Garcia to coach Indian women's basketball team

Amaya Valdemoro was coached by Francisco Garcia

New Delhi, July 8 (IANS) Francisco Garcia of Spain has been appointed head coach of the Indian women’s basketball team, the Basketball Federation of India (BFI) announced on Monday.

Prior to joining BFI, Garcia was involved in various women’s professional programmes in Spain, Denmark, and Finland. Since returning to Spain in 2005, he coached various Spanish Federation Youth National Development Camps, in addition to acting as a private development coach for a number of Spain’s national players, including Amaya Valdemoro, three-time WNBA Champion.

The BFI worked closely with IMG Reliance, its exclusive long-term partner for development of the sport of basketball in the country, to conduct a thorough search of top-qualified candidates around the world, ultimately identifying and forging the relationship with Garcia.

“Coach Garcia’s years of experience working with various women’s professional programmes, coupled with this direct development of some of the world’s top female basketball players, makes him ideal for this role. Our partners at IMG Reliance played a pivotal role in bringing Francisco Garcia to India, and this is yet another example of the successful collaboration between our two organisations,” said Roopam Harish Sharma, BFI’s chief executive officer.

Bobby Sharma, IMG senior vice president, Global Basketball said: “In addition to the development role with some of Spain’s top female national players, Fran’s years of coaching teams at the highest professional levels in various countries is a tremendous asset for this position. IMG Reliance looks forward to continuing the growth of India’s basketball playing and coaching talent as they compete internationally and, more and more, successfully represent India on the world stage.”