His love for the game is immense and he is certainly true to the game. That is one of the reasons why UBA Pro Basketball League has grown exponentially in these two years. In a tête-à-tête with Sportskeeda, Tommy Fisher, 46, UBA India, Chairman and CEO shares how the League, players and coaches have grown exponentially over the months.
Growing up in North Dakota, Fisher enjoyed playing both basketball and tennis. But he knew that basketball was his true love. As the curtain falls on the UBA Pro Basketball League Season-3, Fisher talks about the future plans for UBA and much more:
Q: You must be pleased the way the League has moulded into?
Of course. As long as you are there for the game (basketball) and what you are doing is pure, the business will be taken care of. The League has grown exponentially since the last year.
Q. This is the third League in just two years, how have the players excelled?
Basketball is not just about how well you perform in the first quarter, it’s about how the players turns the game in the final quarter when they are tired. The boys have been practicing relentlessly and that shows in the game. I am amazed by the kind of improvement shown by the players. The game has become fast paced compared to first season. The turnover is evident by the kind of scores put up the teams. Earlier, the teams could hardly break even 70 points. Now, almost every team scores a century. In this season, I have even seen some players slam dunking just before full time. That shows the endurance built up by the players.
Q. Any player that caught your eye this season?
A couple of them have really shown their potential this season. Gary Gill from Punjab plays on both of the floor very professionally. Another player who caught my eyes was Chennai Slams’ Agu. He is quick and tough off the dribble.
Q. The coaches have outperformed too?
Without any doubt. I feel, the coaches have now understood the pattern of the game by heart. What caught my attention was the way these coaches were doing the players substitution. In the first season, coaches had the tendency to use their best five players in the beginning. They broke the myth this season which made the game even more interesting.
Q. What next on the plate for UBA?
Our officials will be selecting around 25 of the best players from this season out of which 16 will get a chance to train in America for Season-4. The next season will mostly be held in Delhi. We are also looking for selecting 16 of the international players who are at the cusp of being a NBA player. This will intensify the pace of the game.
Q. You are a sports fanatic, aren’t you?
Well, I guess so. I have played a lot of tennis during my Freshman year where I had a leg and ACL injury. It was pretty much the end of my sports career. But basketball happens to be my true love. I have been playing basketball since the age of three. I represented my school and college. Even at 6 feet 2, I wasn’t that tall compared to others, so I would play at any position but the point guard. However, I feel I did not have that athletic ability to make it to the Division I level.
Q. What’s your driving force?
My father, Eugene, started the Fisher Company from scratch and I really look up to him. I took over the company when I was hardly 24 and expanded operations to Arizona and the southwestern United States. My father asked me to follow my dream and that what I am doing.
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