The United Basketball Alliance (UBA) Pro League, into its fourth season, has come as a boon for the game of wits and hoops in the country. It has infused the strong dose of professionalism the sport sorely lacked down the decades. While it may take a while to assume the high profile of cricket’s Indian Premier League (IPL), little effort is spared to take it places.
As with any showpiece event, the rules have been tweaked to make the action more exciting. “The format is a lot more offence-oriented,” Joseph John, Game Commissioner, told The Hindu .
“Zone defence has been done away with in favour of man-to-man marking. So strict is the enforcement of a defence violation that a defender must not be more than two metres away from the offender he’s assigned to specifically mark,” he said.
“Everyone is forced to shoot more. Since defence is tight, no player can relax and passing has improved consistently. To boost on-court quality, 10 players from the US are playing alongside the Indians this season. As a result, scores of each side have soared over 100 points in most of the games. “Such is the pace of the action, one must see it to believe it. It may be a bit incredible that this is the same set of players that figured in the National championships,” said John.
Improvement in quality
Quality enhancement has been steady. Players have been enrolled on a season-to-season basis or on annual contracts, the latter extended to those with long-term potential.
Players fly from venue to venue, a luxury rare for them, except those with leading sides, companies or organisations.
“Pay packets and accommodation are good. In each of the three seasons so far, a dozen of the most promising cagers have been flown to the US for exposure to the Mecca of the game — the NBA. “They have been coached and trained by some leading lights there,” a senior official said.
Every edition of the UBA has been beamed live, the latest coming from TEN Sports 3 and HD. This season, broadcaster involvement has gone up, perhaps owing to the fact that the cream of Indian basketball is in the fray.
The play-offs will be staged at the S.P. Mukherjee Indoor Stadium, Bambolim, Goa from March 10.
