Lockdown

I am locked down ( like I am sure you are) at my son’s house in LA. We actually made it out of India just a couple days before they suspended all the flights to the U.S. When we first arrived Chawn and I felt like we shouldn’t stay at any of our family’s homes for safety reasons so we chose to do our social distancing for 2 weeks in a tent on a campground. You can see why Chawn is my hero. We’ve been off to India twice, and now an extended camping experience. The adventure continues.

I am sure most of us are getting cabin fever by this time and would like to resume some kind of normalcy. Unfortunately, I think we are still a ways off. A doctor from India reminded us that although being quarantined is frustrating, it should be looked at as a privilege. There are so many homeless people in India, in the U.S. and around the world that are not able to be locked down. They have no home for safety, they cannot afford to go to the hospital, there is no opportunity for testing, and it is very hard for them to practice social distancing because of the environment they are living in. Even at that, I know it is important that many of you return to work to support your families.

This past year I have been serving as the Technical Director (Head Coach) of the NBA Academy in India. I have really enjoyed being back on the court coaching after a short hiatus. I have always preferred my time in practice where I can help young players improve and prepare them for a higher level of competition. Building relationships is still the best part of it all.

We were fortunate to travel last summer to the U.S. and play in the Academy Games where all of the NBA Academies compete, as well as some other U.S. club teams. This was held at the Atlanta Hawks practice facility. Prior to that we had a warm-up by playing in a team camp at Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego. In the fall and winter we traveled to Hungary for the EYBL tournament competing against club teams from all over Europe. These competitions were great for our young players and exposed them to higher levels of play. In addition to these competitions we hosted several tournaments (against college teams) in our academy facility at Jaypee Greens just south of Delhi. For the first time since the academy opened 3 years ago we won a championship in one of these tournaments. In fact we were champs in all 3 of the tournaments.

I also stayed busy traveling around India conducting Clinics for our Jr. NBA Coaches. These were for PE Teachers in 34 cities that run our program in their respective schools. We reach over 6 million kids per year in this grass roots program. It includes classes, skills challenge competitions, and 5 on 5 tournaments that concludes with a 12 team national championship at our academy. The winner of that tournament qualifies for the Global Championship in Orlando, FL. What an outstanding opportunity this has been for these U14 boys and girls, many of them that have never traveled out of their city or village. Unfortunately, the Coronavirus has most likely postponed this event, like everything else.

Right now we are staying engaged with our players every week through WhatsApp and video calls, keeping them accountable with their home workouts and online schooling. We are also joining the rest of the league by participating in the “NBA Together” program. Our players are making personal videos with themes and challenges to help others through this lockdown period. (exercises, cooking recipes, positive practices, etc.) This next month we are starting zoom sessions where present NBA players will be sharing with our players. I am also jumping in on zoom technology by conducting an online coaches clinic for India basketball coaches next week.

I am planning on returning to India this coming year when things open up. Probably, like many of you, the timing is still unknown.

My goal is still to make a difference in the lives of those that I coach and others that I come in contact with. Please stay safe and healthy during this time.