In one of their most highly rated episodes of the year, MTV Wassup profiled a typical Hoops event. Watch as Vineet the VJ makes new friends, interviews players, hosts a skills competition, and does things you would never expect to be done with a basketball! Experience the love of basketball and sports in a new, young, and fun way!

The event tips off on Sept 10-11 in Delhi and will be going to Mumbai and Bangalore over a 5 week period. Participants will include schools and institutes. Players are required to be between the age 16-21 years. All interested ballers should register now!

Learn more about the portable courts here - http://www.connorsportcourt.com/

By Pete Thamel for The New York Times

The New York Times, Sunday, July 17, 2011

NORTH AUGUSTA, S.C. — When the 7-foot-4 center Sim Bhullar walks through airports, people flock to him and ask him to pose for pictures. When he recently visited India, where his parents were born, so many approached him at the Sikh shrine known as the Golden Temple that he was ushered into an office. People hung on the bars of the office windows to catch a glance.

Bhullar is quiet and humble, with a dry sense of humor. When gawkers ask what sport he plays, he flashes a mischievous smile and says, “Hockey.”

Despite his potential, some are skeptical Sim Bhullar (15) can be a consistent contributor. Yet only a few who follow college basketball recruiting actually know who Bhullar is: a 17-year-old from Toronto who orally committed to play for Xavier. Recruiting gurus also know his brother Tanveer, 16, another college prospect at 7-2 and 260 pounds.

But as untrained eyes from airport terminals to religious landmarks have shown, Bhullar’s basketball potential is obvious. No matter what level he rises to, Bhullar is poised to become the world’s first prominent men’s basketball player of Indian descent.

“I think it would be a blessing,” he said, “to be the first from an entire country to go to the N.B.A. and be a role model.”

The Chinese star Yao Ming, a former No. 1 pick, is retiring from the Houston Rockets, so it is easy to infer that Asia is ready for its next great basketball ambassador. Although Bhullar does not yet show the potential to be a top N.B.A. pick, his size, his hands and the need for big bodies make it very likely that he will have a professional career somewhere.

Along with all the eyes drawn to him, Bhullar will also feel pressure from millions of supporters. Coverage of his games appears in Toronto’s Punjabi newspaper, Parvasi, and Sports Illustrated India has contacted Bhullar.

“It’s going to be a hard role to attach to just because of all the different groups, religious groups and just people into athletics looking at you,” said Avneet Bhullar, Sim’s older sister, who is a law student in England. “It will be hard at first, but I know he’ll grasp it and set an example for many people the best he can.”

Bhullar’s emergence would be a boon for increasing the popularity of the game in India, with a population about 1.2 billion, including five million who play basketball. Bhullar said that while visiting Punjab, the northern Indian state where his family’s roots lie, he had never seen anyone playing the game. Although Geethu Anna Jose, the captain of the Indian women’s national team, has attended W.N.B.A. tryouts, basketball is not widely known in the country.

The N.B.A. has made inroads in India, where it plans to open an office this year. It televises five games a week there during the season, sponsors a community league in five cities — the Mahindra N.B.A. Challenge — and made N.B.A. jerseys available in India for the first time last year.

“Having a player from India in the N.B.A. is a question of when, not if,” said Heidi Ueberroth, the president of N.B.A. International. She added, “We have no doubt that the elite players from India will emerge.”

For the game to really pique the country’s interest, an Indian player would help greatly. Bhullar was not born in India, but his presence at a high level of basketball would resonate there.

“Like Yao for China and Dirk for Germany, he’s along those lines,” said Paul Biancardi, an ESPN recruiting analyst, referring to Dirk Nowitzki of the Dallas Mavericks. “He could help populate the game and spark interest in that country. But first, he has to emerge here. And he hasn’t done anything yet.”

Bhullar’s college basketball potential is a topic of debate among coaches, analysts and reporters. The positives he brings to the floor are obvious, as he clogs the lane with his thick frame, passes deftly and does not shy from contact in the paint. He played in the Nike Peach Jam tournament here last week with a broken nose he sustained with the Canadian national under-19 team. His 7-11 wingspan blocked and altered so many shots that opponents felt his presence physically and mentally.

“He hurts you when he fouls you,” Biancardi said.

Bhullar drew recruiting interest from some top college programs — Georgetown, West Virginia, Pittsburgh and Syracuse — but plenty of people are skeptical that he can be a consistent contributor.

Although he dropped to 330 pounds from 367 last year while playing at Huntington Prep in West Virginia, Bhullar said he needed to lose another 30 pounds. He struggles running end to end, appears to tire easily and is limited laterally. But for Xavier, a perennial N.C.A.A. tournament team, it is probably wise to gamble on a prospect who can dunk on the tiptoes of his size 22 sneakers.

Rob Fulford, his coach at Huntington Prep, marveled at how far Bhullar had come since arriving last November, with his improvement directly proportional to his weight loss.

“A lot of what’s holding him back is his body,” Fulford said. “When he drops weight, he’ll continue to get better. He has a long way to go with lateral movement, but he knows how to play and has great hands and footwork.”

Bhullar, who was introduced to basketball in grade school, faces a crossroads in the next month. He qualified academically to enroll at Xavier but could opt to spend another year at prep school. Bhullar said he would decide with his family in August.

His father, Avtar, stands 6-5 and grew up playing kabaddi, a physical sport with elements of wrestling. He owns a Toronto gas station, where the walls are covered with pictures and articles highlighting Sim’s basketball exploits. Bhullar’s mother, Varinder, works at the station.

Another year at Huntington could allow him to lose weight and to polish his post game. Bhullar could model himself after Xavier’s 7-foot center, Kenny Frease, who became a top-flight Atlantic 10 player by tightening his body and developing his post game. Bhullar said Xavier coaches had chatted with Yao’s trainer about techniques and drills, but they cannot comment on Bhullar because he has not signed a letter of intent.

“Within the last year and a half, he’s had one of the biggest improvements or jumps I’ve ever seen in a kid,” said Mike George, the coach of Bhullar’s summer team, CIA Bounce, based in Toronto. “Xavier has proven they can get guys in proper conditioning and proven that they’ll use big guys. He’s a different type of guy for the Atlantic 10.”

After reaching 6-10 by the eighth grade, Bhullar said, he grew accustomed to attracting attention. He acknowledged that it was hard at times to be a normal teenager, but said that he made time for Xbox, Facebook and movies with his friends.

Bhullar is quiet and humble, with a dry sense of humor. When gawkers ask what sport he plays, he flashes a mischievous smile and says, “Hockey.”

If Bhullar slims down and broadens his game, he may need a new joke. From Toronto to Punjab, his name could someday be as recognizable as his frame.

Kevin Garnett (2006)

I have learned to respect and appreciate the culture in India. People here are just as excited about basketball as we are in the states.  Truly amazing how far and global basketball has come.

After taking pictures, signing autographs and signing my first Adidas cricket paddle I was off to the airport, saying goodbye to India, at least for now!

At the school I got to see some of the girls and guys play. I hope that the youngsters in the US are working on their games, because the kids here in India are. I was truly impressed.

NBA.COM

Pau Gasol (2010)

Spain is also not known for players with big physiques. It is just a matter of starting to play with a lot of passion. Most of the good international players in the league are point and shooting guards. There is nothing wrong if the kids target playing as guards, and not forwards.  India can still produce really high quality of players if the up and coming kids learn to love the sport.

These sorts of events and programmes will certainly attract kids. They will realize how much fun basketball truly is.

MSN

Dwight Howard (2010)

I do want to come back. It means a lot just to see the solid fan base that we have here already and the possibility of it getting a lot bigger. And I want to be a part of that.

I just want to try to push those kids to try to reach their goals. I didn’t have any player pushing me, being in my face, so I know how good it would feel to have somebody that’s in my profession helping me out.

We understand how big India is, and how great it would be to have basketball be a big sport here. I was delighted with the opportunity to come over here. This has always been a dream to come to India, and I’m living out my dream.

WSJ

Baron Davis (2009)

There is a huge potential for the game in India. There is definitely enormous talent and hunger to do well.  Anytime you look at the kids, all you can see is that they are really attentive and they want to be a star.

I look forward to seeing India make a great basketball country

Sports Campus

IBN Live

Dominque Wilkins (2008)

There is talent everywhere you go. Anywhere in the world you go there is talent. It takes programs to find that talent and help nurse that talent. But it’s going to take time and over a period of time you will see more and more Indian players getting involved in basketball.

IBN Live

Kyle Korver (2008)

It’s like people don’t really know anything about basketball. All of the interviews I did out here today, they all believe that they aren’t tall enough.

But I have played with a lot of guys like Allen Iverson for five years. He was six feet tall.  There are a lot of India people out there with that height. Allen Iverson is one of the greatest players I have played with.

So I think we can just teach some of the basics, the fundamentals, then the kids can pick it up and really enjoy.

IBN Live

AC Green (2009, 2010)

This is why the coaches’ clinic is so important here and across India. The coaches here are mostly teachers too.  The teachers are so important because they don’t realise to whom they are talking to all the time and they don’t know the destiny of the kids.

Hindu on Net

Dikembe Mutombo (2009)

Don’t forget India has more than 1.5 billion people. Imagine how things would change if just one person from India makes it big

DNA India

Ronny Turiaf (2008)

Basketball isn’t very well known around India because they don’t have too much media coverage. All I see on TV is cricket.

NBA.COM

The preliminary squad has 25 players, including possibly India’s best player, 20-year old guard Vishesh Bhriguvanshi, high flying Talwinderjit Singh Sahi, former captain Trideep Rai, 6′8″ Center Dishant Shah, and veteran fan favorite point guard Sambhaji Kadam.

The India Women’s preliminary squad for FIBA Asia Championship includes the Varanasi-born Singh sisters, as well as Geethu Anna Jose, who recently became the 1st Indian to receive an invitation to trials from WNBA teams in the US.  The Indian men’s and women’s teams will be led  by foreign coaches who will be named later.

The men’s team will first play the FIBA Asia Middle Asia sub zone qualifying tournament scheduled in New Delhi for mid-July in a bid to book their place at the 2011 FIBA Asia Championship.

India’s best finish was a 4th place standing in 1975, when they were captained by Indian basketball living legend Abbas Moontasir.  Moontasir grew up in the now-famous Nagpada Neighborhood playground in Mumbai.

Basketball Legend Abbas Moontasir and Hoops founder Neel Pahlajani operating a youth basketball camp in Mumbai

More recently, in 2007, India finished a disappointing 15th out of a possible 16 teams.  That year, Iran was led by 7′2″ center MVP Hamed Haddadi, who went for 31 points and 10 rebounds in the finals win over Lebanon for 1st place.  It was a great showcase for his talent, and in 2008 Haddadi was signed to an NBA-contract with the Memphis Grizzles.  Haddadi is a strong role player, earning $1.6 million for the 2011 season.

In 2009, Haddadi was again named the MVP, as he led Iran to their 2nd consecutive 1st place finish.  India slightly improved to a 13th place finish.

While the women’s team has already qualified for the FIBA Asia Championship for Women, the first camp for the men will take place at the Indira Gandhi Sporting Complex in New Delhi on May 20, 2011.

Full Squads:

Men: Yadwinder Singh, Vishesh Bhriguvanshi, Prakash Mishra, Arjun Singh, Shadab Khan, Kiran Pal Singh (all Indian Railways), Talwinderjit Singh Sahi, Jagdeep Singh, Amjyot Singh (all Punjab), Hareesh Koroth, Dinesh C.V, Abhilek Paul (all Tamil Nadu), Trideep Rai, Riyazuddin (both Uttarakhand), Sambhaji Kadam, Jai Ram Jat, Narender Garewal (all Services), Ajay Pratap Singh, Janki Ram Nath (both Chhattisgarh), Eudrick Perreira, Basil Philip (both Kerala), Dishant Shah (Gujarat), Bobby Singh, Rakesh Yadav (both Uttar Pradesh), Arvind A (Karnataka)

India Women’s preliminary squad for FIBA Asia Championship

Women: Geethu Anna Jose, Pushpa M, Anitha P, Smruthi R.K, Reshma G, Bharti Netam (all Indian Railways), Prashanti Singh, Harjeet Kaur, Akanksha Singh, Pratima Singh, Raspreet Sidhu, Asha Hagde (all Delhi), Jilna Jose, Aruna Kindo, Kavita (all Chhattisgarh), Rajeshwari S.N, Kruthika Lakshman (both Karnataka), Jeena P.S., Soniya Joy, Lizy Mathew (all Kerala), R.Raja Priyadharshini, S. Kokila (both Tamil Nadu), Sneha Rajguru, Amruta Bhuskute, Shireen Limaye (all Mahrashtra).

Prashanti, Akanksha and Prathima Singh

Indian basketball star Geethu Anna Jose faces her toughest challenge yet in the WNBA tryouts.

By: Shobha Warrier

Even at 8AM, the heat at the Nehru stadium in Chennai was debilitating, sapping the body, draining the soul.  But Geethu Anna Jose, 25, did not show it: bowed in concentration, she focused on her practice session, on for 2 hours already, with Troy Justice, director of India operations for the NBA.

Jose needs to ratchet up her game to new heights now that she is trying out for the Women’s National Basketball Association.  The first Indian basketball player to be invited for WNBA tryouts, she has been invited by at least 3 teams: Chicago Sky, Los Angeles Sparks, and San Antonio Silver Stars.

The Beginnings

Jose was born to a Catholic family in Kottayam, Kerala, June 30, 1985.  Like many sportspersons from the state, she started out in athletics.  As she grew in height, her interest moved first to high jump, then to volleyball.  But because there was no proper volleyball coach at her school, she shifted to basketball.

“In our school (Mount Carmel) in Kottayam, there was some glamour attached to basketball.  The school coach, impressed by my height, asked me to join the team.  Once I started dribbling, I simply loved it,” Jose said, recollecting that transformative moment in 8th grade.

From then on, it was only basketball for her.  She began watching all the international matches on television, and was known to look up to the Indian women’s team captain at the time, Ivy Cherian.  Still, she preferred the more sinewy version of the game that men played.

“Men’s basketball was more aggressive and there was a lot of movement,” Jose said.  “I wanted to play like those men.  When I watched the NBA games, I was awestruck.  I thought, is this really basketball?  All of them seemed to be flying everywhere! From then on, it was my dream to be playing there.”

Aiming High

By the time she joined college, Jose had stretched up to 6′2″, towering over her classmates.  In the Indian women’s team that she now captains, she is the second-tallest player (Harjeet Kaur has 2 inches on her).

Jose’s entry into serious basketball was fortuitous.  She had just accompanied to Chennai a friend who was trying out with the Southern Railway basketball team.  The team’s coach Prasanna Jayasankar, a former India captain herself, was impressed by Jose’s height and asked her to tryout.  A shots through the hoop later, Jose found herself on the team.

“I had no plans to start working or becoming a professional basketball player at the time,” she said.  “I only wanted to complete my degree and then start working.  Here I was, at 17, being offered a job with the South Railway and a place in the team. I can only say it was God’s gift.”

She shifted to Chennai but soon homesickness struck, and she wondered if she ought to go back.  But within months, by end of 2003, she was selected to the national senior team.

“That was unexpected.  I had played for the national junior team, and I dreamed of playing for the senior team, but didnt know whether I would get selected.  It was Prasanna Ma’am who took me from a school-level to a professional player,” she said.  While the difference in standards was immense, she said she had no trouble making the shift.

Still Jose was no more than a ‘bench player’ in the first senior game.  “I was waiting to be called, that didnt happen in the first game.  Next was an invitation tournament in Malaysia, I stood there eagerly so that my coach would see me, remember me, and call me.  He saw my enthusiasm and my eagerness to play and asked me to go in.  I made a good defensive play that day.  My coach was so happy that he gave me a gift the moment the game was over,” she recalled.

Since that day in 2004, she has been on the court.  “Today, sometimes I feel like sitting on the bench and watching others play,” she said.

Awing the Ozzies

Jose gained serious international attention during the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Australia.  She was the second-best scorer in the tournament and was anointed its ‘Most Valuable Player’.  By the time she was back in India, she had an offer from Ringwood Hawks, a lower division team in Australia’s Women’s National Basketball League.

“I was too scared to go to a foreign country and stay there all alone.  Then my cousin, who was studying for an MBA there, gave me confidence,” Jose said.

She had braced herself for a hard fight, but her first game in Australia turned out to be easier than expected.  “There, only one player guarded another player, but here you are surrounded,” she said.  But the single player she had to contend with was taller and brawnier than her - and doughtier in spirit than many she knew.  “That was how I learned to be very strong,” said Jose, who went on to score more than 20 points in each game.

She won the Best Player of the Month award in July 2006; she was called over to play in 2007 and 2008, the year she won the WNBL Most Valuable Player award.  She was invited again in 2009 also but could not go because, as captain of the Indian women’s team, she had to go for the Asian Games.

Those 3 years in Australia changed her game completely, Jose believes. “When you play with good and strong players, you also automatically improve,” she explained. “Here, I don’t have any competition.  Other women players in India are scared to come near me because I can push them away with just a nudge.  I have become that strong.  My game is a real power game.  That’s why Troy tells me to play with the men here and not the women.”

The Dream Comes True

From the time Jose heard about the WNBA, it was her dream to be part of it, a dream which she never expected to see come true.  “So far, no Indian player has even gone for trials there.  So, I never expected to go there. But there was a desire within me to go there at least for a trial.  I used to pray to goad, please let me go for one trial.  Here I am, going for three!”

Jose used to fantasize about playing in the WNBA.  “I also have dreams of me shooting the ball and the team winning the game.  I can’t believe that they are coming true,” she said. “I am nervous and excited.”

‘A natural next step’

Justice, who is critically overseeing Jose’s practice sessions, said Jose “has lots of natural basketball skills and instincts.”

“The reason she has been called for the trials is because of her talent,” Justice said.

On Jose’s chances of being selected, he said, “I can’t talk about that as it is up to the individual coach of each team.  It all depends on the specific needs of each team.  Maybe they have a position to fill and she can fill it.  These are the factors that determine her selection.  But I can say from my experience that Geethu is an international player and she can play in a variety of places.  So, this opportunity is a natural next step.”

“Every player has strengths and weaknesses,” he continued.  “Geethu has many strengths and there are areas she can improve upon.  But remember, she is one of the very few selected people around the world to get the opportunity to try out for the WNBA.  You have to be capable to be selected for a trial, and she has proved that she is capable.  The experience at the trial itself is going to be incredible; a lifetime experience for her.”

He added: “I am very hopeful.  I am very excited for her.  I am her biggest fan!”

Standing at 7’4”, weighing in at approximately 330 lbs, Sim is “a massive post prospect, with a great set of hands and impressive touch around the basket. It will be interesting to see how he fits into [Xavier head coach] Chris Mack’s system” says Scout.com.

“It was a great situation for me and I felt extremely comfortable with the coaching staff and family there. I just really thought it would be the best fit for me,” Sim Bhullar said. “On all the visits I had fun and loved everything about Xavier.”

Bhullar is from Toronto, played a few years at Kiski Prep in Western Pennsylvania, then spent most of this past season at Huntington Prep in West Virginia. While he is technically class of 2012, Sim could potentially get himself in position to graduate from high school this year, enroll at Xavier in the fall, and spend the year as a redshirt.

The Musketeers currently have a 7-foot center on the roster, Kenny Frease. Frease has come a long way since arriving on campus, and as a junior posted numbers of 11.7 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 55% shooting from the field. “They envision me being like Kenny Frease. We came in with similar body types and they completely remodeled his body. Now he’s killing and will probably have a chance to go to the NBA. Seeing how they got him to buy in and get into that kind of shape and the way they worked with him in the beginning showed me that the Xavier staff could help me get better.”

Notable NBA players who have attended Xavier include New Orleans’ 2-time All-Star forward David West, and 2-time NBA Champion James Posey. Both were the 18^th overall pick in their respective NBA Draft.

Sim has a 7’3” brother, Tanveer, who is a class of 2013 prospect, currently playing at Montverde Academy in Florida.

Watch Sim’s Highlights:

Read more: http://aol.sportingnews.com/ncaa-basketball/story/2011-04-29/big-commitment-xavier-lands-7-5-350-pound-sim-bhullar#ixzz1LD20wiyC

Hoops for Hope was created in 2009 by Vishnu Murthy and Usman Ahmed, SAYA! volunteers, to demonstrate unity of South Asian Americans in response to the November 2008 terrorist attacks in Mumbai, India. The tournament is organized by SAYA!’s Young Professional Action Council, who donate their time to support SAYA!’s programs.

For information regarding any of SAYA!’s programs, please visit t www.saya.org

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“It’s always been my childhood dream to watch the NBA games. I’m a crazy basketball fan and I’m so glad the dream was realized. It was an awesome experience.” - Abhishek Bachchan

Abhishek Bachchan was in Los Angeles for the Oscars, and, being a fan of hoops, he also attended the NBA All Star Game. As one of India’s leading Bollywood actors, the son of living legend Amitabh Bachchan, and most importantly, the husband of the world’s most beautiful woman - stunning actress and model Aishwarya Rai, Junior B was naturally seated in the coveted floor seats alongside the biggest names in sports, music, and entertainment.

At 6′3″, he’s definitely got the height to hoop! Maybe next time we’ll see him on the court at the Hoops celebrity basketball match!

Source: Total Filmy