The National Basketball Association on Thursday (November 6) announced the launch of the Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA Hoop School, a new grassroots program designed to promote education, basketball participation and an active lifestyle among children in India.
The five-week program will tip off in Delhi Nov. 6 to 8 and will continue with clinics in Bangalore, Nov. 10 to 12 and Mumbai, Nov. 14 to 16. In addition to the clinics, more than 600 local schools throughout India will receive coaching guides, posters and educational materials providing the training and resources necessary to continue to grow the game of basketball.
The Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA Hoop School is designed for Indian boys and girls ages 8 to 16. The five-week program is comprised of coaching clinics led by NBA Legend Robert Parish, educational seminars with Tata Consultancy Services, and weekly youth basketball clinics for each participating school. Each city’s Hoop School will culminate in December with a basketball tournament featuring 20 to 25 local schools.
“The debut of the Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA Hoop School is a critical milestone in our ongoing efforts to grow the game of basketball throughout India,” said Heidi Ueberroth, NBA President, Global Marketing Partnerships and International Business Operations. “The incredible response from the schools, our partners and the community is an exciting sign of their commitment to the long-term growth of the game.”
The program is being launched in association with ESPN Star Sports’ (ESS) Learning Ground School Program and Tata Consultancy Services. ESS will provide exclusive coverage of the event and promote the program in schools, on-air and online. Tata Consultancy Services will conduct the technology education seminars throughout select schools, as well as provide all participants with educational software. Spalding, the official game ball of the NBA, will provide the basketballs that will be used at all participating schools.
“We look forward to the tip off of this groundbreaking program,” said Harish Sharma, Secretary General, Basketball Federation of India. “Indian youth will get an extraordinary opportunity to learn from professionals and it will be a key milestone for the growth of grassroots basketball in our country.”
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Comments:
oka v chisho
November 14, 2008 at 12:00 AM
Hi, Its so nice to hear that NBA on Thursday (November 6)will be launching the Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA Hoop School, a new grassroots program designed to promote education, basketball participation and an active lifestyle among children in India. I am sure that there is no dearth of talents in a country like ours. One thing though I only wish that it would have happened 5 to 6 years back. I started playing basketball when I was 12 years old, I was fortunate to learn playing basketball from an
American who used to play during his college days at college level and became so good at it that he used to nick name me Jordan(though that's a very high comparision). Over a period of time I got so involoved in the game that I used to play basketball for a minimum of 5 to 6 hours a day and even more during the winter breaks and go for tournaments, my dream was to make it to the NBA one day but it never happened because it was never promoted and appreciated. I'm 24 years old today and my love for this game still hasn't died and still do play whenever I can, I'm so happy that the NBA has taken this initiative to launch this programme for the next poterntial future player out there. I hope that a dream comes true today with your efforts.
Yours faithfully
oka v chisho
MBA student.