Dallas Mavericks' Satnam Singh tips off talent search program

Over seven-feet tall and having a shoe size of 22, Satnam Singh Bhamara, the first Indian basketball player to be drafted in the NBA, tipped of the ACG-NBA Jump, India's first national basketball talent search program, here today.
Under the program, young basketballers from all over the country will get an opportunity to develop their skills under the guidance of NBA-certified coaches while one top player will be selected for the tryout of National Basketball Association's D-League.
Speaking on the sidelines of the launch of the program, 19-year-old Satnam, who was picked by Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Draft, said that Indian basketball needed an academy and better support staff.

"So many youngsters in India play basketball. We have talent here and to nurture them a basketball academy should be opened. It should have residential facilities, enough courts and gyms," he said.
"The national team, both men's and women's, should at least
have a qualified doctor who can take care if a player gets an injury. Whenever I come to India, I get injured but there is no one to show my injuries to in the team," he added.

Satnam said that he was confident and looked forward to play for the Dallas Mavericks affiliate Texas Legends in the NBA D-League which starts in November.

"I am really excited and can't wait to get back. I have complete confidence in myself, I am raring to go out there and play hard," he said.
"I played in the NBA Summer League and it was good for me. I had not played earlier with NBA or college players, only high-school. I felt I played well and it gave me a lot of experience. It gave me confidence that 'Yes, I can now play!'," he added.
The NBA D-League is NBA's official minor league and serves to develop and prepare players for the NBA. The 2014-15 NBA end-of-season rosters boasted an all-time high 38 per cent of players with NBA D-League experience.

On his chances of breaking through to the NBA first team he said that it all depended on his improvement.
"It can take one year, two years or even five years. My coaches have told me that players over seven feet tall are sometimes slow. So, for them to improve and get better takes a year or two or even more," he said.
"Personally, I want to work hard and improve so much in the next one year that the coaches wouldn't have to say that 'he still needs time'," he added.