Two little champs

- Mr. Somnath Kamble

Our two little champions, Varun Tirthani and Aniket Vishwarkarma joined 48 others on their flight to Delhi for the National finals of the NBA skills challenge competition scheduled for 7^th-8^th of July.  The venue:  Thyagaraj Indoor Stadium at the INA (Indian National Academy).  Facing a tough drill comprising basketball skills such as lay up, cross over dribble, chest pass, shooting and bounce pass, our two contenders were up to the task.  They were competing with the very best of India, and had made thus far not without breaking a sweat.  Varun Thirtani came within an ace of capturing the crown – he stood a close third – while our other competitior, Aniket, came a commendable fifth.

It was an opportunity of a life-time for our budding hoopsters.  Beisdes competing at the national level, they were also privileged to rub shoulders with some big names of the lofty NBA league:  Troy Justice, the former coach of Miami Heats, and Roger Bell of the Utah Jazz. And share a few tips on the intricacies and the finer aspects of the game, they did! Every participant was rewarded with a trophy, a pair of shoes and a NBA t-shirt for their hard work and commitment to the game.

A return flight brought our basketball players back to Mumbai, not before teaching them a lesson or two in basketball and the great game of life.  As Varun puts it succinctly, “This was indeed a wonderful experience for each of us, and we will use what has been taught to us in our game, and assist our team mates and co-players to utilize these skills to raise the bar.” That’s the spirit boys!