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Journalism of Courage
Even as the buzz surrounding Indians attempting to find a toehold into NBA gets incessant, two of the country’s best home-grown talents Amjyot Singh and Amrit Pal Singh are currently camped in Japan playing in its summer league — used by coaches to recruit teams for their top National Basketball League (NBL). “Whatever opportunity we get, we want to be best at it. NBA, we’ll see if an opening arises, but our chances of getting noticed in Japan are much higher than in India,” Amjyot said three days before they play their first practice game for Hyogo Impulse, a BJ league tier-3 side that can attract a pack of scouts this Saturday, glimpsing what the Indians have to offer. Japan boasts of one of Asia’s most professional leagues, and the two Punjab boys are looking to make a mark.
An offer from a top Tokyo club to pick the duo for the top-tier NBL is on the table, the pair’s India manager Himamshu Dabir said, adding that many more will queue up after watching the two over the summer.
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Emerging from the Ludhiana stable of technically proficient basketball and debuting simultaneously for the Indian seniors team, Amjyot and Amrit Pal have been considered the country’s most promising for a while , but trials with colleges in NCAA fell through two years ago. “Ever since I’ve been looking to get them stints abroad because they are truly top-class. Height is easy to sell, but skill needs some watching.” Dabir said.
What really got the two some serious eyes was their spectacular performance at the Asian championship last year at Wuhan where they starred against China. “We got some clippings and highlights of that game, and people were impressed. We’re targetting the NBL or its feeder National Basketball Development League after this sumkmer stint,” Dabir explained.
Serendipity brought them to basketball — Amrit Pal Singh from Fattuwal village spent his childhood helping his father plough a rice field late into his teens when a coach spotted him while Amjyot Singh dreamt of becoming a tearaway pacer before a back-strain ended his cricketing career.
Now at age 24, Amrit Pal is India’s national captain, and a 6-feet-11 sturdy defensive centre who despite being a big man boasts of high mobility. Amjyot, considered India’s most talented hoopster at age 23 and 6-feet-9, has the skill set of a small forward, one of the best leaps in Asia and ability at the rim or while shooting 3-pointers as well as a prodigious jump shot. Japan’s is a well-run league with sturdy finances, and open to newer talent with same dedication as their current imports, in part owing to Americans being expensive to hire. The two will start out earning close to 750 USD a month for the summer games, but the bigger target is a spot in the top league. “The game is very fast but after the first few days of practice we know our national coach has prepared us for this adequately. We are confident of holding our own,” Amrit Pal, whose power post moves are well known in India, said. While adapting to an alien culture and language, the manager is keen that the two get maximum playing time – 30 to 40 minutes and travel enough to know if they want to be in Tokyo or play for a suburban big club.
