India needs to tap talent at young age to excel: Thorn

New Delhi: Rod Thorn, President Basketball Operations at the National Basket Association (NBA) in the United States, insisted that there was no lack of talent in India and the priority for sports administrators should be to tap them at a right age.

"I watched some teams play in Mumbai (9th Savio Club Basketball Championship) and I was impressed with some of the guys. They looked fit and agile. Some of them can easily make it to a Division I side in NBA," said Thorn.

"India being world's second largest populated country has tremendous potential to be a force in basketball. The focus should be scout talent at grassroot levels and groom them for the top-level competition. We can certainly see an Indian at the NBA," Thorn, who played a role in identifying Michael Jordan's talent, said in a media interaction here.

Thorn joined the Chicago Bulls front office in 1978 as their general manager. His tenure was highlighted by drafting Michael Jordan in 1984. Prior to rejoining the NBA league office last year, Thorn served as President of Basketball Operations for the Philadelphia 76ers. Before that, he spent 11 seasons as President of Basketball Operations for the New Jersey Nets.

"When you scout a talent, the first and foremost thing you look at is character which is very important considering the strenuous competition in the NBA. Skills and training follows," the 72-year-old said.

"Things are rapidly improving in India. There are lot of enthusiastic kids who are attracted towards basketball. But lot more courts are required to unearth potential here. And I am sure India will be great home for the game."

On NBA's efforts in India, Thorn said: "We will continue to work towards our long-term plan to grow basketball participation and increase the league's fan base in India. Our programmes such as Jr NBA (for kids) and 3-on-3 received massive response. In the last five years, we have conducted more than 500 events to encourage youngsters to play the game."