Basketball cancelled at the 2016 South Asian Games (India sends teams anyways)

The ongoing spat between the Basketball Federation of India (BFI) and the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) has led to the organizers of the 2016 South Asian Games (SAG), currently in progress in Guwahati and Shillong, to cancel the basketball tournament at the event. The games are being held from February 5-16 and the basketball tournament for Men and Women - involving seven countries including India - was initially scheduled to be held from February 11-16. The cancellation came soon after the international basketball federation FIBA de-recognized this event after IOA conducted trials for an Indian team without the BFI's approval.

Unfortunately, the biggest victims of this fiasco have been the national team players representing India and other South Asian countries. The IOA coaxed India's Men's and Women's teams to prepare for the tournament and board on a flight to Guwahati despite BFI/FIBA dissaproval, but soon after, it was announced that the SAG Organisers had cancelled the basketball tournament.

"We tried to sort the issues out and suggested different options like going ahead with the event and give away medals without the results going into record books," Games Chief Executive Officer and Sports Authority of India Director General Injeti Srinivas told reporters, "But there was no response from some quarter. So we have decided not to go ahead with basketball. It will not be held now."

Here's a timeline of how the situation in Indian basketball spiraled down to this eventuality:

• March 27, 2015: A faction led by K Govindraj (Team Govindraj) held the BFI's Annual General Meeting in Bengaluru. Govindraj was named President and Chander Mukhi Sharma the Secretary General.
• March 28, 2015: A different faction led by Poonam Mahajan (Team Mahajan) held a different BFI Annual General Meeting in Pune. Mahajan was named President and Roopam Sharma the Secretary General. The BFI now had two opposing executive committees both vying for control of basketball in India, headed for conflict.
• May 2015: Because their faction followed directives in the BFI constitution, FIBA recognized Team Govindraj, allowing them to hold national and international basketball events.
• September 2015: But the IOA, in support of Team Mahajan, didn't consider the matter settled, and created an ad-hoc committee to oversee Indian basketball. A rift was created between India's Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports and the BFI.
• January 2016: The IOA, in consultation with the Government of India, are behind the organizing and executive committee for the planning and management of the SAG. They organized trials for India's Men's and Women's national teams in New Delhi to send them to the SAG in Guwahati, going against the approval of BFI-Team Govindraj.
• February 2, 2016: FIBA sent a letter to all national federations in South Asia informing them that the spat had led to official FIBA non-recognition of the basketball event, and that they shouldn't send their teams to Guwahati.
• February 8, 2016: IOA sends Indian Men and Women's teams anyways.
• February 9, 2016: Due to FIBA de-recognition, SAG organisers cancelled the basketball event.

The draw and schedule for the basketball tournament at the SAG had already been laid out. India's Men were drawn in a group with Maldives and Pakistan in a six-team contest, and India's Women were drawn in a group with Bhutan and Nepal in a tournament with seven participating teams. Afghanistan, the SAG Men's basketball winners from 2010, did not send a Men's team. India finished with a silver in 2010, and it is a pity that they will not get a chance to go for the gold. Another loss is that India would've gotten a chance to rekindle their rivalry with Pakistan in a new sport, as our neighbours were supposed to be participating in both the Men's and Women's divisions. Even if the tournament had taken place, any records of performances would not have officially counted in FIBA's eyes.

Good job, old bureaucrats in suits, saris, and kurtas. Your efforts have ensured that every basketball team in Asia suffers something much worse than a loss: the finality of not being able to play at all. It's a distasteful irony: the only thing keeping basketball from developing in India are people who manage basketball and Indian sport itself.

IOA creates ad-hoc committee to oversee Indian Basketball; BFI's Team Govindraj calls it 'illegal'

Although India's Men and Women's basketball teams are spending the fall travelling to China to take part in separate FIBA Asia Championships, the bigger games in Indian basketball have been taking place off the court. 2015 has been the year of a division within the Basketball Federation of India (BFI), the body in charge of all domestic and international basketball activities in the country. Earlier this year, two separate executive committees were formed in two different meetings giving the BFI two different, competing presidents: K Govindraj and Poonam Mahajan. Ever since then, the two committees have fought tooth and nail for the 'official' top seat in a bitter battle that has overshadowed the good of the game.

The latest update in this struggle is that, the Indian Olympic Association (IOA), after failing to bring Team Govindraj in the same meeting as Team Mahajan to settle the scores, has sent out an order announcing the creation of an Ad-Hoc Committee to oversee the workings of the BFI and hold fresh elections within a few months. Just a few days after the IOA order, Team Govindraj has responded with a message supporting their own claim to the BFI and deeming the order 'illegal'.

To cut the long tale of litigation and accusations to a short story, the two claims to the BFI 'throne' are thus: the elections held by Team Govindraj were overseen by BFI's former president, RS Gill, which is a mandatory requirement as per the BFI constitution. Because of this, they were given the support and official recognition from the world' governing body of basketball - FIBA - and have been able to oversee India's participation at the FIBA-affiliated events. But Team Mahajan claim their support from the IOA, who have attempted to reconcile the two competing parties over the last few months. Due to the political connections of president (Poonam Mahajan) and general-secretary (Roopam Sharma), Team Mahajan have been able to persuade favours from the IOA and the Government's Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports (Sports Ministry). A few weeks ago, Team Govindraj had sent a previous letter to all units staking their claim over the BFI.

On September 9 2015, the IOA's Secretary General Rajeev Mehta and President N. Ramachandran signed an office order announcing the creation of an Ad-Hoc committee led by Volleyball Federation of India's CEO K. Murugan (Chairman), Anandeshwar Pandey, and Kuldip Vats to find "a permanent solution to the issue which has arisen in the Basketball Federation of India and also in order to avoid further litigation". The IOA claims that FIBA issued a letter to the Sports Ministry to "look into the dispute in the Basketball Federation of India". In the order, the IOA adds that both factions of the BFI were called for a meeting to put forth their stands and claims in regards to the management of the BFI a few months ago. Despite four opportunities given, only one faction showed up (Team Mahajan), leading thus to the creation of this Ad-Hoc committee. The committee also plans to hold fresh elections for the Executive Board of the BFI within a period of two months of giving notice to all affiliated members (state federations/associations, etc) "in accordance with the constitution of the Basketball Federation of India so that the disputes which has arisen in the Basketball of India may be put to rest".

"I welcome this decision," Mahajan told the Times of India, "Resolving the matter is very much required so that the game and young players won't suffer. I am thankful to the sports ministry that they hve taken this matter seriously. Thankfully, there will be some conclusion now and the sufferings of the players will come to an end. We all will abide by the Government of India's decision."

Two days later - on September 11 - Team Govindraj sent a response to IOA's office order, signed by their general-secretary Chander Mukhi Sharma. In the response titled "Illegal IOA order" and sent to the presidents and secretaries of all affiliated units of the BFI, Team Govindraj claims to put straight the facts, claiming, among other matters that the constitution of the IOA does not have provision form making an Ad-Hoc commitee for any National Sports Federation (NSF) that is recognized by an international federation. In this case, the NSF is the BFI, and the international federation is FIBA. Team Govindraj alleges that no such letter was sent by FIBA to look into the BFI dispute, and that they - Team Govindraj elected in Bengaluru on March 27 2015 - already have FIBA affiliation. The letter ends with the announcement that the 32nd Youth National Championship for Boys and Girls will be starting as scheduled on September 14 in Bhavnagar (Gujarat) and reminded affiliated units of the participation of their teams. The letter was CC'd to top secretaries of the Sports Ministry.

Govindraj, in an interview with the Times of India, reiterated his committee's claim. "First of all, we are recognized by the FIBA. Till date, FIBA has not written any letter to the sports minister. The office order issued by the IOA is a bogus letter. They can do anything and because of the political pressure, they have done this. To stop the youth national championship in Bhavnagar, Gujarat, they have issued such a letter. We will anyhow conduct the national championship."

For now, Team Govindraj is continuing to be in charge of official basketball events in India and abroad, events that Team Mahajan and their supporters consider illegal. Expect another response from the IOA or Team Mahajan soon.

The battle will continue to rage on, especially since the IOA's Ad-Hoc Committee is now planning re-elections of the executive committee in a few months. The likely scenario is that Team Govindraj and their supporters will continue to run the BFI as they see fit, while Team Mahajan and their supporters will elect another separate Executive Committee. And as things stand now, it is likely that each committee will refuse to recognize the legality of the other. With the states and units divided in India, the participation of the players and their opportunities will be divided, too.

And at the end of the day, it is the basketball players in India who - as usual - become the innocent pawns in this power struggle.

Competing sides of Basketball Federation of India set for a showdown with Indian Olympic Association in New Delhi

If you're a fan of Indian Basketball, you probably know the details of this drama already. After two competing factions for the Basketball Federation of India (BFI) split the federation in two, India's Ministry of Youth and Sports affairs intervened and banned all official basketball activities in India until they could come to a decision regarding this mess. The BFI is the governing and controlling body of basketball in India, and is responsible for the development and promotion of the sport at all levels. With a ruthless, political fight for power, those who are supposed to govern Indian basketball have actually ended up hurting it. A few months ago, I had even satirically suggested that the two teams fighting for BFI control should decide things on the court with an actual basketball game.

Well, it finally seems that this week, the BFI's two contenders are set for a real showdown.The contingent led by President K Govindraj and Secretary-General Chander Mukhi Sharma (Team Govindraj) and the contingent led by President Poonam Mahajan and Secretary-General Roopam Sharma (Team Mahajan) will face-off in a meeting convened by the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) at their head office in New Delhi on Wednesday, July 15.

The IOA has been deputized by the Government's Ministry of Sports to sort out the bickering between the two sides and help get Indian basketball back on track. They sent a letter to the two presidents of Team Govindraj and Team Mahajan, asking them to appear for this meeting at noon on Wednesday.

Via Firstpost:

"The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Government of India vide its letter No F.No. 16-14/2009-SP (Vol.II) dated 29th June, 2015 has requested Indian Olympic Association to sort out the dispute of Basketball Federation of India."
"The International Basketball Federation is also of the view that there is a clear division in Basketball Federation of India and both the factions are claiming to be the genuine President and Secretary General of Indian Basketball Federation."
"It is, therefore, requested that you may kindly make yourself available in the office of the Indian Olympic Association, B-29, Qutub Institutional Area, New Delhi-110016 on 15th July, 2015 at 12.00 noon so that a meaningful discussion may take place between both the factions in order to bring an end to the dispute to ensure smooth functioning in Basketball Federation of India and protect the interest of sports persons."

About four months ago, Team Govindraj and Team Mahajan held two separate Annual General Meetings (AGM) in two different cities (Bengaluru and Pune) on consecutive days, which each side claiming to be the rightful executive body of the federation. Because they had lawfully conducted their meeting with the previous president (KS Gill) present, Team Govindraj were able to win the Delhi High Court order to gain control of the BFI office in New Delhi and also receive recognition from FIBA, the international basketball association. Despite all this, the Ministry of Sports continued to consider the BFI a broken house, and halted Team Govindraj from executing any further basketball programmes until the dispute had been sorted out. The BFI were able to gain temporary relief to host the South Asian Basketball Championship in Bengaluru earlier this month, but for a more permanent fix, the government and the IOA will now have to pass the final judgement in this struggle.

Many believe that, despite Team Govindraj gaining recognition from the Delhi High Court and FIBA, the Ministry of Sports deflated Indian basketball because of the political connections that Team Mahajan has with the Indian government. The legal and rightful recourse should be to led the K Govindraj-led BFI get things back to track and focus on basketball instead of politics. But, if the Government, the Ministry of Sports, and the IOA are biased towards Poonam Mahajan and Roopam Sharma's faction, then we can expect this drama to carry on for as long as it takes to make Team Govindraj uncomfortable and budge aside to share the space with Team Mahajan.

Wednesday's meeting is sure to be a fascinating face-off of two determined sides, and the the results will shape the future direction of Indian basketball. I wish it could be televised.

UPDATE: The meeting has been rescheduled for Sunday, July 19, according to The Times of India.

FIBA recognizes 'Team Govindraj' to lead BFI. Will Indian basketball fiasco clear up?

FIBA is the association that organizes and governs major international basketball tournaments around the world. The Basketball Federation of India (BFI) is the association that organizes and governs tournaments in India. The BFI is affiliated to FIBA, and without them, India can't play in FIBA international tournaments. Unfortunately, the BFI is now split in two division, each claiming that it should be the rightful leader of basketball in India. FIBA has been left as the intermediary parent burdened with the responsibility of picking one of the two bodies. On Saturday, it seems, they came to a decision.

For those who are new to the storm, welcome. The last two months in Indian basketball have been a fiasco. The BFI has 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, the Govindraj side was left with the finances and the Mahajan side with capture of the BFI's office in Delhi. In the next few months, the split caused confusion and anger among Indian basketball players and coaches, saw India's foreign basketball coaches pack up and leave their posts, and led FIBA to consider the BFI in a freeze, thus taking away India's chance of playing in FIBA sanctioned tournaments.

Finally, on May 23, a letter signed and sent from the office of FIBA's Secretary-General Patrick Baumann declared FIBA's stand on the fiasco. The letter spanned three pages, over a dozen paragraphs, and outline the various issues in the past, present, and future of this problem. But the only line that truly matters now was this:

Consequently, the result of the elections held in Bengaluru on 27 March 2015 is recognized by FIBA.

The elections that the letter refers to was the one where the former president of the BFI (KS Gill) was present to oversee Karnataka's K Govindraj named the new president, Teja Singh Dhaliwal named the new Senior Vice-President, Chander Mukhi Sharma the Secretary-General, and V Raghothaman the Treasurer. We will refer to them henceforth as 'Team Govindraj'. The other body, 'Team Roopam' - led by 'president' Poonam Mahajan, 'Secretary-General' Roopam Sharma, and 'Treasurer'Mukut Medhi - did not follow the BFI's rule-book when they held their meeting and thus, cannot be the BFI.

The matter was brought to light yesterday when the media cell of the Karnataka State Basketball Association (KSBBA) provided the letter to Ekalavyas.com. You can find the soft copy of the letter over at Ekalavyas. The letter was addressed to the presidents and secretary-generals of both opposing factions and CC'd to the Ministry of Youth and Affairs and Sports of the Government of India, the Indian Olympic Association (IOA), and various other FIBA officials including President Horacio Muratore.

BFI rules state that an Annual General Meeting (AGM) can only be held in the presence of the outgoing executive committee, specially the outgoing president, who in this case was KS Gill. Gill was present with Team Govindraj in Bengaluru, thus legitimizing their stake at the federation. In FIBA's letter, it stated in regards to Team Roopam that, "In addition, FIBA casts serious doubts on the legitimacy (let alone statuary validity) of a parallel general council held without the outgoing president, vice-president, secretary-general, and treasurer in attendance."

Another interesting passage from the letter states that, "Files submitted to FIBA contain extremely serious allegations which may be subject for criminal proceedings in India as well as proceedings under the FIBA Code of Ethics. In this respect, FIBA reserves its right to shed light on the allegations made and to initiate further proceedings should this matter not be settled within the Indian Basketball family in India and should the present decision not be accepted by all sides."

FIBA has asked both groups to come to a peaceful resolution, "keeping first and foremost the development of basketball in India and the good of the athletes in mind."

But FIBA's approval/recognition doesn't solve the riddle yet. Although Team Govindraj also received the Delhi High Court go-ahead to take charge of the BFI's Head Office and website a few weeks ago, the next step is for the IOA and the Ministry of Sports to recognize the rightful stake of the Govindraj-led committee, too. FIBA has requested in the letter for the IOA to abide by its decisions, too. Meanwhile, on FIBA's official website, the page on India still hasn't listed the names of the president and secretary-general that they have handed recognition to.

Even if the IOA recognize Team Govindraj, it may not yet be the end of Team Roopam, who have the resources, political connections, and clout to keep fighting for power. The contest may yet continue with court cases in the future, and it can't be ruled out that Team Roopam may make a separate, rebel association to challenge the BFI. Of course, FIBA won't have to recognize that rebel association, and thus, the players who take part in it will not be able to participate in FIBA affiliated events.

The letter confirmed that a FIBA delegation will visit India soon to provide support for the BFI.

There was one other excerpt from the letter, written above, that deserves to be repeated to keep in perspective what truly matters here. "... keeping first and foremost the development of basketball in India and the good of the athletes in mind." So far, the 'athletes' and the 'good of Indian basketball' has suffered the most as a victime of the BFI battle. Unfortunately, the situation will remain so until the storm clears up.

With the FIBA Asia Championships for Men and Women looming in just a few months, reaching a resolution is a race against time. The FIBA recognition takes us one step closer to the resolution: only when the BFI can have one, united, legal body to run it will FIBA 'unfreeze' the BFI and allow India to participate in international events again. Only then will the BFI able to give confidence to stakeholders in the sport (including sponsors like IMG Reliance and future Head Coaches of the national teams) to continue their faith in the country's basketball potential despite the recent scars.

You can find FIBA's entire letter here (via Ekalavyas). 

Contracts of India's Foreign basketball coaches Francisco Garcia and Tommy Heffelfinger not extended

While the Basketball Federation of India (BFI) attempts to juggle controversies and power struggles threatening to tear apart the nation's governing and controlling body of basketball from within, budgeting issues and internal changes of philosophy have struck another blow to the game: two foreign coaches - Women's National Team Head Coach Francisco Garcia and Strength and Conditioning Coach Tommy Heffelfinger - did not receive extensions to their contracts with the BFI and will end their tenure with India Basketball by the end of May.

The decisions to not extend the contracts of Garcia and Heffelfinger were taken by the contingent of the BFI currently being led by Poonam Mahajan and Roopam Sharma. The federation is currently facing a fracture in its top structure: two opposing executive committees have chosen two different presidents/secretaries from two different meetings to form the leadership group. Sources inside the BFI have said that the Mahajan/Sharma contingent made the decision to discontinue the coaches' contracts because they are short on money (since the bank accounts are controlled by the competing Govindraj team) and felt uncomfortable about disagreements that the staff members had with the leadership and direction of the Mahajan/Sharma team.

Garcia, a Spaniard, was hired by the BFI two years ago to helm India's Senior Women's team. Garcia enjoyed a relatively successful two year stretch, famously helping India finish at a best-ever fifth-place at the 2013 FIBA Asia Championship and helping a younger side to a bronze medal at the 2014 Lusofonia Games. Later in 2014, Garcia also coached the team to a 6th place finish at the Asian Games in Incheon. He has been active in taking his knowledge to the grassroots level, coaching players and other coaches at various events around the country over the last few years.

"The best thing was that we created a system of play," Garcia told me as he looked back to his achievements with Team India over the past two years, "When I first came here, the players were used to another kind of system. Now, players understand the game lot better. To reach that point is the best achievement for a coach. As a team obviously to win our first-ever game in FIBA ABC's Pool A and finishing 5th (best in Indian basketball history), ranking India 5th in Asia (best in history) have been huge. We got bronze medal at Lusofonia games with an under-22 team and we competed very well at Asían Games without three key players from the ABC."

Garcia added that his best memory in India, no doubt, was working with the players. "They were always open to new things and always tried their best, even in the bad days," he said.

There seems to be no clear plan of who will carry on the reigns of the Women's national team system after Garcia leaves. Starting at the end of August this year, the FIBA Asia Championship for Women - the most important international tournament for Indian basketball - will tip off in Wuhan (China). India will lose their Head Coach only a few months before this crucial tournament and thus, lose the continuity that he had built within.

As usual, there is a good chance that the Women's team will not receive the international exposure and experience needed to prepare for this tournament. "Main thing lacking is the competition of the players throughout the year," Garcia said, "There is no professional league and little international exposure."

"Additionally, our players have to strengthen their inside game to show up to the next level."

Garcia has received offers from another national teal in Asia and a team in Iceland. "I don't know, life is unpredictable," he said, "All can change in seconds."

Seeing another change at the top ultimately hurts the national team players the most, who have lacked continuity in leadership. Ever since the IMG Reliance deal with the BFI, the National Women's team has had three different foreign coaches in less than five years: Tamika Raymond, Pete Gaudet, and Francisco Garcia. With Garcia's contract expiring, will there be a fourth one in stow soon? Garcia's two years have brought some improvements in the team's performances, but more importantly, created a structure that was pointing towards steady improvement for the future, too. With a change in coaching, there will be a change in system, and thus, another hiccup in the development of basketball.

Strength and Conditioning Coach Tommy Heffelfinger, who arrived from the USA to build Indian basketball's S&C programme last year, had a two year contract with an option at the end of his first year. The BFI was to conduct a formal review of his work and determine if they would like to keep him for second year. The BFI claim they did the formal review, but an inside source told me that nobody from their leadership (CEO or Deputy CEO) spoke to Heffelfinger for three months prior to his termination or answered any emails he sent for same time. His first year ends 31 May, 2015.

Heffelfinger has shown commitment to making Indian basketball players stronger, fitter, and better versed in the appropriate diet and training regimes required for excelling in international basketball. Strength and conditioning has long been a problem for India compared to top Asian teams. Getting rid of Heffelfinger will further set India back in this regard.

India's Men's team Head Coach Scott Flemming - who joined me a few weeks ago for a conversation on the inaugural episode of the Hoopdarshan podcast - is continuing with his position for the foreseeable future.

Federation Games

The best way to solve Basketball Federation of India’s power struggle? A game of basketball, of course!

This article was first published in my column for Ekalavyas on April 9, 2015. Click here to read the original post.

Ms Poonam Mahajan (left) and Mr Govindraj are the two nominated Presidents
in each of the rival factions. Photo Courtesy: Ekalavyas

The stage was set for a showdown when two opposing factions of the Basketball Federation of India (BFI) called two separate Annual General Meetings (AGM) in two different cities on two different days. The purpose of both these meetings was to select a new executive committee – including a new BFI president – for the federation that governs all things India Basketball. And that is exactly what happened. In Bangalore on March 27, in a meeting led by former president KS Gill, the Karnataka State Basketball Association’s secretary K Govindraj was elected president; in Pune on March 28, in a meeting organized by BFI CEO Roopam Sharma, the chosen president was Poonam Mahajan.

Two meetings. Two presidents. Two executive committees. One federation. With neither side willing to back down, it has become clear that the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) will have to step in to resolve the issue. A legal battle in court might be the next chapter in this ugly drama.

But what if the problem was resolved on a different kind of court? After all, ‘Team Roopam’ and ‘Team Govindraj’ are each fighting for the throne to lead Indian basketball. Somewhere along this political fight, basketball itself seems to have been ignored. Maybe the best way to solve the Basketball Federation of India’s power struggle is just a game of basketball.

Introducing… The Basketball Game for Basketball, where the competing factions of the BFI play step out on the basketball court for one 40 minute contest to decide it all.

This is a (mostly) a work of fiction.

Setting

Three years ago, the BFI dedicated the Mastan YMCA basketball courts in Mumbai to the memory of former Secretary-General and CEO Harish Sharma. Sharma was the leader of the BFI and the CEO position had been created specifically to keep him in a position of power. Other positions like Secretary-General, President, Treasurer, and the rest of the Executive Committee have to be elected on the basis of a vote at the AGM. There is a time limit of how many years any one individual can keep hold of a senior committee position. After Sharma’s death in 2012, his wife Roopam Sharma was made CEO (instead of the position being abolished) and the divide within the BFI grew wider: some supported her, others didn’t. Of course, this means that he newly named Harish Sharma Basketball Courts in Mastan, Mumbai should play host to The Basketball Game for Basketball.

Team Govindraj

Starting 5: K Govindraj (President), Teja Singh Dhaliwal (Senior Vice-President), RS Gill (former President), Chander Mukhi Sharma (Secretary-General), V Raghothaman (Tresurer).

Bench: Ajay Sud, D.R. Saini, Shafiq Shaikh, Bhupendra Shahi, L. Suren (Vice-Presidents), Shakthi Singh Gohil (Associate Secretary), Norman Isaac (Executive Committee Member).

Team Roopam

Starting 5: Poonam Mahajan (President), Roopam Sharma (Secretary-General), Mukut Medhi (Treasurer), RS Chahal (Senior Vice President), Prempal Singh (Associate Secretary).

Bench: Nandini Bassapa, Ashok Kumar Sahu, Rajesh Patel, Ajeet Singh Rathore, Dalbir Singh Kharab, Vinod Vachani (Vice Presidents), Ashok Rangeen (Associate Secretary).

First off, Team Roopam must be praised for diversifying the gender field and featuring two women in the starting lineup (Mahajan and Sharma) and one off the bench (Bassapa). They also have youth on their side, kind of: 34-year-old Mahajan is the youngest president of any Indian sports federation. Both teams have some great Indian coaches and former players but Team Govindraj may be a little more athletic (I’m using the word ‘athletic’ in its broadest definition possible).

Team Roopam may have some home court advantage, specifically because of Mahajan’s Mumbai connection (she is the BJP national secretary and MP from the Mumbai North-Central Lok Sabha constituency) and because of the Maharashtra State Basketball Association (MSBA) support that Mahajan brings as the first women president of the MSBA. Mahajan has a lot of political clout and had a powerful father Pramod Mahajan, whose one-time aide was none other than the late Harish Sharma, Roopam’s husband. By extension, the overall political advantage goes to the president-secretary general combination of Mahajan and Roopam Sharma.

Team Govindraj may have the legal advantage, however. As per BFI’s constitution and the India’s Ministry of Sports code, only the president of a federation can call an AGM, and thus, the meeting in Bengaluru – held under the guidance of departing president RS Gill – was technically the only ‘legal’ one. Team Govindraj also scored a major win when FIBA – the international body that runs basketball around the world – recognised them as the rightful office-bearers of the BFI.

Tip-off!

Usually, the illustrious names that have been mentioned above do their best at every major Indian sports event to find the most comfortable sofa seats courtside, sip in the finest local chai, and make sure that there is an extra timeout called in every top game so that they can be introduced midcourt to the diligently lined-up players. But this time, it will be the VIPs taking the court while our top players sit on the bleachers and watch. Unhappily.

With more aggressive intent to their side, Team Roopam try to control the pace of the game, running and gunning from the get go and trying to put as many points on the board early in the first quarter. There are a lot of turnovers, bad passes, and individuals attempting to play one-on-one hero-ball, but due to the sheer number of their attempts and their opposition’s slow start, Team Roopam are able to take a double digit early lead.

But as the game moves along, Team Govindraj grind the pace down to their comfort level and defend hard in the post. The game takes an even uglier twist as neither side is able to make their field goals anymore. There are a lot of stoppages, and with the help of the free-throw line, Team Govindraj crawl back to tie the game by halftime.

‘Fans’

The score-keepers seated on the side are representatives from the Indian Olympics Association (IOA) and judges from the Delhi High Court. Despite their best efforts, they have a difficult time keeping track of the awry field goal percentages from both sides.

Meanwhile, representatives from IMG Worldwide and Reliance Industries – the partnership of the two powerful companies that brought sponsorship rights to the BFI five years ago –watch and judge the game from the sidelines, scouting for the finest prospects to work with to help develop the game in India in the future. IMG-Reliance have been hoping to help the BFI launch India’s first professional basketball league, a process that seems to have been suspended consistently over the past few years. Other sponsors are present too, watching the tamasha, as are representatives from the NBA and NBA India, who have vested interest in the long-term development of the sport after these intriguing Federation Games.

The camera pans from the sponsors and CEOs to the other end, where India’s best players and coaches – the individuals who should actually be the stars of the Indian basketball story – are seated. About 10 months ago, Coach Scott Flemming and his team’s top players like Amrit Pal Singh, Amjyot Singh, Vishesh Bhriguvanshi, and more helped India get a historic first win over China at the FIBA Asia Cup. Two years ago, India’s Women’s team – represented here by Coach Francisco Garcia, legendary player Geethu Anna Jose, Anitha Paul Durai, Jeena PS and others – helped India finish at their best-ever fifth place at the FIBA Asia Championship for Women. Jose was even conferred an Arjuna Award  this year.

(None of these accolades are mentioned of course because Indian basketball achievements weren’t the top priority at this basketball game).

Hundreds of more children, all of whom are basketball enthusiasts hoping to become stars for India and abroad, sit terror-stricken on bleachers around the stadium. Many concerned coaches reach over to them and cover their eyes to save them from the horrors ahead.

Second Half

Both teams start the second half with their more experienced players. For Team Roopam, coaches like Chhattisgarh’s Rajesh Patel, India’s junior coach Vinod Vachani, and Delhi’s Ashok Rangeen pit their collective strategies together to get some easy baskets for their team. For Team Govindraj, president Govindraj himself shows some moves from his playing days for Karnataka, while L. Suren rises off the bench to provide some defensive stops. Unfortunately, Team Roopam’s marquee player – president Poonam Mahajan – is confounded by the game that she is supposed to be presiding.

As the audience is subjected to a fourth quarter that no one wishes to watch, the game turns contentious, with the referees’ whistles threatening to steal the spotlight. An outlandish number of calls start going Team Roopam’s way, who opponents complain are winning the advantage due to political threats and blackmail. Team Roopam are unable to take advantage of the opportunity, however. The FIBA Commissioners presiding over this game – who have recently recognized Team Govindraj as the rightful office-bearers of the BFI – neutralize the refereeing scandal with imbalanced overseeing from their end.

By the final whistle, neither team has put up a particularly impressive score, all the players on court have picked up flagrant and technical fouls, and none of the fans are having a good time.

Final Whistle

Nobody is sure who won the game, but everyone knows that basketball lost.

Basketball Federation of India has two opposing executive committees headed to conflict

Sports needs leadership, and leadership - in a democratic system - needs politics. But when politics overshadows the sport it is supposed to be leading, the sport is tarnished.

Several weeks ago, the Basketball Federation of India's (BFI) Secretary-General Ajay Sud resigned from position. Behind him, the BFI divided in disaray, with two separate factions staking claim of authority over leadership of the federation. As the BFI's Annual General Meeting (AGM) loomed, the two factions called two separate meetings last week and selected two separate executive committees to head the BFI. Now, the two teams are likely headed to conflict and a court case.

Last week was the culmination of a tense power struggle which has embroiled the attention of everyone connected with the BFI, with the front-office politics garnering much more attention than actual basketball operations. For the past three weeks senior journalist at The Hindu and Sportstar Kamesh Srinivasan has done a masterful job at reporting this painful hoops theater via his blog. Even as it seemed absurd that the same federation would host two separate meetings with two separate groups of individuals for the same job positions, as the days passed by and various voting members of the BFI pledged their divided loyalties one way or the other, the absurd started to become the reality. Finally, on March 27 and March 28, separate AGMs were held in Bengaluru and Pune respectively and two separate executive committees were selected, each claiming their legal right to the throne.

The BFI is the governing and controlling body of basketball in India, and is responsible for the development and promotion of the sport at all levels. BFI has been involved in conducting camps, clinics, events, and training sessions at its academies for the development of basketball. It is the body responsible for fielding India's national basketball teams. BFI came into being in 1935 and took complete control over Indian basketball in 1950.

On Friday March 27, the BFI faction led by K Govindraj held their AGM in Bengaluru, with the support of outgoing president RS Gill. At this meeting, Govindraj replaced Gill was elected as BFI's president, Teja Singh Dhaliwal was named Senior Vice-President, Chander Mukhi Sharma was named Secretary-General, and V Raghothaman the Treasurer. This meeting abolished the posts of Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Deputy CEO, which were previously held by Roopam Sharma and Prem Pal Singh respectively.

Govindraj is a former player and also serves as the secretary of the Karnataka State Basketball Association (KSBBA). While he was selected BFI president in Bengaluru, former president Gill declared that this AGM was held under the ambit of the federation’s constitution. Observers from the Government of India, Government of Karnataka and FIBA Asia kept a close watch. "As per our constitution, only the president can call for a meeting and preside over it, and I was here for today’s meeting and all the other senior office-bearers were present too," Gill said, reported The Hindu. Gill also deemed the second AGM meeting illegal.

On Saturday March 28, the BFI faction led by CEO Roopam Sharma held their AGM in Pune. At this meeting, Poonam Mahajan was named the first-ever woman president of the federation and the youngest president of any sports federation of India, at 34. Sharma was elected as the BFI's Secretary-General, and Mukut Medhi (Secretary of Basketball Association of Assam) was named the new Treasurer.

Mahajan, a politician who is also the BJP national secretary and MP from the Mumbai North-Central Lok Sabha constituency, was also voted unanimously as the Maharashtra State Basketball Association's (MSBA) first woman president a few months ago. According to The Hindu, from the 32 affiliated units of the BFI, 22 took part in the Pune AGM. The daylong meeting was attended by 40 members of the 62 eligible voters. This meeting also had observers from the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) (Virendra D Nanavati), Government of India (Virendra Bhandarkar), and FIBA Asia keeping a close watch.

In the spirit of perfect diplomacy, the FIBA Asia overseer at both meetings was the same person: Mageshwaran Saba.

According to 'Team Sharma', some of the voting members at the 'Team Govindraj' meeting in Bengaluru didn't have voting rights while some were from barred units, and therefore, their decisions should not count. Gill refutes this claim. Team Govindraj used the BFI's constitution as well as the government guidelines from the 2011 Sports Code to claim that the CEO has no authority to appoint a returning officer or call a meeting, and thus, the Team Sharma meeting in Pune in itself was illegal. Sharma's CEO position had been created specifically for her husband - Harish Sharma - several years ago, and passed on to her after Harish's death. The position was outside the realms of normal sports federation seats such as Secretary-General, President, or Treasurer, all of which have to be rotated routinely and are part of the democratically voted structure created in Indian sports.

So what happens now?

The New Indian Express wrote yesterday that, with both the sides refusing to back down from their position, the issue may go up to the Indian Olympic Association (IOA). Senior IOA officials have shown concern at these developments and (quoting The New Indian Express) even said if the issue was not settled, then the matter would end up in court.

Meanwhile, real Indian basketball begun this week, too, with the tip-off of the 2015 Federation Cup in Pune on Sunday, March 29. For now, it is Team Roopam presiding over the tournament. But in the long term, it is clear that this divide is going to break apart Indian basketball operations from the inside, with some of the member states reporting to one side, some to the other, leading to no real resolution.

A court case seems to be the likely scenario, and hopefully, a resolution is reached to determine the true leaders of the federation. Indian basketball has suffered with mismanagement for years, and this conflict threatens to stall progress of hoops in the country even further. For the players, coaches, referees, and fans of the game who care about the sport and not the back-office politics, the hope will be that, whoever wins the legal battle will actually be interested in Indian basketball more than furthering their own political clout.

UPDATE: The Hindu reported today that 'Team Govindraj' has received recognition from FIBA as the office-bearers of the BFI. The Govindraj Group has also changed the 'authorized signatories' of BFI's bank account and has initiated the process to take over BFI's physical office in New Delhi. This is far from the end of the conflict, however, as the matter is slated to be held in the Delhi High Court.

2015 Federation Cup tips off in Pune today amid BFI political drama

Usually, basketball news is what you receive when you search for news about basketball. Elementary, isn't it? Well, not in India. Embroiled with different factions fighting among each other to gain the control and power that comes with the leadership of the Basketball Federation of India (BFI), Indian basketball has taken a backseat to Indian basketball politics. So much so that, the BFI itself seems to have been more interested in promoting their elections on their website rather than promoting the 29th Federation Cup All India Basketball Championship for Men and Women, one of the nation's top state/club level tournaments, which is tipping off in Pune (Maharashtra) today.

To briefly recap the off-the-court drama in recent days, two rebelling factions of the BFI selected two opposing executive committees to run the federation this week: one led by K. Govindraj and Teja Singh Dhaliwal in Bengaluru, the other by Poonam Mahajan and Roopam Sharma in Pune. But if you guys are done with your power-struggles, maybe its time to think about what you're actually fighting for: the basketball.

The Federation Cup pits India's most successful recent clubs or states against each other. Therefore, in the Men's division, the participating teams will be chosen from the eight best club sides from India's top ranking states in the previous National Basketball Championship, while the Women's teams will be represented by the eight top rankings states or railway units themselves. The 29th Federation Cup, organized by the BFI in association with Maharashtra State Basketball Association (MSBA) and Pune District Basketball Association will be held at Shiv Chhatrapati Krida Sankul in Mahalunge, Pune from March 29 - April 2.

ONGC Men - representing Uttarakhand - who have won the last two Federation Cup trophies, will be looking forward to making it a three-peat in Pune this year. Last year's women's winner Chhattisgarh, who are also the two-time reigning national championship winners, will be hoping to retain their trophy, too.

According to an update on Ekalavyas.com yesterday, the tournament will be inaugurated on today by Girish Bapat, Cabinet Minister and BFI's first woman president (or so says one BFI faction) Poonam Mahajan.

BFI's political drama threatens to once again shift the focus and the privileges to the politicians sitting on the sofa rather than the players sweating it out on the court, itself. Hopefully, through the course of the Federation Cup, the country's most talented players are able to remind us why we love the game of basketball. For the actual basketball.

Ajay Sud resigns from post of Basketball Federation of India's Secretary-General while the BFI divides in disarray

After several years of holding court as the Basketball Federation of India's (BFI) Secretary-General, Ajay Sud surprisingly resigned from his position earlier this month. Sud's resignation has come around a time of disarray for the BFI: with their Annual General Meeting (AGM) about 10 days away, factions within the federation that governs basketball in India have been divided. It is a problem that roots within a power and leadership struggle at the helm of the BFI and showed its effect when two separate circulars were sent to state basketball secretaries about the date and location of the AGM this year.

Around four years after becoming the Secretary-General, Sud has resigned from his post, and there are suspicious that the conflict and pressure within the BFI - especially in regards to the AGM - may have led Sud to this decision. While there are some claims that it was originally planned for the AGM to be held in Bengaluru on March 27, the new circular on the BFI website claimed that the AGM instead will be held in Pune (during the Federation Cup) on March 28.

For sporting bodies in India, the Secretary-General is one of the senior-most positions of operation. Federations like the BFI are led by a triumvirate of the President, Secretary-General, and Treasurer. All three positions have a maximum-allowed time of service and the Secretary-General is chosen by a vote by the executive committee, made up of secretaries of the state federations around India. Up to around 2011, the federation's Secretary-General was Harish Sharma, but the BFI created a new position – CEO – for him, which could be exempt from the maximum eight-year term of service and is not answerable to the federation’s president (RS Gill). Sud then replaced Sharma as the Secretary-General. After Sharma's death in 2012, his wife Roopam Sharma took over as the BFI CEO and has since held the position that gives her the power without a government-mandated time limit.

Within the BFI, senior leaders had discussed to now end the CEO position and degrade Roopam Sharma to the (non-permanent) Secretary-General position at the AGM; this could be the reason why those in support of Sharma as the CEO would be willing to a different annual meeting than those who were against it.

Sports journalist Kamesh Srinivasan - who has long-covered basketball for The Hindu and Sportstar - exposed the news about Sud's resignation and the split within Indian basketball on his blog a few days ago:

... a communication to the members was sent on February 28 about the AGM, with a promise that the details would follow shortly, as advised by the BFI president. However, the secretary general of the BFI, Ajay Sud, sent a circular on March 2, stating that the AGM would be held in Pune on March 28. Perturbed at having to go against the original understanding and directive of the president, the secretary general tendered his resignation the same day, after sending the circular.
"On moral ground and taking responsibility for what has happened, I extend my resignation... ", wrote Ajay Sud, in his communication
to the president, with copies to all the members of the association.

"I was pressured by some people to change the venue of meetings to Pune for which I gave my consent without the approval of President under
my scanned signatures on 2nd March 2015. As this action of mine was not according to my conscience and moral values... I resigned from the post of Secretary General", clarified Ajay Sud on Thursday.

The president RS Gill, who has served three terms in office and will be stepping aside after the AGM, took charge of the situation by sending the circulars to the members and also appointing a Returning Officer for the election to be held in Bengaluru on March 27, as he derived the powers to do so in the absence of the secretary general, as per the Constitution of the BFI.
However, the BFI with its headquarters in Delhi, swung into action and called the actions of the president as ‘illegal’ and ‘unconstitutional’. It has also sought the intervention of the Union Sports Ministry and the Indian Olympic Association (IOA), stressing that the president had no authority to act the way he had done.
"Under the given circumstances, the President should have called for an emergency meeting of the Executive Board to discuss the status and
to take the consent of the General House", wrote CEO Roopam Sharma, emphasizing that she had the "sole legal authority to represent BFI including all correspondence as per the constitution of BFI".

I suggest that you read the full post by Srinivasan that had earlier brought this entire issue to light.

In India, the sports development code – formed by the Ministry of Sports – only allows a maximum of eight years for principal office bearers of a sports federation. During the past decade, Harish Sharma was the overruling ‘father’ of BFI, and thus, Indian Basketball as a whole. The BFI created the CEO position for Sharma, explaining that it was created specifically to keep him in a position of influential leadership. But in early 2012, at just the age of 53, Harish Sharma passed away, leaving the leadership of the BFI in temporary disarray. Instead of reverting to the old constitution (without a CEO), the BFI named Harish’s wife – Roopam Sharma – as the federation’s new CEO a few months later. Without a government-mandated time limitation for this position, Roopam – who is also a Deputy GM of Air India (Ground Relations) – is still the CEO, and may continue to remain so. She and her Deputy CEO Prem Pal Singh remain responsible for the majority of BFI’s decision-making, and thus, for the fortunes and future of basketball in India.

While the BFI has expanded its grassroots reach over the last few years with massive school and college leagues across dozens of Indian cities, there remains some dissatisfaction among federation insiders who believe that the current administration is failing to focus on a long-term development plan for the game.

At the AGM - wherever it's held - the BFI will elect new leaders and executive committee. While Sharma fights to a) keep the AGM in Pune and b) keep her CEO position, she can also count on the support of associates elected as representatives in other states who have had her support to win their state-level elections.

A prime example of this is in Maharashtra, where the experienced previous secretary of the Maharashtra State Basketball Association (MSBA) M. Venkatesh did not find a place for himself in the new structuring of the state federation last month to the surprise of many who respected his work for leading the development of basketball in Maharashtra and nation-wide. BJP politician and Mumbai North Member of Parliament Poonam Mahajan was voted unanimously as the MSBA’s new president while; Venkatesh was excluded was the entire 15-member executive committee. The General Secretary and President of each state federation in India gets a vote at the national level in choosing the BFI's general-secretary. With favourable individuals at the helm of the states, the BFI leadership can hope to extend their hold of the national power structure.

Sud has unwittingly become the latest pawn to fall in this elaborate game that is more chess than basketball. When I interviewed him a few months ago, Sud had told me that he would definitely be trying for another term as Secretary-General at the AGM, but had added that, "There is a lot of politics going on in the BFI,". Now, a few weeks before the event itself, he has counted himself out of the running. He now serves only as the secretary of the Himachal Pradesh Basketball Association (HPBA).

Photo courtesy: Ekalavyas.com

Meanwhile, Venkatesh - who remains as one of the Vice Presidents of the BFI - has said that there is much work to be done to save the future of basketball in India.

“We should have a long-term plan,” Venkatesh told me, “We have foreign coaches, but our coaches should not be idle. They should always been doing something. We have plan for the Asian Basketball Championship (ABC) two years ahead every time. Who has to make the plan? Grassroots training isn't targeted or planned, either. That is the future of basketball in India. But we are continuing with the same old people and not getting any better performances at the ABC. When Harish Sharma was there, he was Secretary-General, the CEO of BFI, the Secretary-General of Middle Asia Zone, member of FIBA Asia, and IOA president. Today we don't have any Indian representation in FIBA Asia, Middle Asia etc."

Last summer, when India’s Men’s national team overcame the wildest odds and 40 spots of FIBA ranking to defeat the mighty China for the first time in the nation’s basketball history, it seemed that basketball in India was ready to take a great leap forward. American Head Coach Scott Flemming had successfully inspired the underdog side through self-belief and team-spirit to challenge several more talented teams at the FIBA Asia Cup in Wuhan (China) and ushered in a promise of international success ahead.

Unfortunately, back home in their own country, India’s basketball heroes have returned to a different kind of team. To a broken federation of associations that are running the sport in India and allowing internal politics to stunt the growth of India’s basketball potential. Fans of the game will hope that there is a quick and clean resolution to the power struggle at the top and the BFI returns to the path of thinking about the sport, instead of thinking about itself.

Team India Women's coach Francisco Garcia to hold basketball clinic in Nagpur

Since he was hired as the new Head Coach of India's senior women's team about 18 months ago, Francisco Garcia has picked up an intimate understanding of the basketball structure in India and the requirements to help propel the national squad to greater heights. Now, the coach out of Spain will be heading out on the field and into the grassroots to Nagpur to help burgeoning basketball talent in the city and potentially scout more young players to represent India at the international stage.

As part of The Times of India's 'Nagpur for Kids' campaign, Garcia will be at the 'Orange City' in Maharashtra from January 9-13. The coach is scheduled to hold activities with city kids on January 10th and then guide selected players at the Shankar Nagar-based Dharampeth Krida Mandal (DKM) courts on January 11-12. The selected players will take part in four training sessions during these two days, at the end of which, Garcia may recommend the top players to be selected for national basketball camps by the Basketball Federation of India (BFI).

The programme is a unique initiative of the BFI to identify talented players at the grassroots level. The special clinic materialized due to the efforts of the BFI's CEO Roopam Sharma, the Nagpur District Basketball Association (NDBA), The Times of India, and DKM officials. Last year, India's Men's Head Coach Scott Flemming conducted similar clinics in Nagpur.

Garcia has 20 years of club basketball coaching experience in Europe, and helped lead Team India Women to a best-ever fifth-place finish at the FIBA Asia Championship for Women in 2013.

2014 Indian School/College Basketball League National Finals begin in New Delhi

Whatever your city, your school, your college, or your favourite player, there is sure to be enough drama for the basketball fan in New Delhi over the next week. It took three months of action in 24 cities, bringing together over 13,000 players from over 1100 institutions, and now, finally, the Finals are here. The national finals of the expanded Indian School Basketball League (ISBL) and Indian College Basketball League (ICBL) - organized by the Basketball Federation of India and IMG Reliance - tipped off at the Thyagaraj Stadium in New Delhi on Monday, December 15. 40 school and college teams in the men's and women's divisions from 10 cities around India are battling for the ultimate honours: becoming national ISBL/ICBL champions after the finals on December 21.

The revamped BFI-IMG Reliance ISBL/ICBL tipped off in late September this year with ambitious expansion to various new cities and the involvement of many new schools and colleges in the programme this year. The tournament featured teams two different formats for each division in the ISBL and ICBL: the Premier League and the Challenger League.

Each of the winners of the Premier League cities are now in New Delhi vying for the national crown, while the Challenger League winners will be getting a chance to win promotion into the upper league. Four categories of national champions will be crowned from the Premier League cities: Men’s National College Champion, Women’s National College Champion, Boy’s National School Champion, and Girl’s National School Champion.

“These leagues have given a much needed platform for players to garner attention from scouts and coaches and that bodes well for students who aspire to make a career in basketball,” said BFI's CEO Roopam Sharma in a report to Ekalavyas.com. “This is the first and most important step in creating a sustainable basketball ecosystem that will nurture and develop talent across India and based out on the turnout at the city levels, I except an exciting and competitive Finals that will help further promote the game. My best wishes to all the national finalists and I hope all the participating teams in both the leagues enjoy themselves and learn more about the game, so they come back stronger next season.”

The total prize money for all the categories is valued at Rs. 43 lakhs. Winnings teams will also be rewarded with court refurbishments at the school or college. Runners-ups will also get support on improving basketball infrastructure in their educational institutions.

“The Indian School Basketball League and Indian College Basketball League are the first national multi-city, pan-India events of their kind and represent a key milestone in the Basketball Federation of India and IMG Reliance partnership," said Ashu Jindal, the CEO of IMG Reliance, "Together, for the past four years, we have been working to grow the sport of basketball and improve the technical quality of play in India; through these leagues, youngsters in over 22 cities have been exposed high quality, structured league competition for the first time. The response we have gotten from schools and colleges is phenomenal, this year an unprecedented 13000 young cagers have participated in the three month leagues and we look forward to reaching out to more players every year."

Apart from the on-court competition, attending players and coaches will also get a chance to participate in clinics conducted by India's National Senior Men's Coach Scott Flemming and National Strength and Conditioning Coach Tommy Heffelfinger.

There will also be the first-ever national Skills Challenge, which will include a dunk contest, three-point contest, and more.

BFI makes GoZoop official digital partner for Indian school/college basketball leagues

The Basketball Federation of India (BFI) promised a more professional approach to aiding the rise of the game in the country, and with the massive expansion of this season's Indian school and college leagues, they are looking to make inroads in the digital world too, to help create further awareness about the basketball events around India.

To do so, the BFI announced recently that they have made Indian digital and social media agency GoZoop their official digital partner for the Indian School Basketball League (ISBL) and the Indian College Basketball League (ICBL). Both leagues - held in 22 and 21 cities respectively around India - are being organized by the BFI in partnership with IMG Reliance.

Afaqs! reported that, as a part of the mandate, Gozoop will help in increasing awareness and interest around basketball among the youth across India. The ISBL and ICBL both began a few weeks ago and are slated to conclude the season with national finals in New Delhi in December.

Ahmed Naqvi, CEO and co-founder of GoZoop said, "We're really excited be a part of [this partnership]. Sports have a unifying power to connect people and we will use the digital medium to further enhance this."

A few weeks ago, I spoke to the BFI's CEO Roopam Sharma about the basketball leagues, financial challenges, and the NBA dream in Indian basketball. She stated that the BFI was aiming for a more professional and comprehensive approach in the school/college leagues this year, and the news of this partnership with GoZoop is a step in that direction. "Our association with Gozoop will allow the nation's basketball enthusiasts to come together as a community," said Sharma.