Greater Noida: Former
NBA shooting guard
Kevin Martin feels basketball players in India are "pretty advanced, talent-wise".
Martin interacted with 22 basketball players enrolled at NBA Academy at Jaypee Atlantis Integrated Sports Complex in
Greater Noida on Thursday. The second NBA player to visit the academy after Kevin Durrant, Martin described the prospects of the game in India as 'encouraging'.
The players at the academy impressed Martin with their shooting and dribbling skills. With backbreaking training under coaches Jacques Vandescure, Todd Gates and Ray Farrell, the players have been transformed into 'chiselled prodigies' with eight sessions of weights, shooting and agility every week.
"They are pretty advanced, talent-wise. They dribble and shoot well. The coaches have done a remarkable job of teaching the fundamentals. They all have a great camaraderie," said Martin, in India on a week-long sojourn to promote basketball.
"I have been around a lot of kids this weekend and all of them have great coaches who are making a big difference in the world of basketball," he added. Martin's first stop was at the Dhirubhai Ambani School in Mumbai, where he interacted with the Reliance Foundation's Jr NBA participants, followed by Delhi and Greater Noida.
Does he find a difference between basketball players in India and the US? He took to cricket for an analogy. "Back in America, kids are more advanced as they start early, just like Indians, who are more familiar with cricket. There is a big difference in terms of height, weight, speed and quickness."
Martin, who has been to China, Philippines and Africa to promote the game on behalf of NBA, thinks India needs one international player to break the glass ceiling.
"China has been playing basketball for some years now. They have a global influence in the form of Yao Ming. But India had its first draft pick — Satnam Brar. I am sure more basketball prodigies will follow," he said. Satnam became the first Indian to have been drafted in the NBA.
Will he be back? "I will come here again because I saw some great talent. A couple of them will definitely make it to the professional level. There are a lot of opportunities in Europe, China and Australia. It is really exciting to see different faces of basketball across the world," Martin signed off.
Players at the academy were thrilled to interact with Martin, who retired last year after playing for five NBA teams. "We had been looking forward to his visit," said Manoj, a 17-year-old point guard at the academy.
