Hoopdarshan

Hoopdarshan is back! On Episode 18 of India's finest basketball blog, hosts Kaushik Lakshman and Karan Madhok catch up with Indian cricket and sports journalist extraordinaire, Jamie Alter. Alter, the Sports Editor of Times of India Digital, explains to us the popularity of cricket in India, what other sports like basketball can learn from cricket's success, and finds parallels between Sachin, Jordan, LeBron, and Yuvraj Singh.

In just about a week, 16 of the top teams in Asia will head to Changsha (China) to take part in the 2015 FIBA Asia Basketball Championship (ABC). In this episode of Hoopdarshan, we bring abroad the Asian basketball expert Enzo Flojo to help preview the ABC. The Filipino Flojo joins Hoopdarshan co-hosts Kaushik Lakshman and Karan Madhok to break down all the teams, top contenders, and top players to keep our eye on in China. We give special mention to our respective homelands (India and Philippines), and allow Flojo to tell us why exactly "it's better in the Philippines."

#MoreWins is the theme of Episode 16 of Hoopdarshan, the finest podcast on Indian Basketball. Hosts Kaushik Lakshman and Karan Madhok are joined by Bengaluru-raised tech entrepreneur Vasu Kulkarni, who has turned his start-up 'Krossover' into a must-have service for NBA, College, and High-School coaches in North America and beyond. In a candid chat, Kulkarni spoke to us about how growing up and learning hoops in Bengaluru shaped his ambitions, how Krossover is furthering advanced analytics in basketball, and meeting God... er, Michael Jordan.

#MoreWins is the theme of Episode 16 of Hoopdarshan, the finest podcast on Indian Basketball. Hosts Kaushik Lakshman and Karan Madhok are joined by Bengaluru-raised tech entrepreneur Vasu Kulkarni, who has turned his start-up 'Krossover' into a must-have service for NBA, College, and High-School coaches in North America and beyond. In a candid chat, Kulkarni spoke to us about how growing up and learning hoops in Bengaluru shaped his ambitions, how Krossover is furthering advanced analytics in basketball, and meeting God... er, Michael Jordan.

As we countdown the days to the 2015 FIBA Asia Basketball Championship for Women in Wuhan (China), hosts Kaushik Lakshman and Karan Madhok of the Hoopdarshan podcast couldn't find better company than the Head Coach of Team India himself, Francisco Garcia. Two years after he guided India to a best-ever fifth-place finish, Garcia gives us a detailed preview of what the Indian attack will look like at Wuhan, his expectations of the team's rising new stars, and his 2nd India Bucket List before he returns home to Spain.

68 years ago, India won Independence from the British Empire, and in 2015, we are still thankful for the nation's most glorious day. Feeling a whiff of patriotism, the Indian basketball podcast Hoopdarshan - hosted by Kaushik Lakshman and Karan Madhok - bring you our Independence Day special episode. Join us as we recount and discuss the greatest milestones in Indian basketball history, from the first ball bounced in Kapurthala to the first Indian drafted into the NBA. We finish the episode with a special interview with former Women's NT captain Prashanti Singh on her biggest moments in a Team India jersey, the struggle for women in the sport, and getting marriage proposals from random fans. 

One of India's most talented basketball players, 22-year-old Chandigarh boy Amjyot Singh's skills made him a regular starter for India's national team, gave him a pivotal role in India's historic win over China last year, and brought him a pro contract to play in Japan. In Episode 13 of Hoopdarshan - the first podcast on Indian Basketball - Amjyot joins hosts Kaushik Lakshman and Karan Madhok in a candid conversation about his starring role for Team India, his experiences playing in Japan, facing FIBA's 'No Headgear' policy as a Sikh player, and listening to romantic slow jams before big games.

One of India's most talented basketball players, 22-year-old Chandigarh boy Amjyot Singh's skills made him a regular starter for India's national team, gave him a pivotal role in India's historic win over China last year, and brought him a pro contract to play in Japan. In Episode 13 of Hoopdarshan - the first podcast on Indian Basketball - Amjyot joins hosts Kaushik Lakshman and Karan Madhok in a candid conversation about his starring role for Team India, his experiences playing in Japan, facing FIBA's 'No Headgear' policy as a Sikh player, and listening to romantic slow jams before big games.

On Episode 12 of Hoopdarshan - the Indian basketball podcast - hosts Kaushik Lakshman and Karan Madhok catch up with Bryan Gamroth, former coach at NBA India's Jr. NBA programme. Gamroth discusses his most memorable and amusing moments while teaching basketball to the Mumbai youth, speaks of India's potential as a growing basketball nation, and suffers our jabs after a depressing few weeks as a Portland Trail Blazers fan.

On Episode 11 of Hoopdarshan, hosts Kaushik Lakshman and Karan Madhok are joined by Shaun Jayachandran, the Founder of Crossover Basketball and Scholar's Academy. For the last 3 years, Shaun has been visiting Chennai in India with Crossover volunteers to reach out to youth from low-income households and help them explore important life-skills through the sport of basketball. On this episode, we discuss Crossover's mission to change Indian education one hooping kid at a time, his talented team of volunteers, and why Yo Yo Honey Singh should write a basketball rap anthem