Jagshaanbir aims to gain greater mileage after being picked by USA's Point Park University

On Wednesday last week, former NBA Academy India student-athlete, Jagshaanbir Singh took to Instagram to announce he would be committing to Point Park University.

“We are really excited to have Jagshaan as part of the Point Park University family. Jagshaan has great size and athleticism as well as a tremendous understanding of the game. He has been well-coached. We are excited about his potential,” said Pioneers head coach Joe Lewandowski.

The Jalandhar lad became only the sixth Indian male player to get a scholarship in the US after he was signed by the Golden State Prep (GSP) last year. He was also the first male player from the NBA India Academy to get an invite from an American institute. Playing for the GSP for a year now, Jagshaan strengthened his core as a cager.

"It has been a holistic experience playing at the Golden State Prep in the US. I learnt a lot about different stuff in the States, where I could improve my speed, agility, aggression and athletism, among others. It was there I learnt to take my game to a different plain altogether," says the 19-year-old in a conversation with The Bridge.

Jagshaanbir came to India from the US for a short home on February 15 for some personal work. However, he had to postpone his return indefinitely, owing to the mass scale COVID-19 outbreak in the US.

Jagshaanbir Singh

"I was expecting to return to the US early but coronavirus has halted my plans. I am at my home in Jalandhar and keeping up with the physical training. I am getting to spend a good time with family," quips Jagshaan.

The 7-footer was among the first batch of 21 student-athletes selected to NBA Academy India when it opened in May of 2017. Less than a couple of months after he joined the Academy, he was one of 12 Indians to be part of NBA's Asia Pacific Camp held in China. A year later, in August 2018, he represented India in the FIBA U18 Asian Championships in Thailand.

In January of 2019, he was one of six student-athletes from NBA Academy India to have met Dwyane Wade at the Madison Square Garden. On the same trip, he along with Vivek Chauhan were the only Indians to be part of NBA Academy's week-long opportunity for select prospects to train with professional trainers, scrimmage with American high school teams and live the NBA life in New York City.

Talking about his experience of playing at the NBA India Academy, Jagshaan said, "When I was at the NBA Academy India, the coaches polished my skills, which helped me in the US. India is slowly adapting to the best practices that are followed in the US."

Getting an opportunity to play for the Point Park is a big start for Jagshaan, whose career graph has been on the rise. "I think it's a great opportunity for me to develop as a player. I am going to play with a diverse set of players which would help me build my game. They will be way more skilled. I am going get trained by big coaches," he concludes.