Sub-junior champions (u-13) two seasons ago, Manipur, like their north-eastern counterparts Mizoram, routinely hit a speed-bump as height becomes a factor in the senior ranks. “We can’t battle our genes. We do well in the younger age-groups, but because we don’t get tall players, we don’t have a future in seniors in this tall man’s game. The life of a basketball player in Manipur is only upto the junior level,” rues Nilamani, a former state player, now NIS coach, who found himself equally helpless in tackling this scenario as a player.

As Sanjay — a “freakish” six-foot-one — guards the post, giving the team some semblance of equality against players from Punjab and Kerala, some of who are already in the six-foot-three region, Manipuris wonder if there will ever be a level playing field in basketball. The last Manipuri to get into any national team in basketball was back in 1981. “We have the skills, but we fall short on vertical advantage. I keep telling the players that basketball isn’t only a tall man’s game, and with the speed and athleticism that we have, there’s no reason we can’t produce a good playmaker,” Nilamani says.

Fading optimism

Sanjay, who towers over the rest in the month-long build-up to national championships, plans to pursue basketball seriously, and is keen on playing for a professional team in India. “But the sport is decided inside the ring. I wonder how long I can keep my optimism,” he says.

Dealt an even smaller hand by fate are the Mizoram team, who struggle to reach even the six-foot mark. “Our tallest player barely reaches six,” says manager Lalrinfela. With just two rundown basketball courts in the state, youngsters start from the roadside and then graduate to half-courts carved into residential localities. Ball-handler Zodin Sanga toured Russia and China as a vice-captain of the Indian junior team, but with diminishing prospects in the seniors, he quickly made the trip to Patiala for his NIS certification and took up coaching.

In smaller age-groups, the Mizos out-run opponents using their flexibility and pace. “We need to teach the youngsters to play to their strengths so that they are not demotivated,” says the manager.

The state’s new sports minister is a basketball enthusiast, keen on greater international representation for hoopsters from the region, and is pushing for a ‘catch-them-young’ policy. But the challenge for basketball in the north-eastern states was hardly ever finding enthusiastic children. It was about making the grown-ups believe that they can soar above bigger players from other parts of the country.