Siddhant Shinde- Raising their Game: UBA US Pro Performance Camp

Originally published on 15 Dec, 2017 on UBA India.

"It has been amazing training with American and NRI players. They are all great players and it helps me to get the best out of me also,” said Shinde of training in the UBA US Pro Performance Camp.

Siddhant Shinde made his UBA debut in Season 2 with the Pune Peshwas and has established himself as one of the most reliable point guards in the UBA. With the way UBA has grown and with the addition of more and more talented players, it takes consistency and hard work for a player to continue to play for this long in the league.

He averaged 9.2 points, 2.4 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game in UBA Season 4, and elevated his game when it counted most. In the final game of the regular season, Shinde put up 18 points, 4 rebounds and 5 assists to help defeat Hyderbad Sky 106-102. His performances earned him a UBA Season 4 all-star spot as well.

Shinde, along with 11 other UBA players from India and more from all over the world are training with UBA Director of Coaching Jody Basye, UBA League Assistant Coach Jon Kimberlin and Pro Advantage Systems' owner Keith Wilson at Ability 360 Sports and Fitness Center, Phoenix.

Shinde is one of the players making a return to the UBA US Pro Performance Camp, having attended the 2nd camp in 2016. He sees the camp as an opportunity to take his game to the next level, again. "I am highly motivated to begin with, but training at the UBA US Pro Performance Camp and playing and training with better players, I am even more motivated to raise the bar so I am working even more harder."

Shinde is one of those players whom the opposition does not want to see on any given night. he takes delight in locking his man down and harrying them all over the court, and training at the camp has only helped him in taking his physical fitness up another few notches. He credits the coaching staff at the camp for helping him raise his game. "Coach Keith Wilson really helps us to get in the right shape to play professional basketball and makes us work very hard. He teaches us things in minute details about body mechanics, about the position we need to be in while training. Coaches Jody and Jon are true professionals and have very high IQ about basketball. They have always taught us the 'Right way to play', and they continue to do so. They are a great coaching staff altogether."

The 3rd UBA US Pro Performance camp has been on a whole new level altogether with the addition of NRI players and more American players to the mix. The players are competing in intense practice games with well over a million rupees up for grabs, making the whole camp a lot more competitive. “I have made many friends here, we train and have fun also at the same time."

Fun and basketball are inseparable for Shinde, on and off the court, and it shines through in his love for the game. "Basketball is my life. I cannot imagine life without it. The game has given me an identity and a lot of respect. I have been blessed to be able to travel to different places, get to learn the value of commitment, hard work, and dedication, and also to be around my friends and see new cultures. Ball is indeed life."

With the Pune Peshwas looking to bounce back from a semifinals elimination in Season 4, Shinde and his teammates will look to go a step beyond and make it to the UBA Finals in Season 5, and it couldn't come fast enough for him. "I can't wait to play in UBA Season 5! It is going to be the biggest season thus far with a very high level of competition. It is going to be fun for sure!"

Shinde has played for India and has seen the sport grow over the years, and has closely been a part of UBA's growth. "UBA is a blessing to have happened to India. Our country has needed a professional league for very long for players and coaches to learn more and get better. The league has been on an upward graph always. It just keeps growing every year and people love the UBA, the excitement just keeps growing with every season."

The 3rd Annual UBA US Pro Performance Camp is seeing some of the top UBA players and others from around the world participating in an intense, two-week camp designed to maximize their skills as a basketball player, increase their overall strength as an athlete and learn to train in ways which they can maintain when returning home.

Stay tuned to read more about the top UBA players going to train abroad in the UBA US Pro Performance Camp.