In Your Face: Zhou Qi

I originally wrote this article for the August 2016 edition of SLAM Magazine (SLAM No. 200).

Xinjiang, 7-2, C

When Yao Ming announced his retirement in 2011, he left a 7-foot-plus hole in the hearts of the world’s most-populous nation. But months before Yao’s career officially ended, China already got a promise of the future. Proudly wearing China’s colours at the little know Turk Telecom youth tournament in Turkey, 15-year-old Zhou Qi helped his country to an unlikely gold medal, putting up 41 points, 28 rebounds, and 15 blocks in the semi-final against Germany and providing a game-winning encore with 30-17-8 against the hosts in the Final.

For the next five years, Zhou slowly turned his promise to reality. He made his name in China’s youth circuits, destroyed Asian opponents, and become a young star in the Chinese Basketball Association.

But now, the skinny (listed at 218 lbs), 7-foot-2, 20-year-old from the city of Xinxiang is ready to bulk up into an even larger pair of shoes: after years of success in China, the young man must prove himself all over again in the United States.

“I want teams and fans in the US to know, first and foremost, that I’m a team player,” Zhou says. “I wanna be in an environment where I can help my teammates to be the best they can be.”

“Today’s NBA is asking so much more from a single player. To be more than a single position. The game is much faster. I need to adopt to different styles of play. On offense, I must learn to attack from the outside, be both a perimeter and a post player. On defence, I must learn to guard guards as well as centers.”

Zhou hopes to find long-term success in the league. But even before he ever steps on an NBA court, he’ll know that the weight of Yao be hanging over his slender shoulders.

“I don’t feel any pressure. If I can take the torch from Yao, I hope I can have a good career and pass the torch to someone to else. Right now, I just want to be myself.”

USA show best of next generation with U19 FIBA World Championship win

It took a finale closer than expected, an overtime period, and heroic performances by some of the best young basketball players in the world, but the USA finally survived a spirited challenge from Croatia to defend their title at the 2015 U19 FIBA World Championship, held at Heraklion in Greece from June 27 to July 5. It was the USA's sixth title in the tournament, and further emphasized the Americans' dominance at all levels over world basketball.

Click here for the full article on SportsKeeda.

USA Women lift the 2014 World Championship in Turkey

The final against Spain was supposed to be their toughest test. But true to form, led by the best basketball players in the world, Team USA started off hot to calm any fears of an upset and defeated Spain to win their consecutive title at the 2014 FIBA World Championship for Women in Turkey on Sunday, October 5th. This was USA's ninth triumph in this tournament and another cap in the feather of the dominating American basketball system, less than a month after their men's squad had collected their own World Cup trophy in Spain.

USA, who finished the tournament with a perfect 6-0, started off the final against Spain on a 15-5 run and never looked back. Reigning WNBA MVP Maya Moore was once again the star of the show, scoring a game-high 18 points in the final. After being up 48-29 at halftime, USA finally took their foot off the accelerator, and cruised the rest of the way to a comfortable 77-64 win. This was USA's fourth triumph in the last five iterations of the tournament. Spain - the FIBA EuroBasket 2013 champs - were led in the final by Sancho Lyttle (16) in their first-ever finals appearance at the FIBA Women's Worlds.

Also on Sunday, Australia dominated hosts Turkey en route to a huge 30 point win which handed them the bronze medal at the championship. Marianna Tolo (21) boosted the Australians on the offensive end, as they limited Turkey to just four and seven points in the first and third quarters respectively. Without any consistent scoring from their end, Turkey were defeated 74-44.

A day earlier, USA had defeated Australia in the Semi-Final 82-70, with Tina Charles (18 points, 9 rebounds) and Maya Moore (16) doing most of the damage for the Americans. Although they were defeated, Australia bowed out with their heads up high after a good performance against the favourites. Erin Phillips led the Australians with 19. In the previous semi-final, Alba Torrens (28 points, 6 rebounds) helped Spain break the deadlock after three close quarters against Turkey to finally extend to a 66-56 win. With the two teams locked neck-to-neck for three quarters, Spain, who held just a two point lead before the start of the final period, outscored Turkey 25-17 in the final period to ensure the win and an appearance in the Final. Sancho Lyttle added 18 for Spain, while Turkey were led by Lara Sanders (18 points, 8 rebounds) and Nevriye Yılmaz (18).

Maya Moore - the leading scorer for the USA - was named the MVP of the tournament.

Final Standings

• 1. USA
  
• 2. Spain
  
• 3. Australia
  
• 4. Turkey
  
• 5. Canada
  

All Tournament Team

• Maya Moore (USA) - MVP
  
• Brittney Griner (USA)
  
• Alba Torrens (Spain)
  
• Sancho Lyttle (Spain)
  
• Penny Taylor (Australia)
  

World Cup Shot Clock: 24 things to look forward to for the FIBA Basketball World Cup

Over the next two weeks, some of the top basketball players in the world will face off at the FIBA World Cup, the biggest global festival of hoops. From top contenders, exciting new faces, dark-horses, and a little bit of history, here are 24 things that you need to look forward to for the World Cup.

Click here to read full feature

Team India concludes practice run in Istanbul with four easy wins

In preparation for the biggest Asian basketball tournament – the 27th FIBA Asia Championship for Men to be held in Manila from August 1 – India’s National Basketball squad spent the last nine days in Istanbul (Turkey) with their Head Coach Scott Flemming, taking part in intense training and scrimmages from various squads from across the region. India won all four of their practice games by blowout margins.

India’s final 12-man roster chosen to represent the country at the FIBA ABC in Manila was revealed last earlier this month, and Flemming – formerly coach of the NBDL side Texas Legends – took the same squad of players to Turkey for friendly matches.

Here are the results, via the Basketball Federation of India:

July 22: India bt. Pasa Yildirim Club 91-49
July 25: India bt. Professional Club from Cameroon 108-65
July 26: India bt. Combined Turkish Club 82-51
July 27: India bt. Tildirim Bosna Club 88-50

The Indian squad has now left for Manila, and their next game will be in their tournament opener against Bahrain on Wednesday, August 1. India are in Group D of the FIBA Asia Championship, along with Bahrain, Thailand, and Kazakhstan.

India’s Men’s Basketball roster revealed for 2013 FIBA Asia Championship

The final 12-man roster of players who are set to represent Team India at the 2013 FIBA Asia Championship Basketball in Manila (Philippines) from August 1-11 has been revealed by the team’s Head Coach, Scott Flemming. The FIBA Asia Championship (known popularly as the FIBA ABC) is the most prestigious basketball tournament in Asia.

Team India for 2013 FIBA Asia Championship

Joginder Singh - PG - 5-11
Sambhaji Kadam - PG - 5-10
Vishesh Bhriguvanshi - G - 6-2
Narender Kumar Grewal - SF - 6-3
Vinay Kaushik - G - 6-2
Arjun Singh - G - 6-4
Pratham Singh - G - 6-2
Yadwinder Singh - F - 6-6
Amjyot Singh Gill - F - 6-9
Rikin Pethani - F/C - 6-9
Amrit Pal Singh - C - 6-11
Satnam Singh Bhamara - C - 7-2

Head Coach: Scott Flemming
Coach: Jora Singh
Coach: Prasad Rama Linga
Physiotherapist: Naved Hameed

Coach Flemming has made three changes to the squad from the one that helped India qualify for the FIBA ABC in early June after winning the SABA Zone Qualifiers against Nepal and Afghanistan. The most important addition has been of 17-year-old 7-foot-2 phenom Satnam Singh Bhamara. Bhamara, who currently studies and practices his craft at the IMG Basketball Academy in Florida, came back to India after missing out on the qualifiers and won his place back in the team. The youngster played a backup role in Kenny Natt's team at the 2011 FIBA ABC, but his rapid improvement and of course, incredible size might thrust him into the starting lineup this time around.

In addition, 6-4 expert point guard Arjun Singh ('Golu') and Pratham Singh have been added to the team to replace Basil Phillip and talented youngster Loveneet Singh.

In an effort to get younger, there are also some big-name omissions from the team that played in the 2011 ABC, including Hareesh Koroth, TJ Sahi, Jagdeep Singh Bains, Trideep Rai, and Prakash Mishra.

The Indian squad left for Istanbul (Turkey) on July 19th, where they will take part in a training camp and practice matches before their trip to the Philippines at the end of the month.

Groups and Preliminary Round Schedule

India have been placed in Group D with Kazakhstan, Thailand, and Bahrain.

Group A: Jordan, Chinese Taipei, Saudi Arabia, Philippines
Group B: Japan, Qatar, Hong Kong*
Group C: China, Korea, Iran, Malaysia
Group D: Kazakhstan, Thailand, India, Bahrain

*Lebanon, who were initially in Group B of the tournament, were suspended by FIBA on August 11. Since they couldn't find a replacement in time, the fray of the competition has been reduced to just 15 teams.

August 1, 2013: India vs. Bahrain
August 2, 2013: Thailand vs. India
August 3, 2013: India vs. Kazakhstan

Photo courtesy: Gopalakrishnan R.

India has to finish in the top three to qualify for 'Group F' in the Second Round of the tournament, carrying on their points from the preliminary stage and playing against the top three teams from Group C. If they finish amongst the top four (of six) in Group F, they will be in the Quarter-Finals for the beginning of a traditional knock-out round. The Final of the tournament will be held on August 11th.

China are the reigning champions, who won an incredible 15th FIBA ABC title at home in Wuhan in 2011. India finished at a dismal 14th place two years ago, but this year's squad will be hoping to make some noise in Manila to secure a higher finish at the tournament.

Spain are once again Europe's finest basketball team

Did you follow the EuroBasket? You know, that thing featuring the best basketball teams in Europe, and the best European basketball players, and some incredible hoops in Lithuania the past three weeks? No, LeBron and Kobe weren't there. They didn't need to be: as the EuroBasket 2011 proved, we have come a long way in the last two decades. Basketball in Europe was always competitive and featured high-quality, but now, it is becoming mainstream too, and in my opinion, more exciting than ever.

With the NBA lockout threatening to keep us away from high-quality basketball for a long, long time, there was no better place to see the next best thing of competitive world class hoops action than the EuroBasket. No fear, NBA-philes, for there was a healthy representation of the league in this championship. The Final of the EuroBasket featured the two teams with the most NBA players: Spain and France. What does that prove? Well, first of all, NBA teams know what the hell they are up to and are signing the world's best players. And secondly, it's showing the confidence that European players are gleaning from their time in the NBA, which is helping up dominate back home.

The champions were once again Spain, who have now won the EuroBasket for the second time in a row, and are perhaps the world's best team outside of the mighty USA, and were the only team to push the 'Redeem Team' to the brink in the 2008 Olympics. Don't worry, Spain fans, your team will get that chance again: by qualifying for the EuroBasket finals, both Spain and France also booked their place for the 2012 Olympics. USA are already there because of their World Championship victory.

But back to the EuroBasket final, though: it was a fair final, featuring two of the best teams in the competition. Spain's NBA representation came in the form of the mighty Gasol brothers (Pau and Marc), Rudy Fernandez, Ricky Rubio, Jose Calderon, and newly nationalised Serge Ibaka. Funny, because the one man this list doesn't mention is the man who was actually named MVP of the tournament, Juan Carlos Navarro.

France had the likes of Tony Parker, Joakim Noah, Nicolas Batum, Boris Diaw, and Kevin Seraphin. Mikael Pietrus, another talented French player in the NBA, missed the tournament due to injury.

The final was more or less the Navarro show, as the talented swingman carried off the momentum he had going in the semi-final to pour in 27 points and added five assists in the final. The Barcelona player known as "La Bomba" had 35 points against Macedonia in the semis just a few nights earlier. The EuroBasket MVP averaged 18.7 ppg in the course of the tournament, but saved his biggest performances for the end.

Spain led most of the way and won the game 98-85, which is quite a high-scoring result for an international game. Pau Gasol, who I still believe is Spain's most important player, seemed to be playing hobbled through the course of the tournament, but he still poured in 17 points and 10 rebounds in the Final. Gasol averaged 20.1 ppg and 8.3 rpg in the tournament.

Tony Parker was easily the best point guard in Europe in the tournament, and scored 26 points in a losing effort in the Final. Parker was the leading scorer at the EuroBasket, averaging 22.1 ppg.

One of the stories of the championship was the team from Macedonia. Completely underrated, Macedonia had a fairy-tale run into the Semi-Finals, which included an incredible victory over the hosts and superpower Lithuania in the Quarter-Finals. Macedonia were led by Bo McCalebb, an American born Macedonia-nationalised player, who averaged 21.4 ppg in the course of the tournament.

And then there was Russia: a team which quietly and efficiently went about their business, losing only one game, that a semi-final to France, en-route to a third place finish in the tournament. Russia were led, as usual, by the brilliant Andrei Kirilenko (who has unfortunately not been that brilliant for the Utah Jazz over the past several years). Russia defeated Macedonia in a close game 72-68, to win third place.

The biggest disappointment of the EuroBasket was found in Spain too, and he went by the name of Ricky Rubio. Few 20-year-olds have had this many pendulum swings in individual form, team success, and public opinion than Rubio. A player who became a star at 15, was troubling the world's best at the Olympics in 2008, was drafted by the Timberwolves in 2009 and didn't show, won a lot with his club and his country, but somewhere in between, completely lost confidence and now seems to be a ghost of a player we once saw. And all this before he can legally buy himself a drink in America: which is something he should be thinking about right now, since Rubio is finally making his trip to the NBA to play for the T-Wolves when and if the Lockout ends. Rubio had a horrible championship, but hey, he was the point guard / floor general of the best team in Europe. His talent will never be statified, so I won't even try: you have to watch him play and see the team results to decide how good or bad he is.

So, to sum it up, Rubio was bad at the Euros, but he was good enough to win!

The other disappointment was Turkey, who, after a brilliant silver-medal performance at the World Championship, couldn't even make it past the group stage in this tournament, and ended at 11th place.

In the earlier rounds, players like Luol Deng for Great Britain and Dirk Nowitzki for Germany carried their teams as far as they could with good individual play - Dirk had a little more help by Chris Kaman in his side, actually.

Here are the final standings:

1. Spain

2. France

3. Russia

4. Macedona

5. Lithuania

Here is the All Tournament team:

PG: Tony Parker (France)

SG: Bo McCalebb (France)

SF: Juan Carlos Navarro (Spain) - MVP

PF: Andrei Kirilenko (Russia)

C: Pau Gasol (Spain)

Russia win EuroBasket Women 2011

Russian Women defeated Turkey in the Final of the European Women's Basketball Championship - or EuroBasket Women - to win the tournament's 2011 edition, which was held in Poland from June 18 - July 3, 2011.

In the Final, Russia were led by a 18 points and 12 rebounds by Maria Stepanova, as they eased passed Turkey, 59-42, to capture their third EuroBasket Women's title. Russia's Elena Danilochkina was named the MVP of the tournament.

Russia won the tournament's gold medal, Turkey was given the silver, and France defeated the Czech Republic to secure bronze.

The 'All Tournament' team was: Maria Stepanova (Russia), Elena Danilochkina (Russia), Nevriye Yilmaz (Turkey), Eva Viteckova (Czech Republic), and Sandra Mandir (Croatia).

Team USA are World Basketball Champions

The americans are officially back on top of the basketball world.

After what seemed to be like an endless stream of upset losses, mediocre play, underwhelming performances, and bronze medals in the international game, Team USA completed their process of redemption by winning gold at the FIBA World Championships in Turkey. USA beat the hosts 81-64 in the final on Sunday, providing the perfect ending to an impressive unbeaten tournament. Paired with the awe-inspiring exploits of the 'Redeem Team' which won the Beijing Olympic gold in 2008, the US have left no doubts on being the best international team in the business.

But, unlike the 'Redeem Team', the World Championship squad, labelled the 'B' team by their detractors, did not arrive with the same superstar hoopla. The team had no super-duper-star except for Kevin Durant. Gone were the Dwyane Wades, the Kobe Bryants, the LeBron James', and the Carmelo Anthonies. They were replaced by the likes of Lamar Odom, Derrick Rose, Russell Westbrook, and Andre Igoudala. The only other veteran presence except for Odom in this team was Chauncey Billups.

The 21-year-old Durant, the NBA's leading scorer last season (the youngest ever!) grabbed this opportunity with both hands to become the best player in the world. He ended up as the tournament's MVP, averaging 22.8 points and 6.2 rebounds per game during the course of the tournament. He showed up as the going got tougher, scoring 33 in the Quarter Final against Russia, 38 in the semis against Lithuania, and 28 in the final against Turkey. He was the USA's most consistent and trustworthy player, game after game, and has staked his claim to replace some of the other "stars" when USA prepare their squad for the 2012 Olympics.

Durant scored more points than any American in the World Championships ever (205) and scored more points in a single game than any American ever (38). If I had to bet today, I can see him easily becoming the NBA's MVP in the 2010-11 season.

Hosts Turkey put up a brave show, going undefeated until the final, led by Hedo Turkoglu and Ersan Ilyasova. Lithuania defeated Serbia to win the bronze medal, and both teams an excellent overall tournament. The play of the tournament would probably be Serbia's Milos Teodosic's game-winning three to shock Spain.

Speaking of: Spain were probably the biggest disappointments of the tournament. Playing without last World Championships' MVP Pau Gasol, Spain failed to really make a mark, finishing sixth, below Argentina, who were fifth. Argentina featured some amazing play by Luis Scola, who averaged 27.1 ppg (tournament leader), 7.9 rpg, and was an influence all over the court.

FIBA's team of the tournament was:

Kevin Durant (USA)
Luis Scola (Argentina)
Hedo Turkoglu (Turkey)
Linas Kleiza (Lithuania)
Milos Teodosic (Serbia)

Unfortunately, for us hoop fans in India, the World Championships were not shown on TV, because apparently fixed Pakistan-England cricket series' are more important.

The tournament was by far the most hyped World Championships ever, but it still lost a lot of credibility after many of the world's best players decided to skip it. Players such as Gasol, Manu Ginobili and Andres Nocioni (Argentina), Yao Ming (China), Dirk Nowitzki (Germany), Tony Parker (France), Nene (Brazil), and Andrew Bogut (Australia) did not play. Of course, USA played without and of their Redeem Team players, such as Kobe, LeBron, Wade, Carmelo, Dwight Howard, Deron Williams, Chris Bosh, and Chris Paul.

It is sad that so many great players (by choice, fatigue, or injury) did not show up for this competition, because a tournament like this deserves to have a stature in basketball equal to the FIFA World Cup. Fortunately, the teams that did show up put up an amazing show, and Durant's heroic contributions will be remembered for years to come.

Turkey FIBA World Championship experiences motivates Indian youngsters

"My ambition is to there, on that basketball court, representing India in the basketball world championships!"

14-year-old Poojamal from the town of Kottayam in Kerala got to realise an amazing dream last week - she was part of the lucky few basketball fans that attended several games of the ongoing FIBA Basketball World Championships in Istanbul, Turkey, make dozens of new friends, and be trained by some of the best coaches in the world.

Two Indian sub-junior players, Poojamal, and Yogesh Kanderiya from Rajasthan, had been selected by BFI to be India's official representatives in FIBA's "Children of the World" camp in Istanbul, set to be held around the World Championships. The two youngsters were accompanied by coach P. Deepa Sundari from Tamil Nadu for this experience from August 24-31.

A highlight of this trip was their chance to watch six World Championship games, including three games played by the exciting USA team - USA vs Croatia, USA vs. Slovenia, and USA vs. Brazil. "Just watching these games made me want to be there, playing for the Indian team, and playing against the world's best at this stage," said Kanderiya.

Kanderiya was given further encouragement for his own stellar play when he was chosen as the best Boy player at the Children of the World camp. Around 400 teen boys and girls from 200 different FIBA countries were invited for this camp to improve their basketball skills and participate in 3-on-3 basketball games under the watchful eyes of expert coaches from around the world.

Although only 24 of the best teams in the world participate, FIBA has designed the "Children of the World" project aiming to provide a possibility for official representation of all of the FIBA member countries through "young ambassadors" - young basketball players and coaches who will come together in a global basketball camp. One boy, one girl, (both between the ages of 13-14) and one young coach were sent to Istanbul from each of the FIBA-member countries and were hosted by the Turkish Basketball Federation.

"It was a very good experience," Kanderiya added, "We got the chance to meet other kids from all over the world - from countries like Gabon, Australia, New Zealand, USA, Lithuania, and Bhutan."

"We did a tour of Istanbul as well - it is a beautiful city - we visited several mosques and went shopping, too."

The youngsters did their share of cheerleading for India, too, taking part in the colourful opening ceremony of the Championships and waving the Indian flag high at every occasion!

"We were taught some great drills and basketball fundamentals by the coaches," added Poojamal, "We did passing, dribbling, lay-ups, and ball-handling exercises, and also played 3-on-3 half-court games."

Both the youngsters came out impressed by the Championship games, stating the USA-Brazil thriller, where USA won 70-68 on a last second miss, as the best game of the lot. Poojamal said that her favourite player was Kevin Durant, whereas Kanderiya was a fan of Russell Westbrook - both American players who play for the NBA team Oklahama City Thunder.

The "Children of the World" project was designed to educate, engage, and influence young ambassadors to be aware of and sensitive towards a range of global issues and develop towards playing an active role in their respective countries as "citizens of the world" - judging by the experiences and exposure that these two Indian youngsters received over the past week, it is fair to say that they are not only on the path to become accomplished basketball players but also took a few steps forward as globally aware citizens.

World Cup of Hoops tips off in Turkey

It has been a great summer for top global competitions in my two favourite sports. The excitement and stinging noise of vuvuzelas from the FIFA World Cup have barely stopped ringing in my ears, but now here's more to celebrate for hoop fans: the 2010 FIBA World Championships, featuring the best basketball teams in the world, tipped off in Istanbul, Turkey on August 28th.

The championships features 24 powerhouses of world basketball such as defending champions Spain (who won the tournament in Japan in 2006), 2006 silver medal winners Greece, a USA team full of young NBA stars, and Argentina. Other countries such as Serbia, Russia, Australia, Lithuania, and Brazil are also participating. Asia is featuring four teams too: China, Iran, Jordan, and Lebanon.

Spain and USA are probably joint favourites for this tournament, even though Spain is playing without the 2006 MVP and recent visitor to India Pau Gasol. Spain will be led by Juan Carlos Navarro, teenage phenom Ricky Rubio, Rudy Fernandez, and Marc Gasol.

The Americans have kept home their Beijing Olympics gold medal winning squad: So now Wade, Kobe, LeBron, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh, etc, etc, etc... They have instead fielded a young, small team of quick guards, so small that Lamar Odom starts at Center. USA's best player is probably NBA scoring leader Kevin Durant. He will be supported by the likes of Derrick Rose, Andre Iguodala, and perhaps the team's only "elder" statesmen, Chauncey Billups.

The home squad of Turkey will also field an interesting lineup featuring NBA player Hedo Turkoglu and Ersan Ilyasova.

Other players to watch out for in this tournament will be Luis Scola (Argentina), Tiago Splitter and Leandro Barbosa (Brazil), Nicolas Batum (France), Goran Dragic (Slovenia), Dimitris Diamantidis (Greece), and Viktor Khryapa (Russia).

Unfortunately, this tournament has been marred by the injuries or omission of players who will not be able to show their skills at the world stage. After the aforementioned plethora of talented American stars and Spaniard Pau Gasol who will be skipping out, other well known names such as Manu Ginobili, Andres Nocioni (Argentina), Yao Ming (China), Dirk Nowitzki (Germany), Tony Parker (France), Nene (Brazil), and Andrew Bogut (Australia) won't be playing.

Still, the tournament has been able to gather a lot of hype and interest around the world, and could really be a propellent to help launch basketball even more as a global sport.

The competition tipped off last night with a shock, as an unfavoured French side took down defending champions Spain in their first game 72-66. USA took care of business against Croatia, defeating them easily 106-78. China's Yi Jianlian had an impressive start to the tournament with 26 points and 14 rebounds but couldn't stop his team from being put away by Greece 89-81.

On a side note, the Championships will be featuring three official ambassadors from India as part of the "Children of the World" programme. Two Indian sub-juniors Poojamal and Yogesh Kanderia, along with coach P. Deepa Sundari will be amongst hundreds of other youngsters from all FIBA nations to enjoy a short flavour of the championships and attend training camps.

Stay tuned for more info as basketball continues to take over the globe!

India youngsters to attend FIBA "Children of the World" camp in Istanbul

Two Indian sub-junior level players, Poojamal from Kerala and Yogesh Kanderiya from Rajasthan, have been selected by BFI to be India's official representatives in FIBA's "Children of the World" camp in Istanbul, Turkey, set to be held around the FIBA Basketball World Championships. The two youngsters will be accompanied by coach P. Deepa Sundari from Tamil Nadu for this experience from August 24-31.

The FIBA Basketball World Championships, slated to be held in Istanbul (Turkey) from August 28-Sep12, is set to become the biggest event in the world basketball calendar. Although only 24 of the best teams in the world participate, FIBA has designed the "Children of the World" project aiming to provide a possibility for official representation of all of the FIBA member countries through "young ambassadors" - young basketball players and coaches who will come together in a global basketball camp.

One boy, one girl, (both between the ages of 13-14) and one young coach are being sent to Istanbul from each of the FIBA-member countries and being hosted by the Turkish Basketball Federation. Together, almost 400 teenagers from around the world and 200 coaches will get a chance to improve their basketball skills and teamwork through the camps, experience the FIBA Basketball Championships, meet some of the best basketball players in the world, and experience the culture of Turkey.

The children will play 3-on-3 games , take part in workshops and the FIBA CARES project, go sightseeing, and enjoy three World Cup games: USA vs. Croatia on August 28th, USA vs. Slovenia on August 29th, and USA vs. Brazil on August 30th.

The "Children of the World" project is designed to educate, engage, and influence young ambassadors to be aware of and sensitive towards a range of global issues and develop towards playing an active role in their respective countries as "citizens of the world".

Poojamal, Yogesh, and Deepa will fly off from New Delhi to Istanbul on August 24th.