Siya Deodhar of Nagpur has been selected by the NBA and NCAA for a training in the United States. She was selected on the basis of her consistent performance during the last two years at the NBA Academy India Women’s training program. She is the only player from Maharashtra.
The 16-year-old Siya is a student of BVM Civil Lines is among the four Indian girls selected by the NBA for the Next Generation Global Camp scheduled to be held at Florida from April 3 to 7. Siya practices at the local Shivaji Nagar Gymkhana (SNG) under Shatrughna Gokhale and Vinay Chikate.
NBA Academies Women’s Program participants from Africa, Australia, China, India, and Mexico, in addition to select players from Canada and Europe, will compete in a three-day minicamp led by NBA Academies Women’s Program Technical Directors Jennifer Azzi and Blair Hardiek, culminating with exhibition games at Next Generation Saturday on April 6 at the Women’s Final Four. Siya is the first player from city to get selected for advanced training by the NBA. President of the Nagpur District Basketball Association (NDBA) Sandip Joshi, Secretary Bhavesh Kuchanwar and all the members of the district association congratulated Siya and wished her all the luck for the selection.
The camp is hosted by the NCAA in partnership with USA Basketball and the NBA Academies program, and with support from the National Association of Basketball Coaches and the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association, the collaboration provides young athletes with educational and life-skills sessions, allows them to compete against their peers from around the world, and lets them experience aspects of the Final Four from a player’s perspective, including attending Final Four semifinal games.