Indian males’s basketball group head coach Scott Flemming on Monday made it clear that his eyes had been set on serving to his group attain its “full potential” because it gears up for the FIBA Asia Cup 2025, tipping off in Jeddah on Tuesday.
The younger Indian aspect, with a median age of 24, is looking at a frightening activity after being grouped with higher-ranked China, Jordan and host Saudi Arabia in Group C.
Nonetheless, Flemming, who beforehand had a stint with the group from 2012 to 2015, backed his gamers’ means, including that they’re relishing the problem.
“We’re virtually all the time the underdog, and that’s our problem. However at the least we’ve crushed a few higher-ranked groups within the latest previous. I feel that has given us some confidence that we are able to. Whenever you don’t win in any respect, it’s robust to achieve that confidence, even when you imagine in your self,” Flemming stated.
India was winless in its first two qualifying video games for the match and sat final in its group earlier than Flemming took command once more in Could 2024. Regardless of a shaky loss in opposition to Qatar in his first recreation, he managed to encourage the aspect to a win in opposition to better-seeded Kazakhstan within the following match.
Within the subsequent playoff match for third-placed groups, India managed to win two in two, first in opposition to Iraq earlier than edging previous Bahrain to ebook its spot within the Finals.
“We all know that we’re the lowest-ranked group in our pool. However, we’re right here to win each recreation, and my job is to simply attempt to get them to their full potential. After which we’ll let the rating communicate for itself,” he added.
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Pranav Prince, the group’s standout participant and chief in effectivity (14.8), factors per recreation (10.9) and rebounds per recreation (6.9), within the qualifiers, stated that Flemming’s return helped the gamers rewire their standard routine and method to a recreation.
“The development, I feel, was simply constructing habits on and off the court docket. There have been occasions once we gave up on performs and gave up on ourselves as effectively,” Pranav stated.
“Now, I feel the mindset, the construction, all the pieces is completely totally different. After the coach got here, even in apply, we by no means gave up on something,” he added.
Pranav is simply one of many 5 who had been retained from the squad that misplaced all three group video games and crashed out within the 2022 version of the continental competitors.
Talking about his choice course of and the absence of veterans like Vishesh Bhriguvanshi and Amritpal Singh, Flemming stated that his selections had been purely based mostly on efficiency.
“I by no means make any strikes from a political standpoint or who’s from what state or no matter. I’m simply making an attempt to place the 12 on the ground that may give us the very best likelihood to win,” Flemming asserted.
“The roster has modified every time that we’ve gone (for the match), we don’t all the time stick with the identical 12. It’s like, what have you ever executed for me these days? Now we have practices and coaching camps, they usually must earn their means onto these groups,” he added.
With India set to tackle Jordan in its opener on Tuesday, Flemming held himself again from giving out any predictions and, with a peaceful manner, stated, “I wish to win all of them. And we’ll go at every recreation that means.”