Punjab has always been the hotbed of Indian basketball with the three men qualifying for the NBA Development League’s draft all hailing originally from the state. However, another state that has been quietly and slowly making its mark in the sport is the southern state of Tamil Nadu.

Barring cricket, the sport of basketball can contend to be the state’s No 2 sport, giving football a run for its money. Youngsters of both genders can be seen dribbling the ball in dusty lanes, on cement courts in Chennai’s colleges as the passion for the sport runs high here, a rarity in most Indian states.

While most of the youngsters aim to make it big, only some get to take that step. One young man who may have taken his first steps towards basketball greatness is M Shanmugham. Hailing from the town of Tirunelveli, this boy wants to make it to the NBA and they have reciprocated his interest.

After weeks of rigorous scouting, here are our 21 finalists from ACG NBA JUMP.https://t.co/G5cvBDPyfC pic.twitter.com/CzF3RNeXDy — NBAIndia (@NBAIndia) February 13, 2017

Speaking on the phone from his parents’ house in Salem, Shanmugham seems awfully reticent when asked personal questions. He begins to free up when the magic word – basketball pops up.

Shanmugham is 5 feet 11 inches, not tall when compared to other basketball players but enough to make it to the big leagues. Just ask Allen Iverson or Muggsy Bogues. His favourite playing positions are Point Guard and Power Forward.

He was selected through the Chennai round of the NBA ACG Jump program, one of only 21 kids selected out of thousands who applied for a chance to get trained at NBA India’s residential academy in New Delhi and get a shot at the NBA Development League’s Tryout in the United States.

The program, conducted across six cities in the country saw more than 3000 kids compete for a spot and is part of the NBA’s increasing reach in the country. Programmes such as NBA Jump had attempted to popularise the sport in Indian circles and the Jump program saw kids tryout as the academy boasts world-class coaches and training routines aimed to bring out the best in aspiring ballers.

A D-League tryout too would be immense for someone like Shanmugham as all 22 minor league teams are either owned or co-opted by a NBA franchise. Started in 2001 as the National Basketball Development League (NBDL), the league acts as the proving grounds for many who dream of making it big in the NBA with their parent teams keeping close tabs on the players coming up through the ranks, with a record six players getting drafted to the NBA in the 2013-’14 season.

His father R Murugan, a 45-year fruit vendor speaks about the problems associated with his son’s pursuit of the sport, “We have three sons, of which Shanmugham is the middle child. I had a lot of financial problems but I scraped through and some of my friends also helped me come up with the money to support his passion.”

Shanmugham agrees with his father’s assessment, “I had a lot of obstacles in my way, mainly financial as I had no money to buy basketball gear and other equipment. My father ensured that there was no limitation with respect to my game.”

A big fan of Russell Westbrook, the NBA aspirant has a tough schedule when it comes to combining basketball and studies, “I have to wake up at 5 in the morning to practice and I practice after school finishes at 4 as well. Sometimes, I get to learn from watching the NBA as well and apply those skills that I see in training.”

He laughs when asked how good a student he is, “I am not really interested in studying but I would rather finish it (school). I always wanted to play a sport. If not basketball, I would have played football or gone into athletics.”

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When he started playing the sport at 11, his talent was quickly noticed and he was enrolled into Sports Authority of India programme in Salem. He thanks Ravi Shankar, his first Physical Education teacher and Bhasker, an instructor at SAI Salem for his growth and improvement.

Chennai was the centre closest to his home and the folks at SAI Salem decided to send Shanmugham for the NBA ACG Jump tryouts where Shanmugham was selected. “I saw him playing at a tournament in Pondicherry (Puducherry). He has solid ball-handling skills. He can create and is also a prolific scorer,” says Carlos Barroca, the Associate Vice President of Basketball Operations of NBA India. Barroca has had a hand in picking all the 21 kids, who were awarded scholarships.

His mother Bhagyam, working at an Amma canteen, speaks about his ‘intelligence’ in charting out his own destiny, “I cannot say that he is better than any other child but his hard work has seen him choose his own path and I see that he is happy going it.” On a lighter note, when asked whether she would miss him when he went to the Academy, she replies, “Not really because he calls me every night after 9!”

At the end, it is Shanmugham who summarises his situation best, “I joined this (basketball) because I wanted to earn some money though it, maybe get a job (related to the sport).”