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.

8 winners of ACG-NBA Jump programme set to join NBA Academy India

Earlier this week, 50 of the best young basketball players from around the country were invited from a national talent-search programme - the ACG-NBA Jump - to take part in the ACG-NBA Jump National Finals at the NBA Academy India in Greater Noida. After two days of rigorous training, scouting, and tryouts, the NBA has chosen eight winners from around the country. These eight young players will join the ranks of other prospects at the NBA Academy India and be at the forefront to receive what the NBA has called a "holistic, 360-degree approach to player development with focuses on education, leadership, character development and life skills."

After the finals on May 3-4, the ACG-NBA Jump winners are:

• Harsh Dagar (13) - Haryana
• Lokendra Singh (13) - Rajasthan
• Pranav Prince (15) - Kerala
• Lalhnepuia Chhakchuak (16) - Mizoram
• Abhi Joshi (14) - Punjab
• Aryan Kumar (14) - Delhi
• Harshwardhan Tomar (17) - Madhya Pradesh
• Pritish Kokate (16) - Maharashtra

17-year-old Tomar is the most experienced member of this group, after having represented and captained India in FIBA U16 Asia Championship and previously played at Italy's Stellazura Academy. Pune's Kokate has also played at a high level in the past, including an U15 international camp in Qatar.

NBA center Brook Lopez of the Los Angeles Lakers was in attendance for the National Finals of the ACG-NBA Jump as well as the Reliance Foundation Jr. NBA Finals at the Academy this week. Indian basketball star and recently a player for the NBA G-League's OKC Blue Amjyot Singh also attended the programme.

The NBA Academy India - an elite basketball training centre connected to similar NBA Academies around the world - opened at the Jaypee Greens Integrated Sports Complex in May 2017. Read more about how the Academy hopes to help realise India's basketball potential in my feature for SLAM Magazine.