Sahaij Pratap Singh Sekhon is an Indian professional
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...
player.
Early life
As a kid, Sahaij Sekhon started out playing
cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by st ...
, wanting to be a batsman. In second grade, he shifted to soccer. It was while playing soccer that his first coach Rakesh Kumar scouted him along with Asadh Singh, another national-level player. Kumar recalled that Sekhon played with quickness and guile like none other he had seen before. Despite his relatively short stature back then, coach Rakesh recommended that he take up basketball because he felt that it would suit Sahaij Sekhon's skill set better.Meet Sahaij Sekhon- The diamond among the other gems of Indian Basketball Ananth Narasimman (thebridge.in), 3 September 2021. Accessed 11 November 2021. Sekhon effectively destroyed all other teams in the school's inter-house tournament, often not letting the other team score a single point.
Playing career
At
Vivek High School Vivek (or Bibek/Bivek in some regions) (विवेक in Devanagari script) is a masculine given name that is popular in South Asia, particularly in India and Nepal. It is of Sanskrit origin and means "wisdom" and/or "conscience".
Vivek may ...
in
Chandigarh
Chandigarh () is a planned city in India. Chandigarh is bordered by the state of Punjab to the west and the south, and by the state of Haryana to the east. It constitutes the bulk of the Chandigarh Capital Region or Greater Chandigarh, which ...
, Sahaij Sekhon played with the U-19 team in 2017 while being one of the youngest and shortest players. Coach Rakesh stayed with Sekhon as his mentor. During 11th grade, Sahaij Sekhon transferred to SD School. Around the same time, he had a massive growth spurt, where he grew 8 inches within a short period of time to reach 6 feet 4 inches.
Sahaij Sekhon played for his home city Chandigarh in both U-16 and U-17 competitions. In 2020, he won the
Most Valuable Player
In team sports, a most valuable player award, abbreviated 'MVP award', is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particu ...
award in the Senior Nationals.सहज ने भारतीय सीनियर बास्केटबॉल टीम में बनाई जगह
Amar Ujala
''Amar Ujala'' is a Hindi-language daily newspaper published in India which was founded in 1948. It has 21 editions in six states and two union territories covering 180 districts. It has a circulation of around two million copies. The 2017 Ind ...
, 26 November 2020. Accessed 12 November 2021.
Sekhon has also played for GGDSD College where he has studied for his
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...
.
National team
Because of Sekhon's dominant High School performances, coach Rakesh recommended to his family that they take him to coach Amarjeet Singh who had worked with India's senior national team in the past. Amarjeet Singh noticed that Sekhon's skillsets were leaning more towards a defensive-minded Point guard.
During India's Senior National Basketball Championship, Sekhon was playing with his
Chandigarh
Chandigarh () is a planned city in India. Chandigarh is bordered by the state of Punjab to the west and the south, and by the state of Haryana to the east. It constitutes the bulk of the Chandigarh Capital Region or Greater Chandigarh, which ...
team against
Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh (; , 'Northern Province') is a state in northern India. With over 200 million inhabitants, it is the most populated state in India as well as the most populous country subdivision in the world. It was established in 1950 ...
. India's national team coach
Veselin Matić
Veselin Matić ( sr-cyrl, Веселин Матић; born July 21, 1960) also known by his nickname Toza, is a Serbian professional basketball coach. He is currently the head coach of India men's national basketball team.
Personal life
His ...
approached Sekhon's team manager and subsequently invited Sekhon to the National team training camp in January 2020.
At the 2021 FIBA Asia Cup qualification do-or-die game against
Palestine
__NOTOC__
Palestine may refer to:
* State of Palestine, a state in Western Asia
* Palestine (region), a geographic region in Western Asia
* Palestinian territories, territories occupied by Israel since 1967, namely the West Bank (including East J ...
, Sekhon acted as a game-changer as through his defense he locked down Palestine' top scorer
Kyndall Dykes
Kyndall K. K. Dykes (born 12 November 1987) is an American-born Palestinian
Player profile
Sekhon is known especially for his quickness and defensive abilities.