Preparing for the ABC's
We are now in the middle of our 3rd training camp this year. We have been able to practice at Jaypee Greens Sports Complex, one of the best training facilities in India. In addition to our training sessions we have been scrimmaging the Air Force team once a week. I really appreciate them coming and helping us to prepare. We need as much game experience as possible.
In about 2 weeks we will be traveling to Istanbul, Turkey for an exposure trip. Our team will be playing four games there as well as practicing. The competition should be very strong, which we need right now as we continue to grow as a team. On July 29th we will leave Turkey and fly to Manila, Philippines for the Asia Basktball Championships.
We have been placed in an opening round pool play group with Bahrain, Thailand and Kazakhstan. Our first goal is to move on from this group to the second round. We will have to place in the top 3. Considering India has not won many games at this level in recent years we won't take any team lightly. I think we have the opportunity to move on and that is all we can ask for. If we advance we will most likely face the No.1, 2, and 5 teams in Asia. (China, Iran, Korea) What a great challenge that would be.
We have set some high goals based on our past finishes. My job is to get the very most out of our team and then see how far that can take us. I know we are improving and we will soon find out how much we have closed the gap with the best teams in Asia. We are not only improving on the court but our team is coming together as a family. I have emphasized from the beginning that if we are to be successful our team needs to Play Hard, Play Together, and Put Team Above Self. We have made gains in all 3 of these areas....still learning and striving to make history.