India - India, a star in the making
As she weaves her way through the crowd, feinting smartly to shake away the defence and then shooting accurately, one gets the feeling that the little girl is someone special. India Nelson is just 10 but she plays basketball like a pro. The little girl, from Koratty’s Little Flower School in Thrissur, was one of the very promising talents that popped up during the Kerala State kids basketball championship at Mavelikkara. India took to the game a little more than a year ago, watching her seniors in action at school every evening. It did not take long for her to step onto the court and act out their moves.
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As she weaves her way through the crowd, feinting smartly to shake away the defence and then shooting accurately, one gets the feeling that the little girl is someone special.
India Nelson is just 10 but she plays basketball like a pro. The little girl, from Koratty’s Little Flower School in Thrissur, was one of the very promising talents that popped up during the Kerala State kids basketball championship at Mavelikkara.
India took to the game a little more than a year ago, watching her seniors in action at school every evening. It did not take long for her to step onto the court and act out their moves.
“Now, we get to play the seniors often, we play a lot of tough games,” said India at Mavelikkara on Sunday evening, soon after leading Little Flower to the girls title.
The Little Flower School is one of leading nurseries in basketball in Kerala, a State which has produced some of the country’s best players, including the current Indian women’s captain Geethu Anna Jose.
The Koratty school won the State School Games’ under-17 title at Chalakudy a few weeks ago.
With coaches from the world body FIBA and glamorous American NBA League advising Indians to work on the grassroots at a younger age, the Kerala Basketball Association introduced the State kids championship, an under-11 event, this year to spot talent early. The under-13 event was the youngest championship in the State calendar all these years.
Koratty’s Anna Rose Thomas, Anjana Krishna, from SOS Children’s Village in Thrissur, and Vaduthala Don Bosco School’s Steve Luiz were some of the other children who hold a lot of promise.
All are tall too which makes the country’s basketball future bright.