Swin Cash. (Getty Images)

ORLANDO (Florida): From being a WNBA champion to an Olympic medallist and now the New Orleans Pelicans vice-president of Basketball Operations and Team Development, Swin Cash has come a long way.

At the Jr NBA Global Championship here in Orlando, she was all praise for Indian teams.

"When I first went to India in 2013, I had got an idea of what was going to happen in the field of basketball and how they are going to take this game. I think one of the things I've seen in India is the investment that has been there not just on the boy’s but the girls’ side as well,” Swin said.

She added, "I was learning a lot about cricket and other sports which were happening. But to see how the NBA has got infused not only with the resources there, but also the coaching staff, it was great.”

On the approach of Indian kids during the six-day world meet she said, “To see the way that kids from India interact with their coaches that are here, they're starting to become like a family. And I think that's in all of our academies across the globe."

Asked how basketball can find its feet in a country where cricket is a religion, Swin said, “It's very easy for basketball to grow anywhere. Whether its cricket or other sports, you have to have the money, the gear and necessary equipment. But, that's not the case in basketball.”

"All you need is two baskets. And if you have a nice imagination like I had as a young kid, you cut out that milk carton, you put it up, nail it up on a tree to play anywhere. All you need to do is lace up the shoes that sometimes people don't even play with," Swin said.

On what can be expected from her if she visits India again she added, “Probably I could bring some crazy stories as you can see right now for myself working in the front office with the Pelicans. I'm now on the men's side. This is a kind of a new adventure for me, but a fun one and an exciting one. So I think I'll have that background of not only being a female that played at the highest level WNBA and also the Olympics, but now being on the side of looking at the game from a different lens.”

INDIAN TEAMS END ON A LOSING NOTE

In their concluding Positive Finish games against the US teams, Indian cagers in both the boys and girls’ section utilized their bench to the fullest. While boys were humbled by Mid-Atlantic 26-79, Indian girls went down fighting against Northeast USA 47-69.

RESULTS

Boys: Mid-Atlantic USA (Amani Hansberry 22) bt India (Kushal Singh 6) 79-26 (24-7, 15-5, 17-6, 23-8)

Girls: Northeast USA (Madison Lusk 19) bt India (Moumita Mishra 16, Dhara Phate 9, Shomira Bidaye 6) 69-47 (28-7, 22-17, 11-12, 8-11).

