Seven-footer Satnam Singh Bhamara’s sound shooting moulded by 5’3” Doc Sir

Dirk Nowitzki, when he sets his droopy eyes on Dallas Mavericks’ newest recruit Satnam Singh, might well see glimpses of methodical techniques from German basketball amidst all the madness that will surround the Indian’s entry into NBA.

Satnam (19) might be from a dot-village of 2000 people in Punjab, an outpost far and remote from Texas.

But the 7-foot-2 centre’s earliest education in basketball was overseen by one of India’s finest and technically adept coaches, the late Dr S Subramanian, who is known in Indian circles for producing technically sound shooters and exceptionally prolific ball players for 35 years after he travelled to Germany for a PhD in basketball. An NIS doyen, Doc Sir as he was known to charges at the Ludhiana Academy, travelled the world learning various basketball systems after an adventurous career in the army, where he picked the sport at a military base while being part of several covert ops.

Known for his strict emphasis on fundamentals, Subramanian shepherded many international careers and was known for his insistence on technical proficiency, unlike the rather amateurish systems that raised half-baked hoopsters in other parts of the country. So, when Satnam Singh got rave reviews for his shooting prowess — the quality is rare in players his size — while on his seven workouts with NBA teams, it wasn’t surprising to those who’d watched Doc Sir hand-hold him through the basics for five years.

Satnam could be raw around the edges for the fast pace of NBA, but not many would question his fundamentals.
The big man too didn’t forget his coach who died two years ago. “He was the one who found me and got me to where I am. It was his dream to have a player in the NBA, and here I am,” he said soon after becoming the late second round pick of the 2015 draft.

Satnam was in fact, Doc’s loftiest achievement – standing at 7 foot 1.5 inches now – when he left Ludhiana to train in the US five years ago. He was nine when his father brought him to the academy. While speaking to this paper in early 2012, Dr Subramanian had said, “We picked him when he was nine-and-half years old, and already 5’11”.

He was made into an ambidextrous shooter. Growing almost three inches every year, we had to work hard on his jumping ability and mobility. Plus because we couldn’t put him under weight training at a young age, I had to devise new ways to increase his flexibility. Even shifting his body weight from the front of foot to heel was a task.”

A youtube video of Satnam’s that got blokes excited shows him shoot from just outside the 3-P line, oh-so-gently with his left hand. What is a uniquely developed skill in Satnam is that around the hoops in layups — he can use both hands.

Himamshu Dabir, who’s watched Satnam transform into a player with better mobility remembers him as the big boy with strong techniques. “He always had the natural coordination and an excellent coach in Doc from the Ludhiana Academy who was very good at his fundamentals. Big guys usually don’t have such soft touch and good form as their coordination isn’t as good as some of the smaller players,” Dabir explained.

Coaches on the Indian circuit commend Doc Sir —who in his 35 years stay at Punjab, where he settled, ended up being called Subbu Singh despite being a Tamilian from Madurai — for shaping Satnam into a mould that could further be chiselled.

“The first teacher is important because, in India you end up learning all the wrong techniques and then become injury prone. They become bad habits that kill careers. No one taught or corrected better than Subramanian Sir,” recalls Railways head coach Ramkumar, who would routinely scout from Ludhiana for his pro team.

The perfect releasing technique, high percentage shooting were guaranteed from Ludhiana boys, and Amjyot and Amrit Pal currently playing in Japan also boast of that seamless action.

Satnam learnt basketball the way it was supposed to be learnt. “He knew nothing about basketball,” recalls Harjinder Singh, Doc Sir’s deputy for many years. “Subramanian Sir taught him the ABC. Everything from how to run to how to hold a ball,” he adds.

Doc Sir would field Satnam in a Senior National while he was still 14 – that gave the boy such tremendous confidence that he always remembered how the old master trusted him. “It’s not like he was strict, but we all respected him, and wanted to play well for him. I’m not surprised Satnam remembered him soon after he was picked in the draft. We loved his practice sessions,” Amjyot, playing summer league in Japan and hoping he’ll crack NBA someday too, says.

The middle of three sessions would always be purely shooting, and it was hard work. “He was so educated. Everyday he’d come up with new moves. Satnam and all of us learnt from a genius. With his teachings, we know even we can get there,” he adds.

Satnam’s work ethic in the US is appreciated by American coaches who will have to continue guiding him into the higher orbit. But he’ll never forget the laboured efforts of his first coach, who standing at 5’3” drilled the basics of the basketball universe, into his pulse.