Two players - Vishesh and Shadab - were selected to play in the prestigious final event: the 2008 Basketball Without Borders All-Star game, for which only 24 of the 50 campers were chosen. The consensus among the coaches was that both Vishesh and Shadab have extraordinary potential.
"Vishesh is one of fastest, most athletic guys in the tournament," said Don Casey, a former head coach with the NBA's New Jersey Nets. "He has great height and good instinct around the basket. And Shadab, at 6'9 with good leaping ability, has a body tailor-made for basketball. With the right training, they both should one day represent India at a national level."
Billed from the start as the top Indian player, Vishesh didn't disappoint. In an early round game, he scored 20 points in truly dominant fashion, repeatedly sprinting past defenders and scoring on the fast break. Though his side came up short in the All-Star game, and Vishesh was limited to just six points, his overall performance earned him the camp's Most Valuable Player honours, for which the coaches selected him. "That kid has a ton of potential," said Linton Johnson. "He reminds of a Dwayne Wade type player; he's great at slashing to the basket."
"It feels very nice to win the MVP," said a flushed Bhriguvanshi after being conferred the award. "I just wanted to show that we Indian players can play at the top level."
Advertisement
