6’5” Ronaldo Hopkins shines on India U-18 debut

Ahmedabad: For someone who claims to have taken up basketball only four years ago, Ronaldo Hopkins made swift progress to be part of the U-18 Indian team. Ronaldo, who is from Bhavnagar district, scored 14 points and collected eight rebounds in India’s commanding 130-60 win over Maldives on Monday at the South Asian Basketball Association (SABA) U-18 Men Qualifiers in Sri Lanka.

“I started playing basketball in 2022. My mother, a former basketball player, used to take me to Youngsters Basketball Club (YBC). In 2023, I got selected for the Sports Authority of Gujarat (SAG) camp. After that, I played a pivotal role in guiding Bhavnagar to the district championship in the state meet. From there, I made the selection cut for Gujarat in 2024, for the Youth Nationals in Pondicherry,” said Ronaldo, reminiscing about his journey, in an interaction with TOI.

Gujarat State Basketball Association (GSBA) president Shaktisinh Gohil lauded Ronaldo for making huge improvements in his game in a short while. “When he came here in 2022, he was tall but weak. Soon after he began playing here, his fitness improved and he gained height too. Constant practice and training at the YBC helped him get competitive. His game developed toughness, which was lacking earlier.”

Ronaldo added, “Earlier, I was told to only collect rebounds because of my height (196cm). After that, I developed my offensive play, zone defence and man-to-man defence, to build an all-round game. Today was a dream-come-true to hear the national anthem. I had tears of joy as I was representing India for the first time.”

His words are filled with humility as he remembers the sacrifices of his parents. “My mother’s sacrifices played a vital role in my basketball journey. When my parents didn’t have money and even if I knew it, they never hesitated in getting me a pair of new shoes. They would tell me to focus on my game and excel. My aim is to play well, learn and be part of the senior Indian team,” said Ronaldo, whose role model is LeBron James. “His discipline and consistency are something to learn from,” said the 18-year-old.