'We have to catch up with a lot of countries': Flemming Presents Grave Picture of Indian Basketball

Indian basketball team head coach Scott Flemming admitted on Tuesday that the country will have to improve by leaps and bounds in the sport and asked his players to contribute to the same by showcasing more discipline and cohesion. Flemming's team is preparing for the India leg of the FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers. The 76th-ranked Indian team is currently placed at the bottom of its group table, having lost to Kazakhstan and Iran.

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Scott Flemming On The State of Indian Basketball

As hosts, India will be taking on Qatar (November 22) and Kazakhstan (November 25) here, and they will need to come up with an extraordinary performance to give themselves a chance of making it to the final round.

"It has to catch up with a lot of countries. I'm from the USA, where it has NBA basketball, and college basketball is huge," Flemming told PTI on the sidelines of the media-day event of the Asia Cup Qualifiers.

"We're trying to get better here and not compare ourselves to other places. I think it's coming along. There's just a lot of things that are moving forward right now. I hope everybody is patient, even with this team.

"We're a very young team. We're mostly under 25 years old. We're better than we were. When these guys get to be in their late 20s, around 30, we'll be somebody to reckon with. We can do it sooner than that.

"All we can do is try to reach our full potential. A lot of these players were in my NBA academy. We've gotten a lot better, and it's just going to be better in the future."

Flemming's ongoing stint is his second one with India, having previously coached the side between 2012-15.

When asked if he sees any Indian player having the potential to make it to the National Basketball Association (NBA), he said they have a long way to go.

"I really can't say that now, but with these young players, you never know. I never want to limit what they can do.

"Until I see a certain level of player, you've got to realize that only 1 percent or less of US players ever make it to the NBA. These are the greatest players in the world.

"Honestly, we're not there yet, but that's what we're striving for. I think at some point it will happen, but no predictions right now."

The Indians are yet to win a medal in multi-sport events -- Asian Games, Commonwealth Games and Olympics -- and for that to happen, Flemming feels the players will need to play with a lot more discipline.

"I preach to these guys all the time, 'Let's narrow that gap'. The president talked about being ranked 82nd (76th). We want to see that drop. We want to see that drop and be higher ranked.

"It's possible (to win medals at international tournaments), but it's going to come from discipline and players sticking with it and having a system of play. As I said, playing hard, playing together, and putting the team above ourselves will get us there," he concluded.

(With PTI inputs)