Interview with the Indian National basketball team: India desperately needs a pro league

L-R: Sudhir Bose(Sportskeeda), Amritpal Singh, Gurvinder Singh Gill, Yadvinder Singh, Amjyot Singh

With the FIBA Asian Championships just a couple of days away, basketball fans across India will be rooting for the Indian hoopsters as they endeavour to bring home silverware. Despite not having the most impressive record, the giants in blue will have eyes trained on them, especially after their shocking upset over China at last year’s edition.

The team will have more depth to it, in the form of Amjyot Singh and Amritpal Singh, who have had international exposure. Both of them play for the Nishinoyima Storks, a tier one team in the Japan Professional Basketball League.

In an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda, four of the starting five of the national basketball team, Amjyot Singh, Amritpal Singh, Yadvinder Singh and Gurvinder Singh Gill, gave insights on their preparations, the fracas within the Basketball Federation of India and their views on the advancement of the sport in India.

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What is required for the progression of basketball in India?

All four were vocal in their stand that an Indian professional basketball league is the need of the hour. Drawing from the models of other nations with professional leagues, they believe that it would be the closest thing to a panacea for the impediments to the sport. There is an exigent need for more coaches and more encouragement for young players at school and college levels.

A professional league would raise awareness of the sport, garner more financing and be the shot in the arm for the sport to grow in India. Crestfallen, they described how India’s tiny neighbour, Bangladesh, has a well-funded professional league despite there being better talent here. The influx of overseas talent will be a great catalyst for the skills of the domestic players.

What could ameliorate Indian basketball’s lack of financing? How helpful would corporate sponsorship be?

Again, the four young men were in accord when saying that a professional league would greatly benefit the sport. While there are a few corporate sponsors like JSW, Tata and Reliance for other sports, basketball players have to rely solely on their salaries from their respective public sector jobs.

Most athletes in India are employed via sports quotas in public sector enterprises like ONGC, IOB, Railways etc. The remuneration they receive is hopelessly insufficient for the needs of a professional athlete. Dietary requirements and equipment are but a few instances which they should be able to afford, but cannot.

How badly has the politicking within the Basketball Federation of India cost the sport?

It does not require genius-level intellect to understand that a sporting body must have its athletes’ best interests at heart. The despondency is evident from their expressions as they describe how bureaucracy is stunting the growth of Indian basketball.

It is quite shameful that a sporting body demands that funds from corporates be routed through them to the players, rather than directly to the players, as the corporates insist. But that is exactly what is happening with the BFI. And disaffected players who protest are banned from playing for the country, as with what happened with five current players.

On a lighter note, your favourite basketball players, movies, favourite actors and actresses?

Favourite international basketball player

Yadvinder Singh – Kevin Garnett

Gurvinder Singh Gill – LeBron James

Amjyot Singh – Kobe Bryant

Favourite movie

Yadvinder Singh – Rang De Basanti

Gurvinder Singh Gill – Punjab 1984

Amjyot Singh – Gabbar Is Back

Favourite actor and actress

Yadvinder Singh – Akshay Kumar, Deepika Padukone

Gurvinder Singh Gill – Randeep Hooda, Sonakshi Sinha

Amjyot Singh – Akshay Kumar, Deepika Padukone

The Indian hoopsters have been placed in a tough pool, alongside defending champion Iran, Japan and Malaysia. The winner of FIBA Asia 2015 will seal a berth at next year’s Rio Olympics and the 2nd , 3rd and 4th placed teams will progress to the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in 2016. To these amiable, talented and steadfast athletes, we say godspeed and hope that they do our nation proud.

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