Vinay Nayudu Doha Mizo Amin, captain of Al Rayyan Sports Club and Qatar National basketball team, and who emerged as the top-scorer …

Mizo Amin inspires ACS Doha’s basketball players

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Vinay Nayudu

Doha

Mizo Amin, captain of Al Rayyan Sports Club and Qatar National basketball team, and who emerged as the top-scorer member for Qatar at the 2016 FIBA Asia Challenge in Tehran, Iran, and also represented Qatar in the AIBA World Cup Qualifiers 2019 Final Round against Australia, on Sunday shared his experience in a motivational talk with students of ACS International School Doha.
Mizo’s visit coincided with the occasion of ACS International School Doha’s tie-up with BE Basketball, Qatar’s leading basketball provider, helping people of all ages and abilities reach their full potential on and off the court.

The 29-year-old Mizo, who has also won the award for being the Best 3-Point Shooter in GCC, was warmly received by ACS Doha coach Duane Smith, Athletic Director Chris Quinn and ACS International School Doha’s Middle and High School students and members of the school’s basketball teams.

Delighted at the basketball pro’s visit to their school campus, the ACS Doha students opened up in a big way asking him various questions about the sport, his training and the keys to success.
Making an instant rapport with the young basketball players, Mizo said, “I love basketball, it’s also a sport which has given me everything. Whatever I have excelled and achieved is becuase of the sport. I am the person who I am is because of what the game taught and gave me.
“Being the youngest in the team and looking up to the champions before me was an inspiration. Being a part of a national team which has been ranked 7th in Asia, and making the first eleven is quite an achievement,” he said.

“Playing sports helps you stay healthy, stay in shape, makes your mind sharper and helps manage stress,” he told the young players. However, he also asked them to make sure that they keep working hard. “To stay humble, and to never let your ego in the way. You should never stop learning and there’s always a new thing to learn in basketball,” he stressed.
For a player who is considered one of the top five three-point shooters in Asia, Mizo has been playing basketball since the age of five. He began his professional playing career in 2009.

Passionate about basketball, his talent was recognized by his father and coach Hassan Abdelmoaty Amin who put him on court only to excel.
To a question about the best basketball teams in Asia, Mizo said, “Australia play beautiful basketball, they are ranked 4th internationally. We’ve (Qatar) played Serbia recently and Australia too.

“Starting in the early 2010s we were up there in the top four or six teams in Asia (which includes China, Japan, Chinese Taipei, Iran, The Philippines etc). Now Australia and New Zealand too have been added to Asian competition which has taken the level of competition more higher.
“So now it is a big challenge for any national team to be in the top six or seven. These two teams are already above the Asian level, they’ve always competed with Europe and America. Given the changes, Qatar’s level has dropped a bit but we are shall soon be back to challenging the very best again.”

Mizo told the youngsters to get your 3-point show right. “When I was young, I wasn’t the tallest player, in fact I was one of the shortest. I would play in the points guard position. Then, I developed the 3-point long range scoring ability and that can be a life-saviour as you can make a career out of that,” he explained.

Mizo also welcomed ACS Doha’s decision to have BE Basketball on board to guide their basketball players. “It’s a great decision to go with BE Basketball. They work with the best players in the league. A friend of mine who worked with BE Basketball took the Best Player of The Year award so you are now in team with the very best, the best coaches, great development of skills coaches. Take advantage of that. They can really add to your might,” he said.

Ben Smith, Managing Partner and Head Coach of BE Basketball, said, “We’ve had a long standing relationship at the old campus where ACS became the championship winning team. You can imagine the legacy you are going to portray in the years ahead so BE Basketball is really excited in continuing the legacy towards greatness. We are looking forward to new basketball starting at ACS Doha.”

Mizo underlined the importance of basketball and sport, saying “The importance of sports in today’s world is life-changing . If you go back in time and see most people only thought about football but now students like these have the chance and facilities to practice with professional basketball coaches to get their skills developed right. All this and their passion for sport will have a huge impact on their future. The beauty of sport at a professional level is something else and I am delighted that these school kids are being given a great platform to express themselves to see, learn and dream big.

“The basketball culture has been developing all over Asia and all over the world in a big way. There are many Asian countries which are naturally basketball-addicted like The Phlippines, Lebanon and many Asian nations. In Qatar, now like what we can see the kids taking up to this sport is a sign of the good and big future for sport and life.
“Sport is not about only playing basketball, it’s about having the sporting spirit, it’s about giving to the society, it’s about being leaders, about one’s behaviour towards others. Being in sport does affect children in a very, very positive way,” he added.
And when the ACS Doha players took to the court to exhibit their 3-Point skills, they excelled and the best were awarded Mizo’s autographed t-shirt and a wrist band.
He also gave the players a mantra on how to excel on court: “Be brave. Take risks. Nothing can substitute experience”, he reminded, recalling it from one of his favourite novels of Paulo Coelho.