Scott Flemming is almost one yr into his second stint because the India Nationwide Basketball Staff coach, having beforehand been on the helm from 2012 to 2015. The American has additionally had teaching expertise within the NBA Improvement League (G League), travelled to a number of nations to impart his data and has additionally been the Technical Director of the NBA Academy in India.
Chatting with Sportstar on the sidelines of the recently-concluded South Asia Basketball Affiliation Membership Championship on the Nehru indoor stadium in Chennai, Flemming spoke about India’s Asia Cup qualification and the resultant takeaways, shaping the group’s identification as an ideal three-point capturing group, the pathway for Indian basketball’s progress and extra.
Excerpts:
In 5×5, India beat Iraq and the higher-ranked Bahrain within the remaining qualifying match to safe a FIBA Asia Cup berth for the eleventh consecutive time. In 3×3, it made it so far as the quarterfinals of the Asia Cup. What are your ideas on that?
March has been month for the Indian group, each 5×5 and 3×3. Actually pleased with our guys. We had been lacking just a few gamers because of accidents. The blokes actually performed properly. We had two weeks of coaching, which we hadn’t had for some time. It was a stable two weeks of placing our system again in and the whole lot.
We acquired off to begin in opposition to Iraq and didn’t look again and received that by (a margin of) 20 (97-77), after which performed a Bahrain group that was 15 spots increased than we had been (India 81 and Bahrain 66) within the rankings. After we beat Iraq, we thought we had been in all probability going to get into the Asia Cup and we now are, after beating Bahrain (81-77).
We performed fairly good defence. We’re a three-point capturing group and we got here out and did it once more. It bites you each every now and then while you’re not hitting them however I feel we hit 15 and 14 threes in these video games. That’s what we do and that’s what we’re good at.
After which, in fact, the 3×3, I felt good. I’ve been teaching these boys since they had been 14 years previous. That they had already performed lots of 3×3 collectively and I actually give them lots of the credit score. I’ve seen them rising up by way of the NBA Academy after which onto the Nationwide group. I did slightly little bit of tweaking, however I’ll give them a lot of the credit score for what they did.
We beat three groups ranked increased than us (Iraq and Bahrain in 5×5 and Chinese language Taipei in 3×3) and I’ll let you know, we actually may have overwhelmed China (India misplaced 19-21 in 3×3). And China ended up dropping by two (factors) within the remaining (China misplaced 19-21 to Australia). We actually really feel like we belonged with the perfect groups in Asia.
The place did that two-week coaching happen and what was the main target in that interval?
We educated in Chennai and we had the coaching camp up in Delhi, which was in the course of the Indian Nationwide Basketball League (INBL) and it was hectic and laborious. We’d been coaching earlier than that, however we had two straight weeks of simply getting our system again in. As a result of after they depart and so they come again, they neglect lots of what we did and so they’re in several programs below totally different coaches. That’s the issue with the Nationwide group. However I felt like we had two weeks of re-establishing our system: how we play and what we need to do.
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What are the main takeaways from the wins in opposition to Iraq and Bahrain?
There are some things we’ve acquired to do properly. Considered one of them is that we’ve acquired to be half-court defensive group. We now have to rebound the ball properly and we did fairly properly in these video games.
Palpreet (Singh Brar) had 16 boards in that second recreation. After which we now have acquired to essentially transfer the basketball and search for open males. We will’t simply come down and put it up. However when you had observed, lots of our baskets had been inside out. We’re driving to the basket, we kick it again out.
We will’t simply stand on the market and shoot threes. We’ve acquired to be a menace going to the basket. After we turn out to be a menace to the basket, then we’re hitting all these threes.
There are some issues that we wrestle with however there are some issues we do properly, we now have to be sure that we deal with these issues. I felt we performed fairly good basketball. We had just a few runs in opposition to Bahrain the place we allow them to again within the recreation, however we answered them each time. We weathered the storm after which got here proper again at them.
What do you suppose is at the moment missing in Indian basketball?
I’ve been requested that for 10 years. We’re behind another nations, however we’re definitely catching up. It is a nation the place cricket is the faith. Basketball is developing, but it surely’s nonetheless nothing like within the nation I’m from or in nations like China, Iran, or the Philippines, nations the place basketball is the primary sport.
The opposite factor is that they’ve Professional Leagues. We’re getting there. We’ve acquired the INBL and we nonetheless want an extended method to go. When there’s established Professional League right here, that’ll make a distinction as a result of lots of these nations have that and these gamers are going to get to play in opposition to higher gamers than simply in opposition to one another.
Our Nationwide group has nobody to play right here in India. We now have to go away the nation to get competitors as a result of the perfect gamers are on the Nationwide group and we don’t have as many. The numbers are getting bigger and we’re a extremely younger group too. The height of this group goes to be in three or 4 years as a result of we’ve acquired lots of gamers of their early twenties on this group.
When these guys get to be of their mid-to-late twenties, that’s once we’re going to be at our greatest. We’re going to attempt to get there as shortly as we are able to and we have already got in some ways. But when persons are affected person, three or 4 years from now, we’re going to essentially be a group to be reckoned with.
What kind of sensible purpose can we count on the group to realize in 3-4 years?
There are huge targets and there are short-term targets. After I acquired right here, I mentioned my purpose was to win one recreation as a result of they hadn’t received a recreation in opposition to anyone higher-ranked than them for 10 years. The primary purpose was to win one recreation (in opposition to a higher-ranked group). And if we win one recreation, then our subsequent purpose was to make the Asia Cup. We’ve carried out that.
Now, we now have a purpose to do properly within the Asia Cup. I received’t offer you a sure quantity proper now, however we have to win some video games and make some noise within the Asia Cup. I feel we’ll attempt to win the Asia Cup however I feel it’ll in all probability be extra doable as time goes on.
It’s a must to be sensible and be affected person with the group as properly. There wasn’t lots of profitable for a very long time. We’ve now received three video games in lower than six months in opposition to high quality opponents (Kazakhstan, Iraq, and Bahrain), with two of them (Kazakhstan and Bahrain) ranked increased than we’re.
Individuals ought to be inspired by the course wherein it’s going, however we now have an extended method to go. I discuss to our guys so much about narrowing the hole with the Chinas and the Koreas and the Irans.
It’s been near a yr now in your second stint because the India coach. What enhancements do you see within the group?
It’s a must to have a system of play when you might have a group like this, a Nationwide group. We’re not going to only roll the balls out with simply expertise, top and athleticism, and beat folks. We’ve acquired good gamers however we have to put a system in place to essentially emphasise their strengths and attempt to conceal their weaknesses.
Scott Flemming throughout his first stint because the Indian Nationwide Basketball Staff coach in 2013.
| Photograph Credit score:
THE HINDU
Scott Flemming throughout his first stint because the Indian Nationwide Basketball Staff coach in 2013.
| Photograph Credit score:
THE HINDU
It doesn’t at all times work however I feel, total, the blokes have purchased into it. It actually helps to have some regular coaching and it helps additionally to play another folks. We performed a few occasions in Dubai (by the tip of final yr) and we had some journeys deliberate however they didn’t work out. Hopefully on this subsequent stretch, we’ll get to play some extra publicity video games too.
While you say there ought to be a system of play, what do you imply by that?
The very first thing we now have to do is educate defence. When you don’t have defensive stoppers, you may educate good group defence. We spent lots of time on that. We’re attempting to be an ideal half-court defensive group. We need to be an up-tempo offensive group. One of many targets is to get at the least 10 transition baskets a recreation and never surrender greater than three. That doesn’t at all times work out, however that’s the purpose. We name it stress offence, the place we’re pushing it.
I inform them that even when you’re not scoring within the quick break, you’re nonetheless getting the ball up the ground shortly and also you’re leaving extra time on the clock so that you can run half-court. A whole lot of the occasions, when groups simply stroll it up and, by the point they begin their offence, it’s right down to 12 or 13 seconds and so, you’re determined. You break quick and also you get it up there, then you definitely’ve acquired 20 seconds to run your half-court. In order that’s a part of it.
We need to be a quick breaking group. Defensively, we need to be an ideal half-court group. We’ll do some little bit of urgent and slightly little bit of trapping, however that’s not our MO (Modus Operandi). Our MO is (being) a extremely good half-court group.
What labored for us very well in opposition to Bahrain was that we put in our matchup zone. That’s our secondary defence. We need to have that simply as a mixer. After I got here in right here, I checked out our group and I mentioned, ‘What’s the one factor we could possibly be higher at than anyone else on this (Asian) pool?’ I imply, we weren’t as huge, as fast, and as athletic, however I felt like we had just a few actually good shooters. And so, I believed we could possibly be the perfect three-point capturing group on this pool.
We had guys like Gurbaz (Sandhu) and Muin (Bek Hafeez) who had been already actually good three-point shooters. However we had another guys too. At occasions, we had 5 guys on the ground that would shoot threes. We now have about seven guys that may make them – they might not shoot their very own excessive proportion. I do know, as a coach, that enjoying in opposition to groups like that may be a nightmare. When all people can shoot threes and you’ll’t assist as a lot and it’s important to shut out. We shoot lots of threes in apply.
We don’t shoot lots of mid-range. We shoot some, however I needed us to be the perfect three-point capturing group on this pool. And you may’t simply solely shoot threes, however within the video games we’ve received, we’ve hit 17, we’ve hit 15, and we’ve hit 14. That doesn’t simply occur. We put up lots of threes in apply. You’ve nonetheless acquired to play nice defence.
You’ve acquired to rebound the basketball. We need to attempt to get some simple baskets as a result of you may’t rely in your half-court to do all of your scoring. You’ve acquired to get just a few transition baskets. That’s form of the system – being an ideal three-point capturing group. However we work laborious at the way you get these threes, not simply capturing them. We work laborious on driving, kicking, swinging it and all these issues, so we are able to get open threes.
How optimistic are you about India’s possibilities of profitable the Asia Cup?
I’ve coached earlier than (2012-15) and that was only a stroll within the park to get there (to the Asian Cup). The final two occasions, particularly this one, we actually needed to earn it. After they discuss eleven straight ({qualifications}), I virtually say actually two straight.
They’ve modified the entire format. Now it’s important to actually work to get there.
However I’m optimistic. If we get all of our gamers wholesome and all people again, I feel we are able to do some harm. We now have to verify we get all of them again wholesome and for the coaching. If we now have our full squad, I’m optimistic about how we are able to do it. We’ve already stunned just a few folks. I hope we now have extra surprises in us.
What are your preparatory plans for the Asia Cup?
We’ve acquired about three or 4 camps. Mainly, there’s going to be a camp beginning this month, and we’re going to take it throughout to July with some breaks in there. My purpose is to get at the least two publicity journeys. Possibly, one to Dubai, the place we had been earlier than. After which, perhaps, an even bigger one. We’re going to play some actually powerful groups. We’re unsure the place that’s going to be, however we’re going to essentially examine and see if we are able to play some groups higher than us.