Siya to play for Life Prep Academy in US
   Date :13-Aug-2020

Siya Deodhar_1  
 
Principal Correspondent :
 
ACCLAIMED basketball player of city and national level player Siya Deodhar has been selected to play Life Prep Academy in United States of America. The 2020 BWB Global Camp Alumnus and a product of Shivaji Nagar Gymkhana Club, 17-year-old rising baller is one of only three girls to have attended all three NBA Academy India Women’s camps so far (May 2018, January 2019, October 2019) and the only one to have received an award at every camp.
 
Siya got offer from Life Prep Academy in Wichita, KS USA on July 10 this year through the Head Coach Jeff Henry and Blair Hardiek, Global Director NBA Academy. Henry is also the Director for Next Level Eclipse Basketball, an Adidas sponsored club team. On August 11, Siya announced her commitment to play high school basketball at Life Prep Academy in Wichita, Kansas. Siya will play for Wichita Hoops, a club at US with world class facilities. Siya is being trained by Shiv Chhatrapati Awardee and her coach Shatrughna Gokhale and Vinay Chikate at Shivaji Nagar Gymkhana since she was six years old. A student of Centre Point School, Katol Road, Siya represented Mahrashtra basketball team in many national championships. At the age of 16, She was also part of senior women Indian camp last year.
 
Since 2019, she would be the fourth Indian-born athlete to play high-school basketball in the United States after Asmat Kaur Taunque, Harsimran Kaur, and Ann Mary Zachariah. Siya will be playing with 16-year-old, 6’2 forward Ann Mary, who also announced her commitment to Life Prep Academy. In the first camp in May 2018, she was named Most Improved Player. Then, in the next two camps, she bagged the ‘Team-mate Award’. Siya’s rise within the junior ranks has been well documented by her selection to multiple global training and development camps, informs a press release issued by Gokhale. In April 2019, she was one of seven Indians (four girls) to participate at the NCAA Next Generation Showcase.
 
Similarly, in August last year, Siya was one of four Indians (two girls) at the Basketball Without Border Asia Camp in Tokyo, Japan. Earlier this year, she was one of the three Indians (two girls) picked for the Basketball Without Borders Global Camp, held during the 2020 All-Star Weekend in Chicago. Taking to Instagram Siya said, “On to the next chapter in life... I’m glad to announce my commitment to Life Prep Academy. I wouldn’t be here without the love and support of my family, friends and my coaches! I would like to thank all the NBA Academy Coaches who helped me reach this point! Excited for what life holds for me in the future. Special thanks to @blairehardiek and @nbaacademy for your endless support and faith.”