Store! Auto-sync Hoopdarshan to your preferred podcast app NOW!

Hoopdarshan can be found on...

• - iTunes: Hoopdarshan 
• - Hoopdarshan on Soundcloud 
• - On Twitter: @Hoopdarshan 
• - Facebook.com/Hoopdarshan 

Headless and Coach-less in the eye of the storm

With the FIBA Asia Championships looming, Indian basketball has lost its focus (and coaches) at the worst possible time.

This article was first published in my column for Ekalavyas on May 2, 2015. Click here to read the original post.

The Indian Basketball Men and Women contingents during the Lusofonia Games '14
held in Goa - Photo Courtesy: Ekalavyas

Never before in Indian basketball had optimism spread such, like a happy plague of hoops. It close to 9 PM in Wuhan, China, on July 13, 2014, when India’s biggest basketball victory – a 65-58 upset over Asian superpowers China – was confirmed. Back home in India, the clock moved towards 6:30 PM on this Sunday evening. Since the 5th FIBA Asia Cup – the second-most prominent international basketball tournament in the continent – was not being broadcast in India, fans of the game and India’s national team had to find alternative means of following and consuming this historical contest. Without any mainstream attention to the game, updates were only available through the FIBA website, my live blog of the game on Ekalavyas, and social media.

When the game concluded, the players of the Indian national team celebrated on court with the man responsible for tactically and emotionally leading them to this upset: American Head Coach Scott Flemming. Flemming had worked with the core of the team and probable talents back in India for over 18 months, and his hard work had finally borne fruit: India – ranked 61st in FIBA World Basketball Rankings – had defeated China – ranked in the top 12 (and highest in Asia) – on their home soil. Back home in India, only the tiniest of minorities of the billion-plus citizens had a stake or interest in the proceedings, but once the final score was confirmed, the faithful sent their celebrations and congratulations for Flemming and his team.

Less than 10 minutes later, I found myself inside India’s visitor’s locker room, where the sounds of jubilation echoed in contrast to the silence and disappointment of the home team and fans at the Wuhan Sports Centre Gymnasium. Spontaneously, I asked the players to gather for an impromptu photograph, which I clicked and shared online. The haphazardly-taken camera-phone pic lacked focus, and yet, the happiness on the faces of Yadwinder Singh, Amrit Pal Singh, Narendar Grewal, Amjyot Singh, Palpreet Singh, and more was sharper than ever.

Within minutes, the photograph and the result went viral. While long-term fans celebrated the reward after years of patience and penance, fans of Indian sport, patriots at home and abroad, and the basketball community worldwide took note. India, who were in the habit of losing in blowouts to the strongest Asian teams, had finally registered its benchmark victory.

Over the next few days, India gave a close fight to two more of Asia’s finest – Iran and the Philippines – as Flemming’s boys grew confident with each passing game. 64 years after the Basketball Federation of India (BFI) was formed, the federation could finally hold its head up in pride in helping to assemble the coach, the players, and the perfect environment for improvement. I wrote that Flemming had been the architect for a possible Great Leap Forward in Indian Basketball, and Flemming echoed back the optimism for the future of the Indian basketball team, too.

“I think we have proved that we belong,” Flemming had told me in Wuhan last year, “I don’t think there is anybody here that we feel we can’t beat. We have gotten past that point where we thought we had very little chance of winning. Those days are long gone. Now, we are going into every game knowing that we have an opportunity. It is a new day for India.”

Later in 2014, India showed signs of inconsistency at the Asian Games but an impressive win over Kazakhstan did enough to boost morale once again. By earlier this year, with Flemming still at the helm, FIBA.com’s Enzo Flozo declared that India could be the surprise package of 2015. With the 2015 FIBA Asia Championship (FIBA ABC) – the most prestigious basketball tournament in Asia – looming ahead, the plague of optimism was about to engulf the Indian basketball world again. And after proving their worth at Wuhan last year, it seemed that the attention of the country’s mainstream would be more prepared this time around to pay attention.

*

Unfortunately, basketball games aren’t just won and lost on the court, and before India got a chance to pick up any more big victories, they ended up blocking their own best shots.

Over the last two months, a dramatic turn of events has plunged the BFI – the association that organizes and governs basketball in India – into an abyss of uncertainty. Political infighting led the association to be split in two: two factions called two separate meetings/elections (on March 27 and March 28 respectively) in two different cities (in Bengaluru and Pune respectively) and selected two separate executive committees (presided by K Govindraj and Poonam Mahajan respectively) to head the BFI. Because of the split in governance, ‘Team Govindraj’ was left with the finances and ‘Team Mahajan’ with capture of the BFI's office in Delhi.

Over the next few months, the split caused confusion and anger among Indian basketball players and coaches, and soon, the fallout has since led to other serious tribulations. All of India’s three foreign coaches – Men’s National Team Head Coach Scott Flemming, Women’s National Team Head Coach Francisco Garcia, and Strength and Conditioning Head Coach Tommy Heffelfinger – have ended their contracts with Indian basketball this month. A lack of proper governance (and perhaps, funds) may have led to Garcia and Heffelfinger being refused their contract extension. Flemming has insisted that his decision to leave was ‘mostly’ personal, but a fractured BFI certainly didn’t help in pulling him in. For years, India has sought continuity and stability at the helm to help and build a strong basketball structure. With one ruthless swoosh of the political blade, that structure has been shattered.

Meanwhile, FIBA – the world’s governing body of basketball and organizers of all upcoming FIBA Asia basketball tournaments – declared the situation in India a ‘freeze’, and thus, disallowing India to play in FIBA-sanctioned international basketball tournaments. A few weeks later, FIBA finally passed their stamp of recognition to ‘Team Govindraj’, but India’s international basketball future will remain unclear until the domestic messes are cleared up.

*

The FIBA ABC’s for Men and Women are held every two years. These are the most prestigious basketball tournaments for Asian countries and have been held since the 60s. They serve as qualifiers for the Olympic basketball tournament and the FIBA Basketball World Cup. For Indian basketball players, representing and winning for their country at an ABC remains the ultimate prize.

Unsurprisingly, China has been the most dominant Men’s team at the ABC, winning it 15 of the 27 times. Among the Women, China and South Korea have shared the spoils to win the championship an incredible 23 of the 25 times. India have never received a medal: our Men finished fourth in 1975 but haven’t been in the top 10 since 2003; our Women broke a major barrier in 2013 by finishing at best-ever 5th place.

The ABC’s are back this year. From August 29 to September 5, the 26th FIBA Asia Championship for Women will be held in Wuhan, China. From September 23 to October 3, China will play hosts again, this time to the 28th FIBA Asia Championship for Men in Henan. In the Women’s ABC, this should be team’s chance of solidifying their claim at fifth place and maybe even dream of an upset or two over the Asia’s Women’s Big Four of China, Korea, Chinese Taipei, and Korea. In the Men’s ABC, this is India’s chance to prove that last year’s heroics at the FIBA Asia Cup were no fluke and that they can truly be a team that qualifies not just to participate, but to win big.

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Francisco Garcia, India’s Women’s Head Coach, was not one to mince his words. In the two years he spent at the helm of the national team, the Spaniard was outspoken about the drawbacks and shortcomings that the Indian system suffered, and his outspokenness may have been part of the reason why the BFI considered it better to hold back his contract extension.

But Garcia may feel – justifiably – that after two years, he had earned the right to speak clearly and fairly his opinions about the national team and the federation.

Like Flemming and India’s Men’s team did in July 2014, Garcia’s Women’s side delivered India a breakthrough moment with their big win over Kazakhstan at the last FIBA ABC in Thailand. India’s incredible 65-62 overtime win helped them secure fifth place, and he remembered it as the highlight of his time in the country. A few months later, he delivered a bronze to a junior team at the Lusofonia Games in Goa. He coached the team to a 6th place finish at the Asian Games and took his knowledge to the grassroots level, coaching players and other coaches at various events around the country.

For Garcia, success at the national team level came early into his tenure, and it came at the biggest stage. It is difficult to believe that nearly two years have passed since the big win that had all of us declaring in excitement of how basketball in India had finally turned a corner.
*
But as we speak, India’s fortunes and future at both these tournaments are looking bleak. Until the BFI power struggle is sorted, it doesn’t seem like that FIBA will redact their ‘freeze’ over Indian basketball and allow us to return to these FIBA-organized tournaments.

And even if they do, India’s hopes of continuing the wave of optimism gathered over the last few years will be halted by a sudden reality check. The high quality of opponents at the ABCs had already presented India’s basketball teams with an improbable uphill task; now, with both our national team coaches leaving just months before the big tournaments, our federation has presented itself with an added handicap to make this improbable task close to impossible.

India doesn’t have a good track record of being prepared for major international tournaments. Foreign coaches in the past have complained about the lack of practice games in the lead up to the tournaments. Back home, without a professional league to keep the players involved with high-level hoops around the calendar year, our best players can be inclined to lose match fitness and competitiveness. With no Strength and Conditioning coach on the payroll anymore either, it will be a miracle if the men and women representing India at the next few international championships will be in decent condition and form.

Even in the best-case scenario, if between now and September the BFI is able to heal its fractures, bring back some structure and order to the association, and hire capable good coaches in time, the damage caused in the past few months would still not be undone. While the rest of the Asian teams have been preparing full throttle for these championship for months, India – already a weaker side – will start the race much too late.

India can be a challenging yet rewarding gig for Head Coaches, and any coach that accepts the job has to survive the dual challenge of being a basketball mastermind on the court and open-minded optimist to deal with the problems off of it. Flemming and Garcia – for the large part – were both such coaches. Now, we are in a race against time to a) be eligible for FIBA events again, b) find the right coaches to fit the teams’ tactical needs, c) make sure those coaches are also comfortable with the challenges and dramas of dealing with India and the federation, d) select the teams all over again and magicly expedite the re-teaching process to our players under the new system, e) get the players to the elite level of physical fitness required to run against Asia’s best, and f) somehow find a way of not embarrass ourselves against the continents top dogs at the FIBA ABCs.

For the already-staggering Basketball Federation of India, these are going to be one challenge too many. And for the fans of the game who had celebrated the high-points of recent years, the future takes a sharp turn towards the dark.

*

The Indian basketball family waited for years, even decades, to experience the collective joy that was felt on the night of the win over China. The women’s squad had played in over a dozen ABCs before raising their own ceiling up to fifth place. The ball seemed to finally be bouncing in India’s favour, and the basketball potential of the nation – second only to China in population – felt so much closer to realization.

But that ball has now been deflated. With the FIBA Asia Championships looming, Indian basketball has lost its focus (and coaches) at the worst possible time. Unless the people who are running and sometimes ruining the sport perform a miracle, it could be long before Indian gains back that lost momentum and optimism again.

India's Amjyot Singh and Amrit Pal Singh head out to Japan to play in professional basketball Summer League

A year ago, India's basketball team shocked China on their home soil at the FIBA Asia Cup in Wuhan. The chief architects of India's victory - and their entire successful campaign in Wuhan - were the two indomitable big men in the middle from Punjab: Amrit Pal Singh and Amjyot Singh. Amrit Pal and Amjyot - both 23 - have been India's breakout stars in recent years and are the two pillars around whom rest the future hopes of Indian basketball.

But despite developing into two of the top young players in all of Asia, the two Singhs have remained semi-professionals because India still doesn't have a professional basketball league. Instead, like the rest of India's national team players, they play in invitational and federation-organized tournaments all year and spend the rest of their time working in other day jobs. No Indian male players have yet featured in prominent professional leagues abroad; India's veteran women talents Geethu Anna Jose and Anitha Paul Durai have enjoyed professional stints in Australia and Thailand before.

Fortunately, the reward of excellence and hard work might finally be delivered to Amrit Pal and Amjyot: the two big men headed to Japan today to play in the Summer League for the Hyogo Impulse, a team in Japan's BJ Summer League. The two players have signed on to a summer league contract till August 31. If they are able to prove their mettle on court, they may be able to secure a position for the team on their proper regular season rosters and become full professionals in Japan.

If Amrit Pal and Amjyot return to India in September, they will make it back in time to prepare with India for the FIBA Asia Championship in China (if India are cleared to play, of course), which begins on September 23.

I have long believed that Amrit Pal Singh and Amjyot Singh have the talent and potential to play in the top leagues in Asia, and this is a huge opportunity for the two Indian stars to prove that they can be valuable at that level. Unfortunately, however, most top leagues around the world (excluding notably the NBA) have a cap to the number of foreign players they allow per team. This is why most teams choose to fill in the foreign player quota with an exceptional North American or European player and give the rest of the roster spaces to their homegrown talents. Even if Amrit Pal and Amjyot prove to be better than some of the homegrown talents in Japan, it will be tough for the team to choose them over their other foreign imports.

"The idea is to get Indian basketball some notoriety with these two guys, who we know can succeed over there, build trust with Japanese basketball system that India has talent then start pushing other players over there to play professionally," said Himanshu Dabir, who helped out the players secure these contracts in Japan.

Amrit Pal and Amjyot Singh are also the same Sikh players who were at the center of FIBA's "No Headgear" policy controversy at the FIBA Asia Cup last year, when they were asked to remove their turbans before taking part in FIBA-organized basketball games.

Meanwhile, in another part of the world, another Indian Punjabi is hoping to become a professional in a better-known basketball league. India's giant Satnam Singh Bhamara has been working out with various NBA teams in recent weeks and has declared himself for the 2015 NBA Draft which will take place at the end of June. Bhamara hopes to become the first Indian national in the NBA. Hopefully, all three talented bigs will be playing professional basketball internationally by the end of this year and providing some healthy competition for the big man spots for the Indian national squad for years to come.

Note to event organizers in India: the homegrown talent is looking better than ever. It's about time to start our own professional league to harness these talents, keep them home, give them the opportunity and money they deserve, and help the growth and popularity of basketball in India.

Team India coach Scott Flemming is bringing individual player basketball development videos

Over the past two years, American basketball coach Scott Flemming has already earned his way into the hearts of hoop fans in India as the Head Coach of the senior national Men's team. Under Flemming, the team has taken significant steps forward and shown improved performances in international tournaments such as the Lusofonia Games and the FIBA Asia Cup.

But Flemming's job responsibilities don't just end with the 12 men that represent India at the senior level internationally; as the national head coach, he is also invested in helping improve the grassroots talent of young players in the country and also pass on some of his coaching advice to aspiring Indian trainers and coaches, too.

Working with the Basketball Federation of India (BFI), Flemming is bringing a series of videos teaching individual player development drills such as dribbling, footwork, shooting, and more. As they are uploaded, the videos will be available from the BFI's official website. Flemming has also received assistance from senior and junior Indian national players to produce the content for the drills in the development videos.

The first of this video series was released a couple of days ago, with a focus on ball handling.



"There will be 4 different areas focused on this series of player development drills." Flemming told me recently, "These drills will be a resource for players to include in their regular workouts to improve their skills. They will also be a resource for coaches to use to specifically work with individuals or small groups to improve their fundamentals. There are no plays or team concepts here. They are designed for skill development. These are not only my drills but many of them are used by some of the top coaches in the world."

"I trust our coaches and players will incorporate them in their practices and workouts," he added, "This player development series will continue with a focus on offensive separation moves, shooting (perimeter and low post) and defense."

As Flemming mentioned in the introduction to the first video, these drills can be worked on many times by an individual or by players in small groups. And he stressed the key of being consistent with the drills and doing them regularly - every single day.

So, too all young Indian players with hoop dreams, here is a great place to start: you can get access to similar coaching tips that our nation's top players are learning in the comfort of your own home. Just make sure to stay persistent. As Coach Flemming said in the video: "Preparation creates confidence," and India could sure do with many more confident basketball players to become stars of the future.

The Fit & the Furious

India’s Strength & Conditioning Coach Tommy Heffelfinger discusses the importance of keeping Indian basketball players healthy.

This article was first published in my column for Ekalavyas.com on September 8, 2014. Click here to read the original post.

Tommy Heffelfinger gets the Indian Women's squad psyched up for a
strength and conditioning workout. Photo: Rajesh Chavan

As the final seconds ticked away in India’s Asian Games contest in Incheon (Korea) against the Philippines and an Indian loss was all but ensured, Indian swingman Pratham Singh suffered a nasty fall, hurting both his head and his back. As Pratham writhed in pain on court, a hush fell in the arena, and his teammates momentarily ignored the result to focus on their hurting teammate. Pratham was stretchered off court, and for the next few hours, the Indian basketball team, coaches, as well as fans held their breath and hoped for some good news from the medical team.

Over four and half thousand kilometers away from Incheon, India’s Strength & Conditioning Coach Tommy Heffelfinger followed the game in New Delhi with bated breath, too. Since his appointment by the Basketball Federation of India (BFI) three months ago, Heffelfinger has worked closely with Pratham Singh and several others of India’s top players – both at the Senior and under-18 level in both genders – to ensure that serious injuries are reduced as much as possible.

“When injuries go down, the performances go up,” he stated, something that may sound obvious but is always easier said than done. For an individual like Pratham – a top-six rotation player for India’s Senior Men’s national basketball team – his fitness is directly related to his team’s performance.

Later that day, some good news trickled out of the Indian camp in Incheon back to Delhi: Pratham went through some tests on his back and leg, revealing no serious injuries. He was rested for the next day against Iran, but for the big picture, Heffelfinger let out a sigh of relief.

Hailing from Ann Arbor in Michigan, USA, sports took Heffelfinger across the pond to England for a decade, where he worked with national players from the British Basketball Team, football players of the English Premier League club West Ham United, and rugby players, too. Choosing to be nearer to his wife – who is from Nepal – Heffelfinger jumped at the opportunity of joining the BFI’s Strength & Conditioning team, taking over a position left vacant since the previous Coach – Zak Penwell – finished his tenure. Familiar with India and South Asia in the past, Heffelfinger skipped over the culture shock that most foreign coaches suffer in their initial stages of their visit.

“I felt like I was pretty much ready for anything when I got here,” he said when I met him in New Delhi in mid-September.

What his previous visits wouldn’t have prepared him for would’ve been the basketball. As his predecessor Penwell discovered during his two years in India, the exercise, diet, and fitness regimes of Indian basketball players were uniquely specific and, in some ways, separate from the athletes they would’ve trained before.

“In India, first of all the dietary restrictions are a big deal,” Heffelfinger said, “And this is something to which we are constantly adjusting on camp. Beyond that, when it comes to dealing with player workouts, I’ve learnt how difficult it is for our national team players to stick to their regimes outside of practice – all of these players have other day jobs outside of basketball. It is difficult for them to find dedicated time to follow up with their fitness schedules outside of camp.”

“The positive,” he added, “Is that kids in India tend to have better base mobility and movement. They still do not have better control of their body weight, and we have to work on making sure that they reach certain standards before they start working with heavier weights.”

Heffelfinger’s responsibilities encompass the entire plethora of Indian national teams, including the Seniors, the U18s, the U16s, and the U14s for both boys and girls. Over the past three months, he has only had a chance to work with the Seniors and the U18s, the latter of whom he took part in a camp most recently and will be heading out again to the SAI Center in Aurangabad to help the U18 girls’ prepare for the upcoming FIBA Asia U18 Championship for Women in Jordan in a few weeks.

When his responsibilities eventually trickle down to the U16s and U14s, Heffelfinger will be handed the keys to coaching kids at the most transformative of ages.

Tommy Heffelfinger takes the team through stretching exercises. Photo:
Rajesh Chavan.

“When kids get to a certain age, it is considered their peak-height velocity, after which we can begin more focus on strength training,” said Heffelfinger, “That is a maturation point, usually around 15-16 for most kids, where we can introduce heavy weights more. Before that age, most of the training is usually technique based.”

But once the young players begin to focus on lifting weights and sculpting their bodies for optimum basketball shape, Heffelfinger warns that there is a strict need to be aware of the right parts of the body to work on.

“It’s true, a lot of people don’t know which part of the body they must work on, and the same is true for basketball,” he said, “For example, in basketball, you need to have strong quads, and work on the hamstrings. Focusing on the lifting weights for the right parts of the body will improve performance and reduce risk of injury.”

“Players need to start addressing the balance of their bodies. Posterior imbalance can be the cause of a lot of injuries.”

Heffelfinger’s work over the past three months has already begun to show some early signs of improvement among the elite Indian athletes. He worked with the Senior Men’s team at camp in Greater Noida prior to the FIBA Asia Cup in Wuhan (China) a few months ago, a tournament now immortalized in Indian hoops history for showcasing some of India’s best-ever performances, including a memorable victory over Asian giants China. While the team’s Head Coach Scott Flemming deserved much of the credit for tactically preparing India – particularly on the defensive end – to punch above their weight, the work of Indian physiotherapists and strength trainers such as Heffelfinger in the background shouldn’t be ignored either; it was no doubt that the new Team India looked fitter than ever before and can now respond to many more of Coach Flemming’s gruelling demands.

In training camps, Heffelfinger has also noted improvement on more specific aspects of fitness. For example, he mentioned that the junior girls have improved their short-distance (20 meters) sprint times drastically over the past few months. “The improvement was off the roof,” he said, “I couldn’t even have hoped for them to improve their times so soon. They are all adding strength to their lower body.”

While the early returns have been positive, there are still several challenges that Heffelfinger hopes that India can overcome in the near future. The first priority, he said, is to find a place to lay out all the strength and conditioning related equipment and set up what he hopes will eventually become the ‘BFI Player Development Center’.

“We have all the equipment with us already,” he said, “But we still haven’t been able to use most of it, since we’re still waiting to find a place to set it up.”

Another concern for Heffelfinger has been the diet, and he has noted that the senior teams often return overweight or out of shape form breaks in national camps. With many players also being vegetarian, Heffelfinger has had to get creative with his dietary advice.

“First and foremost, they need to just stay away from oily food,” he said, “Currently, they also seem to have a very limited intake of food, which is shocking.”

Heffelfinger’s long-term goals for India start by prioritizing athlete health. He wishes to reduce basketball injuries by two-thirds and over-training injuries by one-half, too. He also has hopes to collect medical data of Indian players to create reports of players’ injury history. At this point, there is no such existing medical database in Indian basketball.

Further on, he plans to spend time with other strength coaches in India and train them to help create a pyramid system where each coach can then pass on health and fitness tips to many more around the country.

“I feel that there has been a distinct improvement in the national teams over the past few months,” said Heffelfinger, “It was extremely rewarding to see when the improvement leads to improved results.”

Some injuries – like Pratham Singh’s fall at Incheon – are unavoidable. Some are caused by unforeseen circumstances, an over-aggressive opponent, or simply bad luck. There is no perfect science to staying fit and no athlete – no matter how well trained – is going to be indestructible. But concentrated efforts from Heffelfinger and India’s health, fitness, and physiotherapy teams can seriously turn the odds around to avoiding injury.

And, as Heffelfinger states, the obvious fact is also the most important one. Healthier teams are more successful teams. For Indian basketball in the midst of a rapid push forward, any competitive edge for further success should be embraced. 

After numerous voices of protest, FIBA (tentatively) relaxes Headgear rule for international basketball

It took voices of protest from in and outside India, from the Sikh and Muslim communities and from many more who chose to support the right cause, and finally, there seems to be some progress. FIBA - the International Basketball Federation - announced at the first meeting of their newly-elected Central Board that they will be tentatively 'relaxing' their rules banning players donning headgear (such as turbans or hijab) from participating in international basketball games.

FIBA.com's provides more of the news below, with details that show FIBA's steps into the right direction:

In response to the various requests received, the Central Board held in-depth discussions regarding rules about uniforms and decided to put a testing phase into place for the next two years that will consist of:
- Relaxing the current rules regarding headgear in order to enable national federations to request, as of now, exceptions to be applied at the national level within their territory without incurring any sanctions for violation of FIBA's Official Basketball Rules. National Federations wishing to apply for such an exception to the uniform regulations shall submit a detailed request to FIBA. Once approved, they shall submit follow-up reports twice a year to monitor the use of such exceptions.
- The players will be allowed to play in FIBA endorsed 3x3 competitions - both nationally and internationally - wearing headgear without restrictions, unless the latter presents a direct threat to their safety or that of other players on the court. Players wishing to take part in such competitions with headgear must ensure that a detailed request for approval is addressed to FIBA.
- FIBA will communicate with National Federations over the coming weeks on the subject of these request procedures.
The two years will serve as a test period. FIBA, through its competent bodies, will monitor these requests and their implementation from both the technical and sport development perspectives (for example in terms of manufacturing specificities, safety of athletes, look on the field of play and positive development of participation numbers in basketball within the demanding countries).
A first report will be provided to the Central Board in 2015, which will then determine whether tests at the lowest official international level shall be allowed as of next summer. A full review will be done in 2016 to take a decision on whether permanent changes to the Official Basketball Rules shall be made and implemented after the 2016 Olympic Games.

Wading through the intense wordiness above we find the the good news for Sikh, Muslim, Jewish, or players of other communities for whom the headgear is a crucial part of their religion and culture. They will now be allowed to take part in FIBA events with their headgear on just as long as the national federations submit an application asking for this exception beforehand. This rule specifically directs to India and the Basketball Federation of India (BFI): The BFI claimed discrimination when Sikh players of the Indian national team at the FIBA Asia Cup in Wuhan (China) and the U18 FIBA Asia Championship in Doha (Qatar) were not allowed to take part in the games unless they removed their turbans. The onus is now on India and the BFI to be at the top of their game each time and make sure to apply for these uniform exceptions in time and make sure to follow up twice a year (because FIBA doesn't want to make things too easy, do they?) to ensure that our Sikh players don't feel humiliated at the international stage again.

FIBA has set up a two year test period; hopefully, at the end of these two years, they are able to accept certain headgear as a normal part of the uniform and don't need constant applications/reminders about it. It will be great if the official FIBA rules regarding this are changed by the 2016 Olympics: not that India has any chance of participating in the basketball tournament, but there might be players from other nations who may don headgear, too.

The Sikh America Legal Defense and Education Fund (SALDEF), who share a lot of credit for bringing the turban issue to international attention, recognized FIBA's step forward. "FIBA has taken a step towards change, but this policy alteration will continue to lead to an unequal playing field," said Jasjit Singh, executive director of SALDEF, "We hope that FIBA will soon recognize Sikhs, Muslims and Orthodox Jews can freely play with their respective articles of faith, without process or paperwork and beyond their home countries. We ask all to join us as we tell FIBA to let Sikhs play freely."

Here's my personal guarantee about this issue: over the next two years, the test period will go swimmingly and FIBA will figure out manufacturing specificities etc. as they mentioned above. And soon enough, because we live in a world of large corporations that truly decide morality and culture at the commercial stage, sports-wear brands like Nike and adidas are going to start vying to sponsor athletic turbans, designed specifically for basketball, and coming fully FIBA-approved in their shape/size/design. And this train of thought leads me to believe that if LeBron James or Kobe Bryant had wanted to play in the Olympics with what FIBA had previously described as 'threatening' headgear, Nike would've changed the 'No Headgear' rule years ago.

Anyways, good step forward, FIBA. Hopefully the Indian national teams can put these distractions behind them and focus on taking even bigger steps forward on the basketball court.

Road Game: How travel has turned the Indian basketball team into family

This article was first published in my column for Ekalavyas.com on August 4, 2014. Click here to read the original post

India at a team dinner during FIBA Asia Cup. Image courtesy Ekalavyas/Chawn Flemming

In October 2008, a teenage basketball player Vishesh Bhriguvanshi was chosen to be part of India’s four-member squad for the first-ever Asian Beach Games, held at the picturesque island of Bali in Indonesia. It was a 3×3 beach basketball tournament and India was among the eight countries invited to take part. Little was expected for the team and from the rising young player.

In 2014, Bhriguvanshi is one of the leaders of India’s basketball team, the engine that revs up the system from the backcourt. Born in a humble home in Varanasi, more popular for its ghats than its shooting guards, Bhriguvanshi could’ve barely imagined that the game of basketball would one day take him across the continent and even further.

But back in 2008, he was just a teenager, as curious about stepping into the borders of a new nation with an Indonesian stamp on his passport as he was about this experimental new 3×3 form of the game.

India may be one nation but there is rarely any homogeny among Indian squads. Players speak in different mother tongues, have different religious beliefs and customs, and grow up accustomed to various different climatic conditions. Domestically, each player of the squad is at or close to their comfort zone, and thus, still held apart via the various separations that complete the jigsaw puzzle of our large nation. But on the road, the jigsaw pieces converge under the same tiranga flag with the one thread that connects them all: basketball.

There are few better ways of gaining that experience than travel. Bhriguvanshi, like other veterans of the national squad, has a passport full of visa stamps, and every journey – like his trip to Bali in 2008 – becomes another adventure to add to the scrapbook. And together, they turn their differences to grow from becoming more than a team, and into a brotherhood.

So why does Bhriguvanshi remember Bali so fondly? “We had no expectations, we just wanted to play well,” he recalled, “But we won once, we won twice, and soon enough, we somehow found ourselves in the Final. It was against the Philippines, who were considered to be a much stronger team and featured all of their top players from the recent FIBA Asia Championship. But we won that final: that until today is the biggest thing for me, that we got that gold medal, and I got to celebrate it with my teammates at the Beach Games.”

After eight years with Team India, Bhriguvanshi has been part of squads that have played on the road in Kuwait, Indonesia, Turkey, Japan, Philippines, and a half dozen times in China. It is in the squad’s most recent trip to China – to Wuhan for the 5th FIBA Asia Cup – where India displayed the perfect culmination of team spirit and camaraderie that helped elevate them from being mere pushovers to a team with real spirit, zeal and the ability to shock even the giants of the game in the continent. Bhriguvanshi and India couldn’t defeat Philippines this time when they faced off in the Quarter-Final, but they left Wuhan with an effort that would bond the squad together forever.

“We are starting to feel like a real team,” said Yadwinder Singh in the midst of India’s eye-opening Wuhan campaign. Yadwinder was the team’s most experienced and had been playing for India internationally since 2002, “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.”

“When the team plays together, like we’re doing these days,” he added, “We feel so happy. We eat together, we make fun of each other… Everything feels good.”

Playing abroad is about much more than the tournament itself; India’s Head Coaches in the past, including current coach Scott Flemming, have all stressed about the importance of taking as many exposure trips as possible so that the team can get a sense of togetherness and the challenges of being in a new environment. Together, these trips can help the Indian players to adjust to courts and facilities outside of India. Almost everywhere they travel, the basketball infrastructure is likely to be better than what they have at home; but ‘better’ can put them in the pressure of unfamiliarity. It’s always a challenge for players who have played a majority of their competitive games on outdoor cement courts to then move into perfectly-groomed indoor wooden arenas at FIBA international events.

Adjusting to different climates can be a challenge as well, but nothing matches the homesickness that the team feels when trying to adjust their palates to a myriad of different international cuisines.

“The worst thing [about travel abroad] is definitely the food,” he said, “It’s tough to get Indian food,” said Bhriguvanshi, and added that he missed the staple home cuisines more than anything else. “My favourite is just daal-chawal-subzi.”

Team India huddle. Image courtesy Ekalavyas/Chawn Flemming

“I don’t think anything is real tough [on the road] because they have each other and they care for each other like brothers,” said Coach Flemming, who has been the Head Coach for two years, longer than any foreign coach before him, “You can talk about small things like food. I’m sure they miss loved ones and family. But I think most of them have been doing this long enough that they’ve kinda got used to that. And the ones who are new are so excited to be here they’re not complaining.”

“So probably the toughest thing is being together all the time,” Flemming added, “It’s like a family. You know when you’re with your brothers and sisters all the time they get on your nerves. I probably get on theirs. So you have to keep it fresh and you gotta have fun. You can’t be serious or locked into the game all the time.”

Bhriguvanshi confessed that his favourite thing about playing on the road is the opportunity to face off against the top players on the continent in world-class arenas. A rising star as a teenager when he secured the MVP award at the Basketball Without Borders Asia camp back in 2008, Bhriguvanshi has been one of India’s best players ever since and has taken the role of captain for many international tours since. But, back at home, his rise has been stunted by limited opportunities against tougher competition, and instead, wasted the prime years of players like him or others at his level. International basketball not only gives them a much-needed competitive spike but also provides them a fitting stage to showcase their skills.

“I love playing against good teams,” Bhriguvanshi said after India had completed the Preliminary Round at the Asia Cup in Wuhan, after facing Japan, China, Indonesia, and Iran, “The grounds and facilities at many international arenas are great, and it feels good for us to play here.”

As India put together a string of strong performances in Wuhan, they began to earn respect among the foreign legion, too. Chinese, Japanese, and Filipino media, among others who were covering this event, began to fawn over India’s stars. Many found it hard to believe that this team without a single professional player or without any ‘naturalized’ Indian players could defeat China. It was pure passion and determination that led India to punch above their weight level and collect some big wins, and in the process they began winning hearts, too.

Yadwinder Singh said that the improved performances also improved the relationship between the team.

“I used to hate it when, before, we would go abroad, and we would all separate,” said Yadwinder, who has long been the team’s ‘glue-guy’ in the locker room, “We would eat separately from each other, and no one waited for anyone to eat together or go out. There’s nothing like that anymore. We are now glued together. We forgot the [opening loss] Japan game when we beat China.”

Yadwinder speaks from great experience, of travels that have taken him all across Asia and handed him two passports glued together to fit in all the visa stamps. “My first international trip was an Under-20 tournament in Kuwait. Since then, I’ve been to Australia for the 2006 Commonwealth Games, been to New Zealand, Malaysia, Dubai, Iran, Jordan, and China several times.”

Yadwinder stressed that, the infighting and blame games hurt the team in the past as much as their on-court performances did. “Before, our team would leave India united, but when we would lose the first game, we would separate. We would point fingers and blame each other,” he said, “That doesn’t happen anymore.”

It hasn’t all been all work and no play for the team, even though, technically, ‘work’ for a basketball player is ‘play’. On the road, Flemming has made sure to give the squad time off of the game, too to go sight-seeing and make the most of whatever free time they are able to have abroad. They’ve visited historical sites in Turkey and been go-karting together.

“It’s been really fun travelling with these guys,” said Flemming, “We’ve been to Turkey, to the Philippines, and to Nepal. We’ve been getting to know each other better. They get to know me. I feel the reason that we’re winning games and doing good things is because finally, all these things that I’ve been telling them are sinking in.”

Traveling abroad to unfamiliar countries has indeed brought many of these players closer together, many of whom who otherwise spend half the year in opposing state or club teams against each other. This is why ever Indian coach has always pleaded for more time with the national team: not just to coach them better and avoid other club/state obligations that might unnecessarily distract or even hurt the players, but also to help build up team spirit and an identity.

Wuhan was my first time witnessing India’s basketball team play abroad, and beyond the exhilaration of the team’s historic performances, it was a strange experience. India might be the world’s second largest population and more culturally relevant globally than most Asian countries, but they’re the ‘lovable underdogs’ in these tournaments, unfortunately garnering pity more than praise. In future tournaments, such as the invitational tournament in Dubai next month or the Asian Games in Korea after that, the team will play determined to be feared by their opponents. Veterans like Bhriguvanshi and Yadwinder will be hoping that, after years of travel, when the team puts in strong performances again in the future, it won’t be a surprise but an expectation.

But at the end of the day, playing abroad is about more than wins and losses, or unique adventures in other nations for India’s top players. For many of them, it’s about honouring the flag that is raised and the anthem that is heard before every game.

“Playing for India is by itself a huge honour,” said Bhriguvanshi, “It’s not like we get anything back for doing this – we play only for pride. If we’re going outside, we want to do well for India. We don’t want anything to think that this team is like any unsuccessful team of the past.”

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.

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