On Tuesday evening, a tight contest was playing out on a brightly lit basketball court in the New Delhi suburb of Greater Noida, with giant posters of Kobe Bryant, Stephen Curry and James Harden overlooking the action. On one half of the court was the Indian senior national team, which is preparing for next month's Asia Cup. On the other half was the home side - the kids of the National Basketball Association (NBA) Elite Academy, set up only a couple of months ago. As expected, the youngsters, the oldest of whom is still two years short of his nineteenth birthday, didn't win. "We saw how big and tough they were. We gave away many turnovers and they made fast breaks," sums up 17-year-old Preshit Pawar. But the margin of defeat wasn't a disheartening one. "We will get bigger and stronger. Then we will win," says Pawar. 25-year-old Amjyot Singh, one of the stars of the Indian basketball team, doesn't doubt that possibility. "These kids have so much. We just didn't have those opportunities when we were starting out. I'm sometimes a little jealous of them," says the 6'8" forward. The Academy seemingly has everything a young player could want. There are four courts, high-level coaches from the United States, Playstation gaming consoles in dorm rooms, made-to-order meals and an all-day gym. Golden State Warriors All-Star Kevin Durant will be at the Academy on Friday, news the players found out about just a few weeks back. On the second morning of a three-day visit to the country, Durant will come over to Greater Noida and coach the 21 members of the Academy. read more http://www.espn.com/espn/story/_/id...ba-aims-hoops-regular-basketball-missed-india
