Mumbai is now fighting for visibility in basketball amid competition

Its a Thursday evening and the Bachchu Bhai Khan Playground in Nagpada is teeming with teenage boys playing basketball under the watchful eye of their coach Among them is 15yearold Shlok Lakhwani who at 6 feet 5 inches is hard to miss in a sea of people A few months ago the Billabong High School student was spotted by Ashok Anjara Indias only FIBA Feacutedeacuteration Internationale de Basketball certified licensed basketball agent for his athletic frame My job is essentially that of Jerry McGuire where I scout for talent sign players and then help them seek contracts with professional clubs he saysPlayers gather at the Bachchu Bhai Khan Playground in Nagpada to practice basketball on a Thursday evening PicBIPIN KOKATEIts only been a week since Lakhwani started learning the game but Anjara has faith Basketball is a tall mans game and I believe skills are something that can be honed says the 42yearold whose day job is with a mining company but he moonlights as a sport agent for the love of the game Anjara who also rose up in the sport from Nagpada says what probably will hinder Lakhwanis quick progress is that the many basketball tournaments that raised the competitive level of Mumbais players have come to a halt Take for instance the Ramu Memorial Basketball Tournament at the Indian Gymkhana and the Savio Cup at the Don Bosco School Matunga Both were discontinued two years ago Last year YMCA stopped having tournaments at their Ghatkopar Andheri and Chembur centres An official from YMCA on the condition of anonymity says The problem is that we dont have an event calendar so these matches tend to clash with the state and national tournaments Earlier it was more organised and we were aware of the timelines he saysVinod Muthukumar a committee member of the Indian Gymkhana owes it to the lack of sponsorships We used to have the Ramu Memorial Cup at an allIndia level We havent done that in the last two years reason being we dont get enough sponsors to organise it Getting sponsorship for a game like basketball is difficult because its not mainstream he saysState sees drop in standardWhile Anjara has Lakhwanis back to help him chase the American dream for those who dont these tournaments with the visibility they provided were their ticket to a better future in the sport Veterans today say that the basketball scene in Mumbai is now a pale shadow of its glorious past Till about 15 years ago Maharashtra used to feature in the top five on the national level Its no longer the case Tournaments have dropped not just in the city but in the state and visibility of the sport has taken a hit says sports journalist Mukund Dhus who was also the general secretary of the Maharashtra State Basketball Association till 2005Abbas Moontasir an Arjuna awardeeBut while some put it down to shortage of funds veteran Indian hoopster Gulam Abbas Moontasir argues otherwise Moontasir a former India captain and an Arjuna awardee who still spends his evenings watching youngsters play at the Nagpada Neighbourhood Association office near Nagpada police station on 2nd Peer Khan Street says Today its not very difficult to get sponsors for any sport provided youre willing to go the extra mile in terms of effort Look at kabaddi This clearly means we arent doing enough in terms of promoting our players he says adding that itll be difficult for most to recall some top basketball players from the city However if you were to think of cricketers the list wouldnt endThe 75yearold admits that basketball is not an easy game to play While at its most basic level theres one objective of putting the ball in the basket it has many detailed nuances like dribbling passing shooting transition offense halfcourt sets and free throws that requires high fitness levels and mental strength However with two grounds in the area the other being Mastan court theres no dearth of children wanting to play the game The problem is that its not translating on to a professional level he saysChange at grassrootsOn the other hand this year Americas National Basketball Association NBA started its first academy in the country a move thats being called a shot in the arm for basketball Moreover the launch of NBA camps by the Reliance Foundation Jr Programme targeted at schoolgoing kids wherein basketball is being integrated as part of their physical education curriculum hopes to introduce basketball knowledge and the love for the sport at an early age But sports writer Karan Madhok who has reported extensively on Indian basketball and the NBA for the last eight years believes these programmes will have an impact only in the long term The need of the hour is also to amend the current system Because there is no professional league organised by the Basketball Federation of India BFI the evolution of basketball is still moving at a slow rate There is a lack of opportunity at the pro level he says Madhok believes that though students may do very well at the school and college level theres not enough room for growth They show great potential to be future stars but dont take basketball seriously enough because of other opportunities he saysDrop in recruitments Basketball was until a while ago an easy ticket into a government job That too is slowing down says Krishnan Muthukumar the current secretary of the Maharashtra State Basketball Association MSBA Muthukumar says that the recruitment of basketball players in various government departments like the Income Tax ONGC and Railways Excise used to be high till about a decade ago While the Indian Railways continues to recruit players the rest have put an end to the practice This believes Muthukumar has come in the way of many aspiring players wanting to make a foray into the sport Its not just the case with basketball but overall sports recruitments have dried out he says Even today at the Nagpada basketball courts its common to have railways sports officials visiting the courts to gauge the capability of players and conducting tests but not many are pickedRight Manisha Dange 39 from Thane was picked to play for the Central Railways at the age of 18While many have made it to the Western and Central Railways teams in the past the numbers have dropped in the case of Mumbai Ravindra Bhakar Chief Public Relations Officer CPRO of Western Railway WR agrees Our objective is to provide employment to deserving players who have excelled at a national level Not as many players from Maharashtra are making the cut Thats because of performance We are going purely by merit he says Afsana Mansuri 23 used to play in the girls team of the Nagpada Basketball Association till 2011 The then16 year old basketball lover had dreams of pursuing her passion and getting a job in the bargain Even then tournaments were less and if the funds came by the boys teams were given priority Soon many girls dropped out and the team dissolved In the end everyone wanted a job and to play and none of that was happening And we couldnt get better if we didnt play as much so in the end there was no option but to leave We all had families to look after says Mansuri who now works at Zara in PuneManisha Dange from Thane who led Maharashtras U16 Girls squad at the Youth Nationals and was also the teams coach in 2011 when they went for the Nationals in Trichy Tamil Nadu says the run for medals has made the going difficult The Railways want players who have National medals and rank in the first three places says the 39yearold who plays for Central Railway and now plans to apply for the Shiv Chhatrapati Award thats awarded to the best sportsperson in the countryDange feels theres immense potential that needs to be tapped into Muthukumar concurs After turning secretary in 2015 he has been trying to encourage more participation in the tournaments A prize money of R20000 to the winning team he hopes will work as a good incentive Others like Dhus are sceptical of these measures I think we need a change at the administrative level people who know how to select the right people and train them accordingly States like Tamil Nadu who have trumped the Under13 Under16 and the Under18 this year must be doing something rightCatch up on all the latest Mumbai news current affairs from Mumbai local news crime news and breaking headlines here