NONTHABURI (FIBA U18 Asian Championship) - India has had recent success in producing in producing big-name talents whether it is NBA Draft pick Satnam Singh or other national team stars Amjyot Singh and Vishesh Brighuvanshi. Next in line for greatness out of India might just very well be 17-year-old Princepal Singh who will be seeing action at the 2018 FIBA U18 Asian Championship in Thailand.

Princepal had a breakout performance in the international level at the FIBA U16 Asian Championship earlier in April, putting up an impressive 22.7 points and 13.0 rebounds per game. Though standing nearly 7 feet tall, Singh does not rely solely on his height on the court. He’s shown a promising outside touch, decent ball-handling skills for his size, and great strength to absorb contact. Though he was unable to help India qualify for the FIBA U17 World Championship, his performance was enough to generate some buzz towards being the basketball star to come out of India.

The backgrounds of Satnam and Princepal bear striking resemblances. Both came from the North Indian state of Punjab in relatively remote towns before moving to develop their basketball skills further on at the Ludhiana Basketball Academy (LBA). Satnam was offered a basketball scholarship at the IMG academy when he was 14 in 2010, while Princepal was also offered a scholarship at Spire Institute back in 2016 when he was 15. Since then, Satnam Singh has been drafted into the NBA, played in the NBA G-League, and is considered a bonafide star for the India National Team. Princepal is on the right track to follow a similar path to success.

“Prince looks set to make a difference to Indian basketball,” Dermot Russell, a certified FIBA agent, told Sportskeeda back in 2016. “Only difference is that standing at 6’11’ at 15 years old and having the level of athleticism he has, the likelihood he will reach 7’0’’+ in addition to the opportunity to train at Spire academy, he is likely to sign with a Top 25 NCAA program in 3 years. My prediction is that he could potentially be an NBA draft pick should he seize the opportunity he is currently been given. For Prince, the hard work starts now.”

The hard work has been showing and starting to pay off for the prized youngster. Not long after the FIBA U16 Asian Championship, Princepal was selected to attend the NBA Global Camp 2018 in Treviso, Italy. At the camp, he got the chance to play among some of the best young talents from around the world in front of scouts from both the NBA and the NCAA.

 “Princepal has great potential. He is tall and athletic. He knows the game really well. We are also hoping for big things for him," said Scott Fleming, NBA India's senior director of basketball operations prior to Princepal’s participation.

"There will be many scouts at the camp. The best bet for him at this stage is to improve more, have another year in the academy, and keep working hard. Hopefully, pro ball will come soon.”

After starring in the U16 tournament less than half a year ago, Princepal Singh will now be taking on a higher level of talent in the U18 stage. The tournament in Thailand will pit him against some of the best youth talents across Asia once again, where India will face Korea, Chinese-Taipei, and Syria in the Qualifying Phase

It will be the perfect stage for Princepal to show that he is indeed the “Next Big Singh” in India Basketball.

FIBA