Vignesh Iyer

Senior Coach, Wadala

When I came to junior college, I was hooked to the game. I only played basketball the entirety of 11th grade. In fact, I chose to pursue Commerce because everyone around me discouraged pursuing Science because I would then have to study a lot and wouldn’t have been able to play basketball at all! My parents didn’t restrict me for anything really because I would scrape average marks even if I was playing basketball all day. As long as I was doing well and good work, they were happy with me. There is an NBA player, Steph Curry, who is my all-time favourite basketball player. Watching him play is how I have learned a lot about basketball as a game. Before I had watched him, I didn’t even know that something like a 3-pointer existed!

When I was in my first year of college, I had coached at a private organization but they were not serious about coaching so I got very disinterested in it. But I didn’t want to quit basketball and I got introduced to Hi5 through Ramu Sir at the same time. I never thought this would become by full-time job when I joined but the more time passed, the more I was attracted to becoming a coach to these kids. Because they’re brilliant, these BMC kids are way responsive when compared to other privileged international schools and even better than the BMC school kids are the children from the tribal school in Vajreshwari!

Kevin Francis

Senior Coach, Motilal Nagar, Unnat Nagar, Curriculum supervisor

Even though I was passionate about the game, my parents didn’t support the idea of playing basketball professionally as a career. In fact, when I was young, they didn’t even know I played basketball for those many insane hours! Academically, I studied engineering and sought a job in my field itself later. Although I didn’t find a job that was well paying and according to my requirements. I even tried my hand at entrepreneurship but it didn’t work out.

I never stopped playing though and one day, when I was playing at a center close to my house, Mr. Lohe from the BMC saw me coaching other players and approached me to coach students part-time. Initially, I refused because I didn’t see myself as a coach. I didn’t think it was something I’d be good at. But after sometime, I tried it and loved every bit of it!

When I got introduced to Hi5, it was a blessing! Their curriculum approach to coaching basketball showed that they were serious about coaching. They also invested time in teaching the coaches and giving them a support system that enables them to do better. I am now a part of testing and designing the curriculum as well as coordinating with other coaches. We measure everybody’s performance on a common scale and method.

This is now my full-time career considering we’ve been successful and are scaling. Plus teaching these kids is a joy. They are aware of this opportunity presented to them and learn the sport seriously. I am happy that I am finally doing something I think I was meant to do. As a coach, I get the respect and I also get to do play basketball every day, my vision matches with the leadership, what more can I ask? This is like a dream job for me!

Arafaat Memon

Beginner coaching - Baradevi Sewri Assist coach - Dixit Road,Vile Parle Intermediate coaching - Pahadi, Goregaon

I was very young when I was introduced to basketball. I started playing when I was 7, in Nagpada near Mastan YMCA. Every child who belongs to that area only knows how to eat, breathe, and sleep basketball! It’s free, which makes a lot of difference for young talent to grow and flourish. I have given a lot of years to the game and come with the knowledge too. I used to play from Mumbai South-East area at the district level and then played state finals for Maharashtra. I was also selected for the Indian team camp in the Under-16 category, but couldn’t make it to the national team.

Basketball is a very under-represented and unpopular sport in India. Here, people only have cricket on their minds. Even at a federation and government level, basketball is given zero importance. I believe I would have been more motivated to pursue a career in basketball if the infrastructure and resources for the game existed.

But life makes it turns and I got introduced to coaching when I was 18. I’ve worked at different schools and organisations in Mumbai to train school-going kids but none of them were satisfying jobs. They had a lot of restrictions and would change coaches for the teams constantly in the fear that the coach might start privately coaching them. I joined Hi5 primarily because their philosophy matches with mine—teach one team fully and take them to win a tournament.

Coaching at Hi5 is rewarding in so many ways. I get to teach children who don’t have the opportunity otherwise and don’t come with any air about themselves. They’re genuinely interested in the game and I can see how much they’ve improved. When they come running to me with a loud, “Sir, sir!” after winning a match, it’s a different feeling of proud altogether!

Narayan Jadhav

Coach, Dixit Road, DN Nagar

I am from Nanded and came to Mumbai to live here far away from my family, only for basketball! In our town, wrestling, kabaddi, volleyball and cricket were popular. My brother himself is a national-level wrestler. So, basketball wasn’t something we had heard of much. I started playing basketball just for fun and within two months I went to play a tournament!

I’ve played until national camp several times, from under-14, under-16, under-17 but unfortunately didn’t make it to the national team. So, during my under-16 tryouts, I got my younger brother introduced to Basketball. I coached him quite vigorously I think, I was quite hard on him. He was 11 when he won the first gold medal for his national team performance playing for Maharashtra! I was 11 when I started.

My brother dreamt that I would eventually join the Sports Authority of India and I did. I got an international platform there and started playing nationally. A few years later, I eventually decided not to continue to play professionally and came to Bombay to further my career in coaching. I started going to college to complete my graduation and then do a physical education degree. Coaching is quite messy in Mumbai; schools just wanted us to entertain the kids for an hour instead of teaching them. Once I met Ramu Sir, everything changed and I feel like all this effort I have made in my basketball career, I can finally put to use and coach honestly at Hi5! In fact, I have improved immensely after joining Hi5 and that’s humbling!

Zoheb Khan

Senior coach, Deonar & Ghatkopar

It’s now been 15 years since I have been playing the game. I followed the trajectory of starting from local Mumbai level tournaments, to district-level championship and then state-level tournament to the Indian camp. Unfortunately, I didn’t get selected in the national team of India but continued to play many other tournaments.

My father never liked my interest in basketball initially, he would have rather that I studied harder and did something else professionally. Also, probably, because we knew that basketball has a lot of politics at the bureaucratic level. Coaching happened to me in the time of need. After I got married, I started my own hotel business, which didn’t work and went into loss. One of my friends was working with Hi5 at the time and introduced me to this program. Because I had years of experience training kids at the Mastan YMCA, Hi5 happened and I am grateful because now I have a steady job in something I loved doing. Even my father seems to have come around considering basketball worked out for me. But at YMCA Mastan, we taught kids based on our experience. Once I came here, I realized I have a lot more to learn about coaching.

I enjoy coaching immensely. When I moved houses from Deonar to Mira Road, Sir suggested that I could teach in another centre closer to my home but I refused flatly because Deonar is my team and I love those kids like my own. I want to train them till the end, till their entire program is over and hopefully even after that. The kids also show so much affection—planning birthday parties, surprises and the way their face lights up every time you walk into the court, it’s priceless! They’re also serious about learning and pay attention when I am teaching, which is rare for such young children.

Basketball gave me an identity. People know me, and my person, because of the game I played. I feel privileged that people thought playing with me was an event they cherished. There are players in basketball, who are as tall as 6’5’’! So I feel happy that even at the height of 5’6’’, I could achieve a name in basketball!

Saneej Patil

Saneej started playing basketball at the age of 10 at AVS club in Dombivali. His parents being national level athletes, they enrolled him in basketball as they wanted him to get more involved in sport. Throughout his basketball career, he has played from 3 districts (Thane – 2, Raigad – 1), and also played netball for one district. During college he met his basketball coach – Akash Waghmare (now colleague at Hi 5), who suggested assisting him in a coaching program at the college. That’s where his journey as a basketball coach began. Nearly 2 years later, he left his private sector job after his friend Edward (also a coach Hi 5) convinced him to be part of Hi 5. Soon after, his journey has now taken him to Vajreshwari -Hi5’s tribal residential school center.

Snehil Mahajan

After completing his 12th, Snehil learnt animation at Kalyan. For the past 9 years he has been coaching basketball. Before joining Hi5 Youth Foundation in 2018, he has coached children at various schools such Podar International (Kalyan), Vidyaniketan (Dombivali), AVS Dombivali, St. Theresa (Dombivali) & Sister Nivedita (Dombivali). Currently he coaches basketball to the children at Hi5’s tribal residential school in Vajreshwari.

Sachin Pardeshi

After completing his B.P.Ed, M.P.Ed and certification at NIS, Sachin has gathered more than 6+ years of experience as a basketball coach. Currently a coach at Hi5’s DN Nagar center, in the past he has been a player in SAI, and has also played Junior State level, Senior State level, Inter-University matches, Ashwamedh matches & All-India Inter-SAI matches. Besides basketball, he has also played State level boxing matches.

Roshan Ramaswamy

Beginner coach, Deonar

My father, who everyone knows as Ramu Sir, encouraged me to try basketball and put me in district teams. He breathes, eats, and sleeps basketball—it’s his life! His passion also comes from his father, who was a former coach of India’s women’s basketball team. So, I gave it a shot and after a year of playing, I started enjoying it a lot more.

I see value in basketball as a game primarily because it encourages teamwork. The team chemistry on the court and off the court is quite exemplary. It helps form a community of players who enjoy playing the game for what it is and respect one another’s game, which in sports, is rare to find. The game changes a person’s personality altogether. You stop focusing on I, me and myself and start thinking about how to win as a team. Basketball distinguishes itself from other sports because of this specifically. It’s new to Indian sensibilities and I think that it can make a lot of difference in people’s approach toward sports.

At Hi5, all the coaches are senior to me with incredible experience and I really enjoy learning from them. I look up to Anoop, who even though was a handball player took away two trophies in the tournament for his team. He’s worked hard to become a good basketball coach and that’s inspirational. Vignesh, Kevin and Zoheb are also great, especially Zoheb, who has a lot of experience playing basketball. He treats the children as his own and really makes an effort to make a difference. I’ve learned a lot from them about coaching as well as basketball. Even though I started coaching at Hi5 as a part-time effort, I can now see myself seriously considering continuing once college starts too!

Edward Paul

Coach, DD Mulund

“I was probably 14 when I started playing basketball in school. There are a lot of other sports that are popular in India, like cricket and football and I have played them when I was younger too but, somehow, I am attached to basketball. To be on the court all day makes me incredibly happy; to be connected with the ball all the time—it makes me feel complete.

My journey with basketball didn’t begin with the dream of playing state or national level, I just wanted to play! Eventually, I started playing for Indian Gymkhana and participated in tournaments because I genuinely enjoyed it. I went for a basketball coaching camp at Elevate academy in my second year of college, where I learned how to coach and also got better at the game. I was coaching under someone who was in the Indian Navy and I taught kids above the age of 6 for nearly two years, it was then when I realized that I really liked coaching and had an aptitude for it. Vignesh, one of my colleagues here, and also my senior at Indian Gymkhana, introduced me to Hi5. Teaching these kids has been phenomenal. They’re full of energy, they’re enjoying playing the game, which is so important, and they’re also serious about it. They want to do something in their lives and they’re ready to work hard for it.

I don’t know what the future holds in Basketball for me but if you ask me seriously, then I see myself as the head coach of a district team. I’ll train them for five years and then move up the ladder and coach the national team!”

Akash Waghmare

Coach Hailing from an engineering background, Akash always had an interest in basketball and started playing at a very young age of 12 years. He is passionate about the game - lives and breathes basketball. Akash has worked in 2-3 companies and he is extremely happy to be part of Hi5 now. He believes Hi5 is a unique NGO, which works for the welfare of kids through sports. He believes the kids from big schools just play to pass time while the kids under the Hi5 regime are brilliant and understand the value of the sport. He feels Hi5 children will pursue basketball as long time career. He has a vision that there will be a rise of basketball in India and soon there will a league dedicated to basketball hailing in India. Akash loves to coach the kids as they are extremely interested in the sport and are quite serious about their practice even in scorching heat. Someday he wants to see the Hi5 kids drafted in the NBA India program.

Mukesh Tiwari

Coach, Motilal Nagar

My elder brother, Rakesh, is a national-level hockey player and my journey with sports began with him. I played basketball for the first time in Agra in school. I also played cricket, hockey, and basketball all at once and didn’t have time to study at all!

I came to Bombay hoping to secure a Railways job. It didn’t work out and I started looking for coaching jobs in basketball because it was taught in international schools. Through this social circle, I was introduced to Lohe Sir from the BMC and he took me under his wing. So, before I joined Hi5 I had been coaching in BMC schools for nearly 7-8 years.

I am absolutely passionate about the game because it promotes teamwork. When I coach basketball to young kids, that’s the first plus point I see in them. They develop an attitude to work in a group and play for their team instead of themselves. There is no discrimination in the game according to me, everybody has a role and is treated equally in the game. But, the sport doesn’t get its due, like many other sports that are incredible games but aren’t highlighted by the media. There is so much hype around cricket that no one even knows if a hockey championship is ongoing. The media would rather write about the love lives of cricketers than write about other sports and games. There’s also no money in basketball. All the money goes to cricket federations, then how will players move up the ladder?

Pawankumar Sannake

Management

Pawan started playing at the age of 7 when he first got introduced to basketball at AVS club at Dombivli by the age of 9 he then got a place in team of U/14 category. Throughout his basketball career heparticipated in 6 inter district championship 5 for thane district & 1 for Mumbaicentral but couldn’tmake it through state team. During a match for U/18 category he had an injuryand was asked to rest. But he couldn’t resist himself going on to the field and started coaching 4thStd children nearby. He was introducedto Hi5via one of the other coach at Gymkahana and his good friend Edward, and he started his professional coaching career with Hi5. He truly enjoys coachingchildrenon basketball and is proud of being representedas Hi5 coach.

Sameer Sheikh

Coach, Sarvodaya Nagar

When I joined St. Arnold’s junior college, the first thing I did was ask the sports coordinator if I could join the basketball team. He told me that it was very difficult to get in and asked me to report to him at 6 30 am the next day for trials. There was not a soul on the court when I reached. A few minutes later, Sir came and told me that he was just testing my dedication and punctuality. There was no basketball team at the college! He then requested me to form a team and said I would have his complete support. Thus began my basketball journey at St. Arnold’s.

I selected a few interested students and we started playing for the college. I never thought I would start coaching so soon but coaching came very naturally to me. Later at the Jr NBA coaches program, the coordinator encouraged me to pursue this as a career option. They gave me a coaching method and that’s when coaching became a reality for me.

Basketball has also made me very independent and I am living life on my own terms, which is quite empowering. I want to do something extraordinary in life and not become part of the routine that this billion population follows. Basketball changed me completely; I was an extremely mischievous child and had to change schools constantly. I would get angry very quickly and my temperament was never in check. But after I started playing, I channelized all the anger and have become way calmer in life. People didn’t believe in me because of my behavior and assumed a lot of things about me, which demotivated me a lot. But now that I am doing well, I very satisfied with the life I am building for myself. I am keen to go abroad, meet new people and travel. I don’t think I would have even thought of these things 5 years back!