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Eager to expedite the growth of basketball in a largely untapped market of nearly 1.3 billion people, the NBA announced plans on Tuesday to open a training facility for top prospects in India.The announcement marks a major step forward in the effort to recruit athletes from India and develop talent to compete at the highest international levels, and it comes a month after the launch of similar facilities in Hangzhou, Jinan and Urumqi, China. NBA Academy India will focus on instruction for athletes ages 14 to 18 and will be located in the National Capital Region. It is scheduled to begin operation in April 2017 and will provide academic education through a school partnership.Our mission with this academy is to develop and grow basketball in India, NBA vice president of international basketball operations Brooks Meek said. Its focused on improving the level of the players on the national team and to really give a vision to Indian kids that theres a chance and a pathway for them in basketball.NBA representatives will hold a series of scouting camps across the country to select the first 24 male scholarship athletes that will attend and reside at NBA Academy India. Those prospects will be selected by February 2017. The league is also in the process of selecting coaches, scouts and consultants who will staff and instruct at the academy. The academy plans to begin assembling a roster of top female athletes to train there soon after the facility begins operation.The strategy is a holistic approach, Meek said. This is off-court and on-court education, all of the things we feel that we want to have a direct impact on influencing the 360-degree development of an elite basketball player.NBA Academy India prospects will play against top domestic adult teams and also compete internationally. Ultimately, the most promising players at NBA Academy India will be considered for promotion to the NBA Global Academy, which the league recently established in partnership with Basketball Australia in Canberra as an international hub for the training of elite prospects.What we want to do is schedule the toughest and best competition for these kids to play against, knowing that its not about wins and losses, Meek said. Its about player development and achieving your best by playing against the best. Thats a key strategic point for all of these academies.Meek was part of the initial NBA delegation to India in 2005, sent to gather information, scout facilities and lay the groundwork for the growth of basketball in the worlds second-most populous nation. Six years later, the NBA officially planted a flag by establishing an office in Mumbai. Since turning its attention to India, the NBA has held 1,500-plus grassroots events across the country, reaching more than 3.5 million youths and thousands of physical education teachers and coaches, thereby creating the framework of a network where gifted athletes can be discovered.Recently, the NBA Jump talent search tapped 22-year-old Palpreet Singh Brar as the top player among a field of 32 prospects from across India. He then tried out for the NBA Developmental League and was drafted last month by the Long Island Nets, although he did not make the teams season-opening roster. Meek said the NBA would hold a similar set of scouting events, focused on younger athletes, to select the first group of NBA Academy India students.Although still in the formative stage, basketball is undeniably on the rise in India. Many NBA players have made promotional visits to India over the years, including Chris Bosh, Dwight Howard, Pau Gasol and Kevin Garnett. Earlier this year, Dallas Mavericks guard Seth Curry and Chicago Bulls center Robin Lopez conducted youth clinics in Noida and Mumbai.Some other key developments in recent years:May 2013: Mumbai native Vivek Ranadive purchases a majority stake in the NBAs Sacramento Kings.July 2014: The India mens national team defeats China for the first time, stunning the top-ranked hosts of the FIBA Asia Cup in Wuhan.April 2015: Canadian center Sim Bhullar becomes the first player of Indian descent to appear in an NBA game.June 2015: Punjab native Satnam Singh becomes the first player from India ever selected in the NBA draft when the Dallas Mavericks identify him in the second round -- No. 52 overall. (He currently plays for the Texas Legends of the NBA Developmental League and has yet to appear in an official NBA game.)September 2016: India again upset top-ranked China, this time at the FIBA Asia Challenge in Tehran. India ultimately lost in the quarterfinals to eventual champions Iran.The next landmark will occur in April when NBA Academy India creates a virtual pipeline connecting boys and girls from every corner of the nation to the highest levels of competition around the world. Cheap Jordan Shoes Online Free Shipping . -- Josh Sterk scored once and set up two more as the Oshawa Generals edged the visiting Belleville Bulls 3-2 on Friday in Ontario Hockey League action. Cheap Air Jordans Australia . -- Canadian Andrew Wiggins got the ball on the wing, made a nifty spin move and then let go with a soft floater from about 10 feet that swished through the net in Allen Fieldhouse. http://www.cheapairjordanaustraliaonline.com/ . Nathan MacKinnon, Jamie McGinn and Jan Hejda also scored for the Avalanche, who won despite being outshot 38-23. MacKinnons goal, also on the power play, came with just over a minute remaining. Nike Air Jordans For Sale Australia . Vancouver Whitecaps and Toronto FC failed to make the postseason while Montreal Impact fell at the first hurdle losing heavily to Houston Dynamo in the Eastern Conference Knockout Round. Cheap Air Jordan Australia Online . If ever they start actually putting pictures beside words in the dictionary, the Blue Jays left-handers mug will appear beside “Consistency. WACO, Texas -- Former Baylor defensive end Shawn Oakman was indicted Wednesday by a Texas grand jury on a charge of sexually assaulting a woman at his apartment earlier this year.A McLennan County grand jury returned the indictment against the 24-year-old Oakman, who finished his college eligibility in December as the Bears career leader in quarterback sacks.A woman told police that Oakman attacked her April 3 after they met at a Waco nightclub, a police affidavit says, and was treated for her injuries at a medical center, where a sexual assault examination was performed. His apartment was searched several hours after.His attorney, Michelle Tuegel, said Wednesday that Oakman maintains his innocence in the case and reiterated what Oakman told investigating officers -- that the sex was consensual. She said it was unfortunate that the case against Oakman has been lumped in with other events that are unrelated.Oakmans indictment comes as Baylor is reeling from allegations that it failed to properly handle accusations of sexual assault involving some oof its former football players.dddddddddddd. An independent review led to the departure of coach Art Briles, as well as the demotion of school President Ken Starr and resignation of Athletic Director Ian McCaw.At least three lawsuits have been brought against Baylor by women who claim the school was indifferent to or ignored their claims of sexual assault and didnt enforce federal gender discrimination protections under Title IX.The incident involving Oakman occurred just weeks before the NFL draft, when he was no longer a Baylor student. The defensive end had once been considered a top pass-rush prospect, but wasnt among the 253 players selected in the seven-round draft that went from April 28-30.Tuegel said Oakman is still hoping for the opportunity to play football somewhere. Oakman had 128 tackles and 17.5 sacks in three years at Baylor. He was suspended for the 2015 season opener for an unspecified rules violation. ' ' '