MAPUSA: Goa will finally have a full-fledged basketball academy in the capital city, thanks to Don Bosco Oratory, Panjim, who will be setting up a state-of-the-art academy in association with Elevate Sports and Global Sports Partners (GSP).
The announcement came at a press conference held, on Monday evening at the Don Bosco premises, Panjim.
“The academy is set to begin on September 1, with training sessions for the beginners on every Monday, Wednesday and Friday while the advanced coaching programmes will be held on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. We are expecting around ten schools each, from North and South Goa which have basketball courts at their venues to participate and as the number grows there will also be a full time foreign coach,” informed Fr Ralin D’Souza, president of Goa Basketball Association (GBA) and Director of DBO, Panjim.
The academy will be adopting a focussed and comprehensive approach to technical, strategic, physical and mental elements of training young talent, thereby equipping them with the necessary skills for the next level of play.
The aim of the academy is to produce skilled, motivated, athletic players who thrive and grow in the competitive arena.
Elevate Sports has already started their centers in various schools and clubs in Mumbai at Indian Gymkhana Matunga, Don Bosco High School Matunga, Royal College Mira Road, Fr Agnel Multipurpose School Navi Mumbai, Hiranandani Foundation School Thane and New Horizon Public School Navi Mumbai.
“The academy will evaluate players as well as the local coaches, once every three months. Periodically, syllabus and training programs will be organized by GSP,” added Fr Ralin.
The most important aspect of the academy program, and one which sets the academy apart from many other academies and school basketball programs, is the opportunity to be coached by USA trained coaches, using coaching styles and methods employed by the pre-eminent basketball Nation in the World.
Elevate has formed a partnership with GSP to manage the basketball program, train coaches, evaluate talent, and provide future opportunities for further growth and development of elite players.
Vinod Muthukumar, CEO and founder of Elevate Sports was also present.
The organizational structure and performance pathway is very clear for each player moving through the system. On signing up at the academy, a player will undergo an initial player profile to evaluate and record their fitness level, basketball skills level, and goals for their progression in the academy. Each player would be given an individualized program to follow.
The players would undergo regular three month reviews, always identifying their progress and areas to continue working towards their goals along their sports journey and beyond. Players will train for up to 5-10 hours a week around their timetable.
