THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
NEW DELHI — Giant teenager Satnam Singh Bhamar idolizes Kobe Bryant, but hopes he can one day do for basketball in India what Houston Rockets star Yao Ming has done for China.
Standing seven foot two, the 15-year-old Bhamar is being touted as the player who can turn Indian basketball around.
“It feels good to be compared to Yao Ming,” says the shy boy from rural India, who adds he realizes he has a long way to go after an initial three-month stint at the IMG basketball academy in Florida.
Yao’s move from Shanghai to the Houston Rockets made him an icon in China and Bhamar is seen as having the potential to someday hold the same status in India.
Bhamar was among eight players — four boys and four girls — chosen to attend the academy when the Basketball Federation of India recently joined sports management company IMG-Reliance in a 30-year strategy to promote the sport.
Bhamar’s height has ensured he has stood out so far at the one-year training program.
Watching the national championships back in New Delhi, he knows he has a long way to go before he’s ready for the top level.
“I have to work very hard on my speed, power and agility to do well at the top level,” Bhamar said. “The training methods are very different (in Florida) and I was initially worried whether I would be able to cope with the strenuous sessions.”
Bhamar says there is a huge gap in the standard of players in India and the U.S.
“I think players here need to forget their style of play,” he said. “I was unable to match top (Indian) seniors before I left for my training, but I can already feel the difference when I play with them now in practice sessions.”
Bhamar’s father Balbir Singh Bhamar, who stands at seven feet, could not pursue basketball due to a lack of opportunities.
“I am really lucky to have got the chance and I want to make my family, coaches and country proud by doing well,” said Bhamar, who started playing basketball six years ago.
“The NBA officials I have met have also praised me and see a great prospect in me,” he added. “I am going to give it my everything.”
Coach Teja Singh Dhaliwal, who runs an academy at Ludhiana City in the northern state of Punjab, remembers the day Bhamar walked in with his father wanting to play basketball.
“He was five feet and nine inches tall when he came to our facility five or six years ago. We had invited players for trials and his height being exceptional for his age, we decided to train him,” Dhaliwal said.
Basketball Federation of India secretary, Harish Sharma, is particularly bullish about Bhamar’s prospects.
“We are hoping he will be for India what Yao Ming was for China. Though we have quite a few players who we hope will help improve the image of the game in the country, he has an iconic status already,” Sharma said.
“He is focused, hardworking and has tremendous potential. One star player like this in NBA could mean a big boost for the game in India,” feels Sharma, a former India player.
