A Continuing Basketball Story

by SAUGAT BHATTARAI

FROM ISSUE # 147 (March 2008) | IN THIS ISSUE
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ANUP PRAKASH

The promise of a sportsman is seen when he practices at noon on Valentine's Day. Bikram Joshi is promising, not only for his personal career in basketball, but for Nepal's position and future in the sport as well. At six-foot-four, Bikram breaks Nepal's usual trend of short players which has its obvious disadvantages in a game played with hands.

"I started playing only three years ago," reveals Bikram, "I saw my brothers play and got interested in it." At Bhaktapur, where he previously resided, basketball was alien, despite the increasing obsession in the other parts of the Valley.  He was clueless about the great opportunity that lay before him by virtue of his staggering height. When he came to Kathmandu, and caught the interest of Coach Bikash Shahi, did he start to understand the potential he had for the game.

"When he came to Kathmandu, his flexibility was nil. He didn't know how to dribble the ball and he didn't show an innate understanding of the game," says his Coach Shahi, "But now, the progress in him is apparent. I would have to say that Prime did a lot to motivate him."

In only three years, Bikram has made significant improvement in his dribbling skills as well as at understanding the rules of the game. However, he still feels that his main weakness is his lack of flexibility. For a guy that is six-foot-four, this is quite understandable. Like Yao Ming of NBA fame, Bikram makes his impact on the court right below the ring, where he can easily collect rebounds and score. Of course Bikram's height is also useful for defending against opposing teams.

"After finishing my 12th grade, I want to continue playing at club level in Nepal," says Bikram when asked about his future plans. Such dedication for the game is seldom seen in Nepali college players, who would rather opt for college than follow such a risky career path. Basketball is one of the few popular sports in Nepal and much of this popularity has to be owed to college players that keep performing with enthusiasm in the many college level tournaments like Gyan Carnival and the Prime Cup. Even the colleges that continue to provide the platform for players to perform must be admired. After all, it was at Prime College, which Coach Bikash claims is Nepal's 'college of basketball', that Bikram firmly got the motivation and belief to continue playing.

Colleges have to be praised for their willingness to pursue the game in a country where athletics is usually summoned to the backlog of a school curriculum. Although today Bikram feels his playing career's high-point was winning the Prime Cup with his college, who knows, tomorrow he might help propel Nepal into the international basketball scene. Now, that would be a high-point for all of us.