A cager shoots a hoop during a match at the JRD Tata Sports Complex in Jamshe-dpur. A Telegraph file picture

Jamshedpur, April 21: The hilly town of Noamundi in the neighbouring West Singhbhum may soon boast of an elaborate basketball training centre of the Sports Authority of India (SAI).

The Jharkhand Basketball Association (JBA) has sent a proposal to SAI headquarters in Delhi to establish a training centre in Noamundi.

The proposal was sent keeping in mind the lack of quality basketball coaches in Jharkhand, which has a negative effect on the supply of cagers in the state.

According to JBA secretary Harbhajan Singh, the proposal to SAI includes the problems Jharkhand was facing in producing quality basketballers.

?Barring a few, there are no dedicated coaches in the state. It would not be logical to even think of producing good cagers without coaching support,? he explained.

Singh, a former Olympian and a senior official of the Tata Steel sports department, added that SAI already has two centres in Ranchi. They are residential-cum-training centres for hockey, volleyball, athletics and archery. A basketball training centre under SAI would do a world of good as far as producing basketball players is concerned, he said.

He added that there was no dearth of infrastructure for basketball in Jharkhand. Schools in places like Jamshedpur, Bokaro, Dhanbad, Ranchi and some districts have adequate number of courts. But the availability of infrastructure without a solid training base holds no meaning, said Singh.

Sources in the JBA said a detailed proposal had been sent to SAI and there is every possibility that things can fructify in a positive manner.

?It would be advantageous for SAI to set up a training centre in Noamundi. It will get logistical support from Tata Steel, which conducts mining operations in that region,? the sources added.

An elaborate training centre would mean availability of quality coaches. Functioning of the training apparatus in a professional manner would effectively mean development of good basketball players.

?Jharkhand would benefit a lot if this proposal takes shape,? a JBA official added.

Of late, both Jharkhand as well as Tata Steel, the reigning state champions, are facing acute shortage of quality basketball players.