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.