<p>K Karan Kumar acted on a piece of advice from his brother and that has turned out to be life-changing. Karan was in the third standard when his brother Shravan observed his interest in sports and suggested him to try out basketball.</p>.<p>“I used to see my brother Shravan play and that made me feel that I should also try this game,” recalls Karan, a student of Delhi Public School, South.</p>.<p>“He told me that I have a good height (now 6’ 1’’). I was pretty tall in the third grade. He told me to try out basketball. Once I started playing, I fell in love with the game.”</p>.<p>Since then, he has spent a number of years honing his skills. The 16-year-old trains at the Koramangala Sports Club under coach Umashankar BC, who is impressed with his shooting abilities and hopes to see him in Indian colours in the future.</p>.<p>“He is a very hard-working boy, surely, if he competes, he will develop into a good player and India will have a good shooter,” says Umashankar. </p>.<p>Karan received his first big call in 2016 when he made it to the Karnataka team for the Sub-junior Nationals in Puducherry. That outing didn’t turn out as well as he expected, with Karnataka finishing tenth in the final standings. </p>.<p>Two years later, he was named in the state squad for the Youth Nationals in Udaipur. Karnataka produced a much-improved show in this competition and finished fourth after going down to eventual champions Rajasthan in the semifinals. </p>.<p class="CrossHead">Good experience</p>.<p>Karan, averaging almost 15 points per game in the eight matches, was pleased with his performance. “It was a very good experience,” says the hoopster, who is a shooting guard in the state team. “It showed me where I stand among the national players. So based on that I have to work even harder,” he added.</p>.<p>The Bengalurean was never short of support at home. Karan’s father K Sudhakar is a businessman and mother K Sireesha works in a real estate company. Both have always backed his passion.</p>.<p>“It is because of my parents that I am playing basketball. They are very supportive,” acknowledged Karan, who hopes to play in a professional league in the future.</p>.<p>For now, the youngster is focused on training in the camp at the Sree Kanteerava Indoor Stadium for the Khelo India Games. </p>
<p>K Karan Kumar acted on a piece of advice from his brother and that has turned out to be life-changing. Karan was in the third standard when his brother Shravan observed his interest in sports and suggested him to try out basketball.</p>.<p>“I used to see my brother Shravan play and that made me feel that I should also try this game,” recalls Karan, a student of Delhi Public School, South.</p>.<p>“He told me that I have a good height (now 6’ 1’’). I was pretty tall in the third grade. He told me to try out basketball. Once I started playing, I fell in love with the game.”</p>.<p>Since then, he has spent a number of years honing his skills. The 16-year-old trains at the Koramangala Sports Club under coach Umashankar BC, who is impressed with his shooting abilities and hopes to see him in Indian colours in the future.</p>.<p>“He is a very hard-working boy, surely, if he competes, he will develop into a good player and India will have a good shooter,” says Umashankar. </p>.<p>Karan received his first big call in 2016 when he made it to the Karnataka team for the Sub-junior Nationals in Puducherry. That outing didn’t turn out as well as he expected, with Karnataka finishing tenth in the final standings. </p>.<p>Two years later, he was named in the state squad for the Youth Nationals in Udaipur. Karnataka produced a much-improved show in this competition and finished fourth after going down to eventual champions Rajasthan in the semifinals. </p>.<p class="CrossHead">Good experience</p>.<p>Karan, averaging almost 15 points per game in the eight matches, was pleased with his performance. “It was a very good experience,” says the hoopster, who is a shooting guard in the state team. “It showed me where I stand among the national players. So based on that I have to work even harder,” he added.</p>.<p>The Bengalurean was never short of support at home. Karan’s father K Sudhakar is a businessman and mother K Sireesha works in a real estate company. Both have always backed his passion.</p>.<p>“It is because of my parents that I am playing basketball. They are very supportive,” acknowledged Karan, who hopes to play in a professional league in the future.</p>.<p>For now, the youngster is focused on training in the camp at the Sree Kanteerava Indoor Stadium for the Khelo India Games. </p>
