Indian basketball prospect Aashay Verma begins journey at Butte-Glenn Community College in USA

Since he was 16, Hyderabad boy Aashay Verma has been a step ahead of the basketball competition, charting his own path, and often, creating a new one. After starring in the NBA's Global Academy in Australia and numerous international basketball camps, the 7-foot-2, 20-year-old Center has now taken the next big step: Earlier this month, he joined the Butte-Glenn Community College in Oroville, California.

After being first spotted in the ACG-NBA Jump programme at age 16, Verma ended up being recruited to the NBA's Global Academy in Canberra, Australia, where he became a regular part of the Academy's team. Over the past few years, he has taken part in the NBA All Star Weekend's Basketball Without Borders camp and attended the NBA's Global Camp in Italy. In 2018 and 2019, he was invited to the NCAA Next Generation Showcase in San Antonio and Minnesota respectively.

According to the NBA Academy, Verma is now working on earning an NCAA scholarship.

Verma will join the Butte College Roadrunners, who have been the Golden Valley Conference Champions five times in the past ten years, including their most recent title earlier this year. Next season, the team will hope to defend their title, and secure a seventh consecutive trip to the California State Championships to fight for the state title.

Indian prospects Princepal Singh, Amaan Sandhu, and Aashay Verma attended NBA Global Camp in Italy

Just days after rounding up the Basketball Without Borders Asia camp in Greater Noida, some of India's top youth basketball prospects headed international with an eye towards bigger things: the upcoming NBA Draft. Dozens of players from around the world were listed to attend the NBA Global Camp 2018 in Treviso, Italy, a pre-Draft showcase for top Draft-eligible prospects from outside the USA. Future Indian stars Princepal Singh, Amaan Sandhu (both from NBA Academy India) and Aashay Verma (NBA Global Academy - Australia) were among the prospects at the Camp at the La Ghirada Sports Center in Treviso from June 2-5.

The camp included team interview sessions, five-on-five games, shooting drills, and strength and agility testing in front of representatives from all 30 NBA teams, all under the direction of NBA personnel. The Indian players were invited as part of a series of scrimmages among prospects from NBA Academies, the league’s network of elite basketball training centres around the world.

The three Indian players representing India presented a tantalising combination of youth and size: Princepal Singh (17, 6'10"), Aashay Verma (19, 7'1"), Amaan Sandhu (15, 6'9"). Princepal and Sandhu are from Punjab while Verma originally hails from Hyderabad. Princepal is probably the most experienced of the trio, already having starred for India and Punjab at the junior and youth stages and taken part in several international camps already. Verma has been improving dramatically in Australia over the past few years and was invited to a Basketball Without Borders global camp in the past. Sandhu is the baby of the group but has the size to hopefully develop into a dominating player in the future.

A handful of other Asian players also took part in the scrimmages in Italy.

NBA, FIBA, and the BFI to host second-ever Basketball Without Borders Asia Camp In India

A decade ago, the NBA took its first major chance in India, allowing the country to host the Basketball Without Borders Asia Camp - a prestigious event to scout and develop the best youth players in the continent - in New Delhi. The camp was a success, showcasing India's growing basketball prowess. The top players from 2008 emerged to be camp MVP Vishesh Bhriguvanshi, a guard from Varanasi who went on to carve a place for himself among Indian basketball greats and captain the national team. The NBA accelerated their devotion to India right after, hosting massive grassroots development programmes, elite national camps, a world-class academy, and involving the assistance of some of the league's top players to promote basketball in India.

10 years later, India gets a chance to start a new cycle of potential success.

On Friday, May 11, the NBA joined hands with the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) and the Basketball Federation of India (BFI) to announced that Basketball Without Borders (BWB) Asia 2018 will be held May 30 – June 2 at The NBA Academy India in Delhi National Capital Region (NCR), marking the second time that the NBA and FIBA’s global basketball development and community outreach programme will be held in India.

"Ten years ago, India hosted its first-ever Basketball Without Borders Asia camp in New Delhi,” said FIBA National Federations and Sport Director Zoran Radovic. "We’re excited to return to the world’s second-most populous country where basketball has really taken off over the past decade. The sport is growing extremely fast and there are great development opportunities for boys and girls. We look forward to teaming up with the Basketball Federation of India and the sport’s wider community in India so that basketball can achieve its full potential in the country."

BWB Asia 2018 will bring together the top male and female players ages 17 and under from throughout the Asia-Pacific region to learn directly from NBA and FIBA players, legends and coaches and to compete against the best young players from the region.

As a new addition to the programme, the NBA and the BFI also today announced that from May 27 – 29, The NBA Academy India will host a basketball development camp for top female prospects from throughout India as part of The NBA Academies Women’s Programme. The NBA and the BFI will identify 20-25 female prospects ages 17 and under to attend the camp. 1996 Olympic Gold Medalist and Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame member Jennifer Azzi, two-time WNBA Champion Ruth Riley and former college coach Blair Hardiek – the global technical directors for women’s programming across the league’s seven academies – will oversee the camp.

"It is a great pleasure for the Basketball Federation of India to get the opportunity to host another BWB camp in India," said BFI President K. Govindaraj. "This will be a great learning experience for all the young and talented players from India as they will be under the guidance of few of the best basketball trainers in the world, which will help them grow as basketball players and make their country proud in the future. Another outstanding effort put in by the NBA Academy that is really appreciated by the Basketball Federation of India is the development camp for the top female prospects in the country, as it will help not only grow the players but also women’s basketball in India. We are already seeing the development of the sport here since the beginning of the NBA Academy in India and the Basketball Federation of India is ready to support the NBA as much as we can."

BWB Asia 2018 and The NBA Academies Women’s Program camp will also include a variety of NBA Cares and Jr. NBA community outreach efforts with youth in New Delhi in partnership with local community organisations. These programs will highlight the power of sport to promote cultural understanding while teaching the importance of a healthy, active lifestyle and the values of the game, including teamwork, integrity and respect. Nike, a BWB global partner since 2002, will outfit the campers and coaches with Nike apparel and footwear.

"It has been an exciting year for our youth basketball development programs in India, including the expansion of The Reliance Foundation Jr. NBA Program, the launch of The NBA Academy India, the opening of NBA Basketball Schools and now the return of Basketball Without Borders to India for the first time since 2008," said NBA India Managing Director Yannick Colaco. “We’re looking forward to hosting talented male and female players from throughout India and the Asia-Pacific region this May as part of Basketball Without Borders and The NBA Academies Women’s Program, and we thank FIBA and the BFI for supporting our continued efforts to grow basketball across the country."

BWB has reached more than 3,190 participants from 127 countries and territories since 2001, with more than 50 former campers drafted into the NBA or signed as free agents. A record 24 former BWB campers were on opening-night rosters for the 2017-18 season. The NBA and FIBA have staged 53 BWB camps in 33 cities across 27 countries on six continents. More than 250 current and former NBA, WNBA and FIBA players have joined more than 200 NBA team personnel from all 30 NBA teams to support BWB across the world.

The NBA Academy India, an elite basketball training center in Delhi NCR for the top male and female prospects from throughout India and the first of its kind in the country, officially opened in May 2017 and builds on the NBA’s existing basketball and youth development initiatives in India. 

BWB Asia 2018 campers and coaches will be announced prior to the camp. Last year, two young Indian basketball players - Priyanka Prabharaka and Aashay Verma - were among the 67 boys and girls from 32 countries and territories to attend BWB's Global Camp held during the NBA All-Star Weekend in the United States.

Two Indian youngsters in NBA All Star Weekend's Basketball Without Borders Global Camp rosters

The NBA All Star Weekend features the best talent in the world: the NBA's finest and most-popular players, the best shooters, dunkers, dribblers, and the entire larger multiverse of basketball. But in 2015, the All Star Weekend added a taste of the world basketball's future to the festivities, too, with the addition of the Basketball Without Borders (BWB) Global Camp. The camp brings together more than 50 of the most-talented high-school age boys and girls from outside the US to the All Star Weekend for an elite training session and the opportunity to be a part of the All Star experience.

There is good news this year: the rosters of the BWB Global Camp were revealed on Tuesday, and two young Indian basketball players - Priyanka Prabharaka and Aashay Verma - will be among the 67 boys and girls from 32 countries and territories heading to New Orleans for the NBA All Star Weekend from February 17-19.

Priyanka Prabharaka (18) is a 5'10" shooting guard from Nemmara (Kerala) who represented India at the 2016 FIBA Asia U18 Championship for Women in Bangkok. She was an important starter for the team led India in rebounds (8.2 rpg) in the tournament.

Aashay Verma (17) is a 7'1" center from Hyderabad who was chosen by NBA/FIBA to be one of three Indians in last year's BWB Asia camp in Melbourne (Australia). Verma is reportedly new to the game but showed great potential at the camp.

The coaching participants at the All Star BWB Global Camp will include Cheick Diallo (Pelicans), Wayne Ellington (Miami Heat), Justin Holiday (New York Knicks), Meyers Leonard (Portland Trail Blazers), Thon Maker (Milwaukee Bucks) and Emmanuel Mudiay (Denver Nuggets). Current NBA assistant coaches Joe Connelly (Denver Nuggets), Jay Hernandez (Orlando Magic) and Fred Vinson (New Orleans Pelicans), along with Brooklyn Nets scout and NBA D-League Assistant GM Matt Riccardi, will also serve as BWB Global coaches. Patrick Hunt (President of the World Association of Basketball Coaches; Australia), Gersson Rosas (Houston Rockets; Colombia), Marin Sedlacek (Philadelphia 76ers; Serbia) and Masai Ujiri (Toronto Raptors; Nigeria) will serve as camp directors. Former NBA trainer Wally Blase (U.S.) will serve as the camp’s athletic trainer.

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Players and coaches will lead the campers through a variety of activities on and off the court, including movement efficiency, positional skill development, shooting and skills competitions, 5-on-5 games, and daily life skills seminars focusing on health, leadership and communication. One boy and one girl will be named BWB Global Camp MVPs at the conclusion of the three-day camp.
The campers will attend the BBVA Compass Rising Stars Challenge, State Farm NBA All-Star Saturday Night, and the 66th NBA All-Star Game at Smoothie King Center.

This camp is a great opportunity for Prabhakara and Verma to learn in the presence of NBA players, coaches, and other great young players from around the world. Hopefully, this experience can help improve their game as their future potential.

Three young Indians chosen for NBA's Basketball Without Borders Asia 2016 camp in Australia

Bringing together the best youth basketball talents in the Asia-Pacific region for an elite camp, the NBA's Basketball Without Borders (BWB) Asia 2016 camp is set to be held in Melbourne (Australia) from June 23-26. Three promising Indian players - Baladhaneshwar Poiyamozhi, Aashay Verma, and Sahil - have been chosen for the four-day camp, which will also feature numerous current and former NBA stars. The 2016 BWB Asia is being coordinated between the NBA, FIBA, and Australia's National Basketball League (NBL).

All three Indian players will be a part of the top 45 male players - born between 1999-2001 - selected from 17 countries for the training scheduled to be held at Dandenong Basketball Stadium in Melbourne.

In the Indian contingent, Poiyamozhi is clearly the most exciting prospect. The shooting guard from Tamil Nadu recently captained India's U18 squad as they won the South Asian Basketball championship in Bangladesh to qualify for the FIBA Asia U18 Championship. Poiyamozhi has been part of Tamil Nadu's back-to-back champion junior squad and was India's shining bright spark at the FIBA Asia U16 championship last year. Aashay Verma is a 7-foot-2 center from Hyderabad and Sahil represents Punjab. All the three were selected from various BWB camps conducted by the NBA-India across the country.

A large number of NBA players and legends - especially those with Australia connections - will be mentoring the young players at the camp, including Aron Baynes (Detroit Pistons, Australia), Dante Exum (Utah Jazz, Australia), Joe Ingles (Utah Jazz; Australia), Khris Middleton (Milwaukee Bucks, US), and Patty Mills (San Antonio Spurs, Australia). NBA legend David Robinson, his former Spurs teammate Bruce Bowen, and former All Star and Raptors' Assistant Coach Jerry Stackhouse will be coaching at the camp, too. President of the World Association of Basketball Coaches Patrick Hunt will serve as camp director.