Power play: Indian men's basketball team help women team get ready for big Asian games test

BENGALURU: Walking into the Kanteerava Indoor Stadium any of these evenings, one might come across a unique sight on the basketball court — men versus women. The latter is the national team, having a preparatory camp in the city since last month. They are preparing for the Asian Games, before which they take part in the William Jones Cup in Chinese Taipei next week. The exposure competition featuring strong teams like Chinese Taipei, Japan, South Korea and New Zealand will be a perfect opportunity for the women to test where they stand, after having played against college and club level men’s teams. There is a reason why coach Shiba Maggon took this route.

When it comes to basketball standards among Indian women, they lack the physicality, speed and agility seen in top Asian teams. Playing against men can help them prepare better and the coach is not perturbed with the results they produce in training. She just wants her team to prepare for the challenges ahead. “The speed of the Asian teams is faster than Indian women, so it is always better to train against faster players. Men are stronger and faster and when you look at teams like Korea and Chinese Taipei, we are below them,” Maggon told Express. The coach is not worried about losing.

“It is okay to lose against men during training. These are experiments, as the women will be facing the similar kind of speed and strength at the Asian Games. This will only help them get better.” The team seems to have developed a sense of confidence while facing physically stronger teams. With men playing at a faster pace, using fast breaks, girls have also learnt the importance of falling back in defence. This aspect will be severely tested in the events coming up, against teams who are quicker and strong on the break. “Men are taller and stronger.

After playing against them, we will know what to expect from quality teams, who are strong and fast,” said key player PS Jeena. Though India would be eager to impress in the William Jones Cup, their main goal is to shine at the Asiad. India’s record in basketball at the Games is poor. They lost all matches in 2010, and won one in 2014. It is not easy this time either, with Korea, Chinese Taipei, Kazakhstan and hosts Indonesia in India’s group.

But they still have a chance of reaching the quarters, since four of the five teams in the group will make it to the next round. “It’s a good preparatory tournament before the Games. I have told my team that all matches will be difficult and if you play well before going for the main event, it helps your confidence. This event will help us prepare for the challenges ahead,” said Shiba. ashim.sunam@newindianexpress.com