Eager to expedite the growth of basketball in a largely untapped market of nearly 1.3 billion people, the NBA announced plans on Tuesday to open a training facility for top prospects in India.The announcement marks a major step forward in the effort to recruit athletes from India and develop talent to compete at the highest international levels, and it comes a month after the launch of similar facilities in Hangzhou, Jinan and Urumqi, China. NBA Academy India will focus on instruction for athletes ages 14 to 18 and will be located in the National Capital Region. It is scheduled to begin operation in April 2017 and will provide academic education through a school partnership.Our mission with this academy is to develop and grow basketball in India, NBA vice president of international basketball operations Brooks Meek said. Its focused on improving the level of the players on the national team and to really give a vision to Indian kids that theres a chance and a pathway for them in basketball.NBA representatives will hold a series of scouting camps across the country to select the first 24 male scholarship athletes that will attend and reside at NBA Academy India. Those prospects will be selected by February 2017. The league is also in the process of selecting coaches, scouts and consultants who will staff and instruct at the academy. The academy plans to begin assembling a roster of top female athletes to train there soon after the facility begins operation.The strategy is a holistic approach, Meek said. This is off-court and on-court education, all of the things we feel that we want to have a direct impact on influencing the 360-degree development of an elite basketball player.NBA Academy India prospects will play against top domestic adult teams and also compete internationally. Ultimately, the most promising players at NBA Academy India will be considered for promotion to the NBA Global Academy, which the league recently established in partnership with Basketball Australia in Canberra as an international hub for the training of elite prospects.What we want to do is schedule the toughest and best competition for these kids to play against, knowing that its not about wins and losses, Meek said. Its about player development and achieving your best by playing against the best. Thats a key strategic point for all of these academies.Meek was part of the initial NBA delegation to India in 2005, sent to gather information, scout facilities and lay the groundwork for the growth of basketball in the worlds second-most populous nation. Six years later, the NBA officially planted a flag by establishing an office in Mumbai. Since turning its attention to India, the NBA has held 1,500-plus grassroots events across the country, reaching more than 3.5 million youths and thousands of physical education teachers and coaches, thereby creating the framework of a network where gifted athletes can be discovered.Recently, the NBA Jump talent search tapped 22-year-old Palpreet Singh Brar as the top player among a field of 32 prospects from across India. He then tried out for the NBA Developmental League and was drafted last month by the Long Island Nets, although he did not make the teams season-opening roster. Meek said the NBA would hold a similar set of scouting events, focused on younger athletes, to select the first group of NBA Academy India students.Although still in the formative stage, basketball is undeniably on the rise in India. Many NBA players have made promotional visits to India over the years, including Chris Bosh, Dwight Howard, Pau Gasol and Kevin Garnett. Earlier this year, Dallas Mavericks guard Seth Curry and Chicago Bulls center Robin Lopez conducted youth clinics in Noida and Mumbai.Some other key developments in recent years:May 2013: Mumbai native Vivek Ranadive purchases a majority stake in the NBAs Sacramento Kings.July 2014: The India mens national team defeats China for the first time, stunning the top-ranked hosts of the FIBA Asia Cup in Wuhan.April 2015: Canadian center Sim Bhullar becomes the first player of Indian descent to appear in an NBA game.June 2015: Punjab native Satnam Singh becomes the first player from India ever selected in the NBA draft when the Dallas Mavericks identify him in the second round -- No. 52 overall. (He currently plays for the Texas Legends of the NBA Developmental League and has yet to appear in an official NBA game.)September 2016: India again upset top-ranked China, this time at the FIBA Asia Challenge in Tehran. India ultimately lost in the quarterfinals to eventual champions Iran.The next landmark will occur in April when NBA Academy India creates a virtual pipeline connecting boys and girls from every corner of the nation to the highest levels of competition around the world. Mark Duper Dolphins Jersey . John Tavares, Thomas Vanek and Kyle Okposo were also being counted on to slow down sizzling Rangers forward Rick Nash. That plan didnt go so well early. Cameron Wake Jersey . The Lightning are 2-0 so far on a four-game road trip, giving the club five straight wins as the guest and improving Tampas away record this season to 11-8-2. http://www.dolphinsrookiestore.com/Dolphins-Mark-Clayton-Jersey/ . Thousands of Southern California fans enveloped the Trojans to celebrate an improbable win secured by an interim coach, an inconsistent kicker and a thin defence that wouldnt break. Larry Csonka Dolphins Jersey . The native of Mont-Tremblant, Que., captured a World Cup downhill event Saturday, his second this year and fifth career victory on the circuit. Bob Griese Youth Jersey . Mitch Holmberg added a goal and three assists. Connor Chartier also scored for the Chiefs (3-0-0). Luke Harrison spoiled Garrett Hughsons shutout bid with a power-play goal at 13:17 of the third period. The Spokane goaltender finished with 28 saves, including a Brandon Fushimi penalty shot in the second period that would have tied the game 1-1. Here are some things to watch in the Atlantic Coast Conference for Week 11:GAME OF THE WEEK: Georgia Tech at No. 18 Virginia Tech. The Hokies (7-2, 5-1) can take another step toward their first ACC championship game berth since 2011 by beating a Yellow Jackets team that didnt do them any favoris last week in a loss to the other Coastal Division contender, No. 21 North Carolina. Virginia Tech -- which was just good enough to hold off Duke last week -- plays its final two league games in the friendly confines of Lane Stadium and knows it must be better against a Georgia Tech team that is one victory shy of bowl eligibility. It is hard to have a sense of relief when you are trying to get ready for Georgia Tech, Hokies coach Justin Fuentes said.BEST MATCHUP: Wake Forest defense vs. Lamar Jackson and the Louisville offense. The Demon Deacons defense has keyed their transformation into a bowl team, ranking second to Clemson in points allowed (18.4). But this represents their toughest test so far -- a matchup against Jackson, the Heisman Trophy front-runner who leads the league in six offensive stat categories, and a Cardinals offense that is putting up more than 50 points and nearly 600 total yards per game. It wont get any easier for Wake Forest -- which plays host to No. 3 Clemson next week. There is not a big margin of error when you play a team of this quality, Wake Forest coach Dave Clawson said.INSIDE THE NUMBERS: Only five of 14 ACC teams are over .500 in league play so far.dddddddddddd The top two teams in each division have been mostly immune to upsets -- the only one of them to lose to a team further back in the standings is Virginia Tech, which lost to Syracuse. The two bottom teams in each division havent beaten anybody ahead of them except for N.C. State, which defeated Wake Forest in a game that hardly seemed like an upset at the time.UPSET WATCH: Maybe Virginia will find a way to cover the 10-point spread against a Miami team that just snapped a four-game losing streak. The Cavaliers, who were locked down by Wake Forests defense last week, will need more from QB Kurt Benkert, who threw for just 190 yards and was intercepted twice with one returned for the game-winning touchdown with less than 7 minutes to play. Complicating things further, the Hurricanes rank fifth in the league against the pass.IMPACT PLAYER: Look for N.C. State RB Matt Dayes to put up some big numbers against a leaky Syracuse defense. Dayes trails only Jackson and Florida States Dalvin Cook among ACC rushers, and is 169 yards shy of the 1,000-yard mark for the season. Defense has been a big problem for the Orange, who are 12th or worse in the league in all four major defensive stat categories.---Compiled by AP Sports Writer Joedy McCreary in Raleigh, North Carolina.---OnlineMore AP college football: www.collegefootball.ap.org ' ' '