HYDERABAD: Ryan Bennet Robinson, 25, may have never imagined but he is India’s first basketball freestyler. Interestingly, he chose to turn his passion into his profession. Basketball freestyling is the art of combining various forms of drills, skills and dance moves into a creative art, one that’s different from a regular game of basketball. This Hyderguda youngster has been creating a buzz on social media since the time he was featured by National Basketball Association India two months ago.
Robin has been an active basketball player and his little moves with the ball soon became popular with his friends. He could easily keep a crowd engaged for 10 minutes with his act. Soon college fest co-ordinators started inviting him to their campuses for a show in between the culturals. Since 2012, he has been a popular freestyle basketball guy. His performances at Muffakamjah College and other fests besides a few videos he posted caught the NBA India’s attention.
Talking about his NBA tour, he says, “I participated in various talent shows like Hyderabad’s Got Talent, India’s Got Talent and various stage performances. I also got an opportunity to showcase my talent in NBA JAM. Days passed by, things weren’t falling into place. It appeared as though I was fighting a losing battle. One day, I got a call from NBA India team who offered me a chance to exhibit my skill in six states as part of their promotional tour. I just grabbed the opportunity. It was a dream come true for me.” Robin believes in poet Robert Frost’s lines: “Two roads diverged in a wood, and I – I took the one less travelled by, and that has made all the difference,” and so he chose basketball freestyling over biochemistry as his career”.
This St Mary’s College alumnus also says that during the rough phase of his life his aunt and his mentor B. Kalyuga Chari and his family, friends were his pillars of strength and support. What would Robin be without basketball freestyling? “A common man who would do a regular 9-5 desk job”. Indian Basketball player Amjyot Singh is Robin’s inspiration. “I still remember starting out not knowing how a layup was done or even shoot for that matter. I had to change my action several times to finally have one which suits me. I am self-taught. I had one coach who always helped me with basics and pushed me to take my dribbling to the next level, I do owe a lot to Chari sir and to my seniors in college and Nizam College friends who helped me.”
Robin says that he is soon going to crack two Guinness World Records – Speed Rabbling and Spinning two basketballs by putting one on each other. Five years down the lane, Robin sees himself as a part of Harlem Globetrotters basketball team. He is also keen to teach basketball freestyling in schools. Currently, he teaches freestyling to underprivileged kids who are from slums through an NGO called Youngistaan
Foundation.