CHENNAI: Every now and then, a story emerges in Indian sport, of sportspersons, devoid of sponsors and support, funding their way to international championships. If you thought that was hard, spare a thought for Mizoram’s basketball team. Every member of the team had to book his own flight to Chennai for the 68th National Basketball Championships and pay for their accommodation.
Many of the team’s members are studying and don’t have a regular source of income. But they reckon the investment is worth it — the certificates and exposure from playing in a national tournament can make a huge difference to their futures. “These national level certificates will be of huge help for educational purposes. Some of them are interested in being coaches and it might help them with the NIS coaching courses,” Zomuanpuia, finance secretary of the Mizoram Basketball Association (MBBA) told Express.
Watching the Mizoram team in action is interesting. They look half as tall as the rest of the teams.
But H Lalhruaitluanga, the coach, is not worried. “We turn the disadvantage into an advantage,” Lalhruaitluanga, the head coach of the team, said.
The state was in focus as Aizawl FC won the I-League last year. Even otherwise, all the states from north-east are known for their love for football and quality players that they produce. Football still remains Mizoram’s favourite sport according to Lalhruaitluanga. But slowly, basketball is picking up too.
The local league in the state is helping kids live their dreams by providing them with facilities and infrastructure that they could never imagine before. If all that was not enough, the matches are regularly telecasted by Zonet — a local cable network — who also throw in a lot of money to promote the league.
The team that won the league this year is, in fact, representing the state for the first time at the National Championships. “Mizoram Super League is the reason why basketball is so popular. It is one of the most well-attended basketball leagues in the country. Players like Amritpal Singh and Rikin Pethani are part of the league. We (Mission Veng Vikings) are representing Mizoram as we are the champions of the league. Mizoram Basketball Association (MBBA) asked us if we can represent the state and we thought that the challenge will be good for the boys,” said Lalhruaitluanga.
“The game is very popular these days. Since the start of the league, three years back, a lot of youngsters have come up and expressed their interest. I was taking care of the U-14 team and when we announced selection trials a few months back, around 200 students turned up,” he added.
Zomuanpuia, who has accompanied the team, is not just here to watch the matches. With the private league being a huge success, the next step is to bring national level tournaments to the state.
He is meeting with Basketball Federation of India (BFI) officials to try and host the prestigious Federation Cup next year. If that goes according to plan, Mizo hoopsters won’t have to waste their money catching flights.
vimalsankar@newindianexpress.com