Montag, 26. Juni 2017

Geethu Anna Rahul: India’s Legendary Basketball Star

Geethu Anna Rahul: India’s Legendary Basketball Star

 

When Geethu Anna Rahul was contacted for this article, she had a two-month-old in her arms and a two-and-a-half-year-old in tow. Arguably the greatest female basketball player to come out of India, Geethu was besieged by her domestic obligations. Aaryaan – the youngest – and Aaradhan are now the top priority for her. Not the Arjuna Award — something she won in 2014 to end a 13-year long wait for the Indian basketball community — that is tucked away in a crowded trophy case.
Perhaps a life of domestic routine suits her just fine, and why not? Unconditional devotion to basketball has brought her to this phase of her life, where at age 31 she can put up those tired legs and catch a ball game on TV without being involved. But can you rob an athlete of their love for a sport when all they’ve done for a large part of their lives is love the sport? Of course not. Geethu’s case is no different.
HUMBLE BEGINNINGS
“I come from a middle-class family in Kottayam (Kerala) where my father, mother, elder sister and younger brother lived in a small house,” Geethu says from her humble abode in Thiruvananthapuram. “Sport wasn’t a big deal in our place so they weren’t going to invest money. But once they understood that basketball isn’t a fad, they catered to my basic needs. We were made to understand our financial limitations early on so we never asked for more than what was absolutely necessary.”
Lessons learnt at home were further accentuated at Carmel High School in Kottayam where Geethu did her schooling, but true learning happened on court. “We only had a coach for basketball in our school, and one of the biggest tournaments in our town was the Senior Virginia Memorial tournament, which was a big deal back then. As a kid, I remember wanting to be like those people, who played there so I thought I’d give basketball a shot,” Geethu explains. “You must understand, I was a district level champion in athletics in 1998 and I would’ve continued with that had there been a good coach. Unfortunately or fortunately there was only a basketball coach.”
The naive but obviously talented girl ticked all the boxes for school coach Venu Gopal. She had the height, athletic build, intelligence to understand a complex sport and a high threshold for pain. Above all, by the time Venu Gopal took her under his wing, she was in love with basketball.
Her skill level grew as rapidly as her frame and before she knew it she was “forcefully” on a train to Chennai to attend Southern Railways’ trials in 2003. “I only went because my friend Cimi forced me to go,” Geethu says.




DEADLY DUO
It is at those trials that Geethu met another budding superstar, Anitha Pauldurai and the two complemented each other perfectly. “She [Geethu] was just an innocent little girl when she came. She had the athletic ability but she had zero game sense. That changed fast,” Anitha says.
As these two worked with a Karl Malone-John Stockton-like efficiency — Geethu, a 6 ft 2 in centre and Anitha, a 5 ft 7 in shooting guard — Southern Railways grew into a dynasty. Their alliance was such that the senior Indian women’s team had to bring them in. Therein began their next phase, one where they would rule women’s basketball in India with iron fists. “I think we must have played around 200 games together,” Geethu reminisces. “We were a superb combination.”
While Anitha’s playmaking skills were without a doubt the best in the country, Geethu’s presence under the board at 6-2 was a never before seen sight. Her movement under the rim was so good she was eventually signed up by Ringwood Hawks to play the Australian Big V tournament in 2006. She was even called on by Dandenong Rangers to feature for them in the Women’s National Basketball League in Australia in 2008. Unfortunately, it was an offer she had to refuse. “I came back to India for a week, but I couldn’t go back,” Geethu says. “I cried a lot for missing that chance, but that’s fate.”
Still, she had learnt enough by then to turn heads back home. Her growth prompted the Basketball Federation of India (BFI) to name her the captain of the senior side in 2009.
WNBA DREAMS
Geethu finished as the overall leading scorer in the 2009 Asian Championships, a remarkable feat in itself, but began to fear that her career was going to be limited to the Indian and Southern Railways teams.
But soon an incredible opportunity presented itself in 2011, when WNBA teams Chicago Sky, Los Angeles Sparks and San Antonio Silver Stars called her for tryouts. “I couldn’t even arrange tickets to travel,” Geethu says. “Eventually Hindustan University in Chennai and BFI managed to pay. Players usually take two years to prepare with international coaches and specific diets to make it to that league. I had nothing. I ate at home like always and trained like always. By the time I got there I was too weak, but I still impressed a lot of them. I didn’t make it but I went further than most.”
Listening to her, you can tell she isn’t content with just being ‘further than most’. Geethu has her sights set on a return to the court, either as a player or a coach. It won’t be easy for this mother of two, but she has all the motivation she needs. Mary Kom — the legendary Indian boxer who won two of her five World Championships and the bronze medal at the London Olympics in 2012 after giving birth to two kids — is Geethu’s inspiration.
For now, though, this down-to-earth superstar is happy being a mother first, baller second.


indebted to: http://india.nba.com/news/
The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the NBA or its clubs.
*Feature image courtesy Basketball Federation of India