Many people who have traveled to Srinagar have come away with the opinion that it’s one of the most beautiful locations in all of India. Against this picturesque background, building on the previous efforts of coaches such as Jayashankar Menon and JD Walsh, I’ve been fortunate to return from the USA to Srinagar for the 3rd consecutive year to coach Basketball. I’m writing this article to update Basketball fans throughout India on developments in the sport in this region.
We are in the beginning stages of a 75 day, 7 day a week, continuous Basketball Season involving coaching skills clinics, a two month long Men’s Basketball League, and a series of Girl’s Tournaments. The first clinic was held April 3rd and 4th and was attended by 40 aspiring athletes. The first day of the clinic covered ball handling skill development and some seriously sick handles were on display. I’m pleased to inform you that there’s quite a bit of passion and talent amongst the young people here for playing Hoops.
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The second day of the clinic was designed to improve passing ability and the players were put through intensive drills that covered a wide variety of passes that top Basketball players have in their arsenal. In addition to dribbling and passing, the players went through a series of conditioning drills to increase stamina and overall athletic ability. Zain Wani of the Tyndale-Biscoe School was awarded the Most Outstanding Player award for the 2 day clinic.
The second clinic was held on April 8th and 9th and covered 1 on 1 scoring moves from the perimeter and in the paint. The clinic concluded with a full scrimmage that saw a number of creative moves made by the talented young players. Essa Malik of DPS SXR won the MOP award for scoring clinic. A third clinic is scheduled for Mid April and will cover defensive techniques and rebounding strategies.
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The Basketball League is now entering its third week. The first two weeks saw 6 teams battling it out on the court for supremacy and bragging right in the paradise that is Srinagar. The games are held every Sunday at the DPS Sringar Indoor Stadium, the only indoor Basketball court in J&K State. This had been beneficial, as April and May are the rain months in Srinagar. A great deal of the credit goes to DPS Srinagar Principal Mr. K.K Sharma as well as Mr. Vijay Dhar, the founder and trustee of the school, for allowing regular use of the Indoor Court for all our events. Two of the teams are comprised of College Age players, and the other four teams are from local high schools, making the league a de facto high school Basketball League, one of the few in India.
It’s been a incredible honor to be able to promote and develop the sport of Basketball in India for the last three years, and the players would greatly appreciate the support of all Basketball fans who are interested in seeing the sport rise in this great nation.
Pictures, videos and updates are posted regularly on the Facebook Page and also on my You Tube channel:
All the Best, Coach Shahid Bhat
