Former India national basketball coach Scott Flemming stated that Satnam Singh’s rare combination of size and soft touch would help his NBA prospects.
A proud Flemming, who coached Satnam in many tournaments during his three-year stint, said: “Of course, he is a big strong player with good skills. He has a soft shooting touch for his size. Given that he is over seven feet, his shooting touch will definitely work in his favour,” Flemming, who resigned from his post earlier this year, told The Hindu .
The head basketball coach at the Northwest Nazarene University, USA, added: “Satnam now needs to focus as much, if not more, on the defensive end of the floor. He must do the little things — hard work, attitude, working on his weaknesses, strength and conditioning etc. This will separate him from other players.”
Gurvinder Singh, Satnam’s India and Punjab teammate, mentioned that he spoke to the country’s new sports star after he was selected by the Dallas Mavericks. “Satnam was very emotional. I know his family very well. I can tell you that, given their normal, modest background, this is a truly big day for all of them,” Gurvinder said. India centre Rikin Pethani is in no doubt that this development will raise the profile of the sport in India. “If you look at social media today, you can find a wave of Satnam-related news. Even people who do not follow basketball have noticed him. This is the biggest ever milestone for Indian basketball,” he said.
Stan Rayan reports from Kochi
Satnam’s arrival on the NBA scene could be the big break Indian basketball had been waiting for, said former Indian women’s captain Geethu Anna Rahul.
“When I heard the news, memories of my tryouts came rushing to my mind. I’m very excited and very happy for Satnam. This is going to change Indian basketball in a big way,” she said.
Geethu said it was however unlikely that this could do for India what Yao Ming’s NBA stint did for the sport in China.
Jayashanker Menon, a former Indian men’s captain, noted that the celebrations were rather muted in the Basketball Federation of India because it was not a unified body.
“The local issues should be sorted out fast. They are not able to celebrate because of this issue. If they patch up early, I think this will be a big opening for Indian basketball,” he said.
