Prince Pal Singh
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A profile
The Times of India, June 1, 2016
Amit Sampat
Electrician's son Prince realizes US basketball dream
In May 2015, Prince Pal Singh sat with his family and a local basketball coach at a makeshift court in Gurdaspur, discussing his shift from his hometown to Ludhiana, Punjab. Two months after that discussion, 14-year-old Prince walked into Ludhiana Basketball Academy holding the hands of his father Gurmaje Singh, an electrician by profession, hoping to make a career in the sport. Within a year of learning the nuances of the fastest team sport, Prince reali zed the dream any aspiring hoopster would harbour -of playing in the United States. In an open selection trial conducted recently by the Delhi Public School, Rajnandgaon -with the support of Schools Games Federation of India (SGFI) -at the Sports Authority of India's (SAI) Training Centre, Prince was selected for a three-year scholarship in America. Prince has earned a scholarship worth $75,000 (Rs50 Lakh) for the period July 2016 to September 2019.
This windfall for Prince could be attributed to the Satnam factor which has seen the game soar in popularity in various parts of Punjab. When Satnam Singh Bhamara took a giant leap by becoming the first Indian to be drafted into the NBA in the US in June 2015, he made thousands of Punjab players walk tall, raising the hopes of every young hoopster. No wonder, Prince too idolizes Satnam. “I wish to become like Satnam,“ Prince told TOI after being named as the best prospect in the four-day trials. The first-of-its-kind training camp-cum-trials for school kids was SGFI's maiden talent search programme where 450 players from across the country took part. Prince, now 15, emerged as the best prospect. After a three-year training stint, he stands a chance to play in the NCAA College League -a prelude to the NBA.
Prince was picked by Spire Institute, one of the America's premier sports academies, a $1billion facility where the USA Olympic team trains and is becoming known as a top recruitment ground for NCAA coaches.
Recruitment and development consul tant of North Atlantic Basketball Academy , Dermot Russell, who is also a certified Fiba agent, was invited by SAI coach Rajeshwar Rao Kalva to conduct selection trials for young Indian players in Rajnandgaon. On his maiden visit to India, Russell conducted the four-day trials for boys and girls between 12 and 19 years. He found `little' Prince there.
The only expenditure Prince and his family is likely to bear is the travelling and vi sa fees to America. Having picked Prince ahead of a handful of national campers and other experienced players, Russell explained, “The level of athleticism that Prince has standing 6-foot-7 at 15 years impressed me the most. Similarly scouts at the Spire academy felt that he is likely to reach 7-foot plus and with the world class training in US, Prince is likely to get signed for a top 25 NCAA programme in three years.“ At the Ludhiana Academy , Prince is being trained by Devinder Dhindsa.
Predicting a bright future, Russell added, “My prediction is that he could potentially be an NBA draft pick should he seize the opportunity currently given to him. For Prince, the hard work starts now.“
