National 10 (Spotlight Weekly)

Net Effect

Once the preserve of a handful, basketball has become a popular sport among the young

By AKSHAY SHARMA

"I never feel confident before a game," says 19-year-old Navin Pradhan, who spends two hours each day improving his basketball skills. "It was compulsory at school to play basketball. If you are tall, you are definitely going to be targeted as a player."

The long and short of it is that, once the preserve of a handful of people, basketball has become a popular sport among the country's young. Many neighborhoods in the valley have basketball courts. The recent formation of the National Basketball Association (NBA) has taken the game to new heights.

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Pravin Maskey was one of the best players in town before he got into drugs. "I earned the man of the match award in 1991 when I played in the finals against the boys of Saint Xavier's at the GAA (Godavari Alumni Association) hall. But now I cannot even shoot a hoop," he says.

"It was not a popular sport in Nepal at that time. My parents used to say 'you cannot make a living on being a basketball player in Nepal'. I came from a poor family. My house was very close to the GAA and I used to watch Saint Xavier's' boys shooting hoops. I became attracted to the sport and soon picked it up."

Navin Rai has seen how the game has undergone a cultural transformation in Nepal. "As a kid, I used to think the game was for rich kids only," says Rai, who has played a few tournaments in Kathmandu. "In a recent tournament organized by the Amrit Science Campus, there were teams from places like Pokhara and Dharan. I had never realized that the sport had become so popular."

He adds: "Before, only a few schools had basketball teams and you could count them on your fingers. Lincoln School, Saint Xavier's and Budhanilkantha were the ones that usually got to the finals. There was a team called the BBST which included a few boys from Thamel who had the facilities of the GAA grounds."

Sagar Shrestha cannot remember how he was attracted to the game, but he has played a few tournaments. "There seemed to be another craze hitting the young generation, whatever name you may give it - X, Y, Z. But they seemed to be enjoying this fast-paced sport. Maybe it was MTV. The craze certainly has produced some good basketball players in Kathmandu, too. This has resulted in the formation of the NBA," he says.

"During our school days, we were expected to be good in basketball - and we were good," says Subash Lohani, who was on the St Xavier's School team. "The kids of today can really play ball. It may be because television has popularized the sport," he says.

Persistence paid off for Binod Karki. "Our parents used to ask us, 'Is there a future in playing basketball?' But I pursued my hobby," he says. "We now have league matches organized by campuses."

Sabin Shrestha believes inter-college basketball tournaments are a good way of creating future players. "We won a tournament trophy about two weeks ago," he recalls with palpable pride.

For all its thrills, the game can be exacting in other ways. "I thought at the beginning of the year we were going to have a good season, but it never panned out," says teenager Asish Pyakurel. "We were down to eight players, practicing with managers. It's tough to get things done when you don't even have 10 guys for practice. It's been a struggle the last couple years, but I still take away a lot of good experiences. Playing in the NBA tournament is something I'll never forget. I like the game because it is fast," he says.

"We've got to reload with quality players," says basketball enthusiast Prem Gurung, who scouts for talent. "We've got to get some size to help us and we need some 5-6 players who can run the floor and shoot. We've got to get some scoring. Maybe this sports will become more popular in the future." Keep dribbling, folks.