CHICAGO (USA) - Harsimran Kaur, at just 16 years of age, is going places. Literally.

She recently wrapped up a multi-week training camp at the NBA Global Academy at Basketball Australia's Center of Excellence in Canberra, Australia. It was her second invitation to the camp, her first being back in November 2019, which made her the first prospect from the NBA Academies Women's Program and the first female prospect from outside of Australia at the academy.

Just this past February, she was in Chicago for the sixth annual Basketball Without Borders (BWB) Global Camp as one of the elite 64 prospects from 30 countries.

That's a lot of mileage for the youngster, and she's enjoying the opportunity to absorb as much experience as she can.

"I felt great that I was a part of the BWB Global Camp at the NBA All-Star Weekend," Harsimran said. "I was so excited to see the best players in the NBA at the event, and if I talk about my experience, it was fantastic."

"I played with the best players from other countries, got to improve with on and off the court activities, and coaches were so good. They have different strategies to play with, so I got great experience playing for them."

Meeting and engaging the stars of the basketball world would already be a valuable experience for a regular basketball fan. But for aspiring teenage prospects like Harsimran, it could also be an inspiring moment that encourages and pushes them towards success down the road.

"I was excited to meet the coaches as they were legends in the NBA and the WNBA," she said. "I was also excited just to watch them, like how they inspired and how they taught us. It was so good."

"I got a chance to see Lebron James, Pascal Siakam, Kawhi Leonard, James Harden, as well as the coaches like Ebony [Hoffman], among others."

Hailing from Punjab, Harsimran is one of the most exciting prospects - men or women - in the entire country of India. She's had some opportunities to represent the country and is dreaming of reaching the ultimate goal of playing in the WNBA. It's a lofty expectation upon herself, as she admits that since she is also targeting playing college basketball in the USA as well.

"I know it's very difficult," Harsimran told Firstpost last November. "Even for [Americans], it's not easy to break into the WNBA, but unless your target is difficult, there's no point in chasing it."

Harsimran's drive for excellence at such a young age is admirable. There are probably only a handful of prospects at her age in the same region that have had the chance to get the experience that she's been cultivating over the years. A big reason for that is her determination and passion that she has taken from her main basketball inspirations.

"In India, I always used to watch short clips of Geethu Anna Jose," Harsimran said, referring to the India basketball legend who was the first Indian women's basketball player to play professionally in Australia. She also had tryouts with several WNBA teams in 2011 and was also honored with the prestigious Arjuna Award in 2014.

It's hardly surprising that Harsimran lists her as one of her inspirations.

"She was also a post player and used to play center," the youngster said. "she's so good."

Harsimran also lists a globally well-known center as another player she looks up to.

"In WNBA, I watch Candace Parker from the Los Angeles Sparks. She has everything on the court as well as off the court," said Harsimran.

In the end, however, her biggest inspiration is one that is close to home and close to the heart: her father.

"The only reason I play basketball is my father," said Harsimran, as per Firstpost.

Her father, Sukhdev Singh, was also a hopeful Indian basketball player before a knee injury cut her hoop dreams short. Harsimran has gladly accepted the challenge of extending her father's earlier ambitions.

"I picked up an interest in the game of basketball after watching him play," Harsimran recalls, as per Firstpost. "I always used to sit outside and watch him play on the court next to our house. Soon I started playing one-on-one with my father. I was the only girl in that club to play the sport at that time. When I grew up, I learned that my dad had dreamt of playing for India one day and how that dream was cut short due to the ACL injury."

"[That's when my passion became my mission]. I decided so what if my father couldn't do it, I'll do it for him. Since I'm the eldest daughter, there are a lot of expectations from me."

Those expectations came along with the amount of success and experience Harsimran has claimed in such a short time for such a young player. It has its tolls and raises the challenge for her, but knows that is what comes with being a rising star.

"In the life of every player, we have to face so many challenges," Harsimran said. "One of them is the expectations of being a rising star. Sometimes I feel pressure weighing down on my head with people were expecting something really new every time. And if I am not able to show them [improvement], then I feel like I am not good enough. Like I should this, I shouldn't do this. So, yeah, that's the kind of pressure I feel."

Nonetheless, Harsimran knows she is a big part of the future for India basketball, especially for women's basketball. There is plenty of work to do from all sides involved, and success will not come easy, but Harsimran is determined to help pave the way.

"If [us] women keep on the hard work regularly and start to think that we can do anything no matter the challenge. If we start to think that when we want something, we have to face the challenge, then I think we can improve from the position where we are now."

FIBA