REGENSBURG (David Hein's Eye on the Future) - Talk about low risk, high reward - Stellazzurra Basketball Academy Rome hope they have hit the jackpot by bringing in a 14-year-old who could change the organisation's future in unimaginable ways.

Stellazzurra have invited the 2001-born Harshwardhan Tomar to a three-month tryout in Italy. If India's number one basketball talent can shine as the Stellazzurra bosses hope, the Italians may have struck it rich.

Let's take a step back…

"Harsh" is a 14-year-old 2.03m power forward/center from Madhya Pradesh's Bhind district. He caught the attention of Stellazzurra - and many other European clubs - at the 2015 FIBA Asia U16 Championship where he averaged 5.0 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.3 blocks despite being two years younger than most of the other players. He collected 11 points and 5 rebounds against China and 6 points, 8 rebounds, 4 blocks and 2 steals against Hong Kong for the 13th placed Indian team.

Stellazzurra's Director of Basketball Operations, Giacomo Rossi, was impressed with Tomar's current skill-set and prospective for the future.

He’s very agile for a big man. He can move in the future like a small forward. He has good touch with the right hand. On offense, he can make some post moves and is very good at receiving the ball in movement and finishing at the basket. - Rossi

Rossi said Tomar tries to use his body on defense, which will lead to a lot of fouls in European basketball if he's not able to change. If he's able to convince Rossi and his staff in his tryout, Tomar would land a full scholarship to study and play basketball in Italy.

While Stellazzurra - which has attracted players from 19 countries into its academy - would love to see Tomar prosper, they know they're not risking much. But wow, what a reward if "Harsh" pans out for the club in a huge, still largely untapped market, according to Mauro Matteo, Stellazzurra's Operations Manager for Asia.

Recruiting the No. 1 prospect of a country that is interested in basketball like India, with a population of 1.3 billion people, could mean huge showcase for Stellazzurra Basketball Academy, but above all the chance to play a key role in a very important geographic area. - Matteo.

Rossi said the organisation is looking to explore less-known markets with enormous potential.

To be able to start already with a very interesting player from a country like India is very exciting. - Rossi

"For us, the Asian market is our next step. In the last year, Mauro Matteo and I have tried to understand the idea of basketball in India, Philippines, China and Korea. But it's not easy for us because it's a totally different culture."

That sounds like Stellazzurra could look further eastward and look to open more markets. First though, they will likely concentrate on India, a country which is making strides in the game.

Last June, Satnam Singh became the first Indian player to be drafted in the NBA when he was selected 52nd overall by the Dallas Mavericks. He's now playing in the D-League for the Texas Legends. Amrit Pal Singh and Amjyot Singh, meanwhile, are playing in Japan for the Tokyo Excellence of the Japanese D-League.

The Indian senior national team also finished eighth at the 2015 FIBA Asia Championship with an average age of 24 years. And the Indian basketball side knows how much Tomar's move to Italy could mean as well since Stellazzurra is the organisation that produced former NBA No. 1 draft pick Andrea Bargnani.

Shri K Govindaraj, the President of the Basketball Federation of India, called Tomar's tryout with Stellazzurra "a big step for Indian basketball and its players."

This recognition will only help spread the game across India as more families gain a better understanding of the benefits of basketball. We wish Harsh the best luck and we look forward to his continued success. - Govindaraj

But now it's up to Tomar to live up to the new pressure and attention. He played with Stellazzurra at the Memorial Saioni U15 in Perugia and Rossi said he will now move into international action. For Rossi and Stellazzurra, it's a matter of low risk but huge reward with 1.3 billion people anxiously waiting to see how it turns out.

David Hein

FIBA

FIBA's columnists write on a wide range of topics relating to basketball that are of interest to them. The opinions they express are their own and in no way reflect those of FIBA.

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