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Off the court too, Norman's a winner
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After three decades of playing the game, Norman Swaroop Isaac takes on administrative challenges
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Norman Swaroop Issac
Thirty years is a long time, long enough to run out of steam and maybe even quit. Not so for Norman Swaroop Isaac, who began basketball in 1976 as a player and is now a commissioner, the highest position an official of the game can aspire to.
His affair with the ball and hoop began as a 14-year-old at YMCA, Secunderabad. By 1980, he was leading Osmania University. So was he playing national level basketball — among juniors, seniors in the Federation Cup, inter-zonal championships and other all India events.
In 1983, he joined the State Bank of India, earning an opportunity to play alongside Mohd. Rizwan, a shrewd tactician and Indian captain. So was he not too far behind international Hari Krishna Prasad, famed for his fast breaks. The bank side prospered, winning several tournaments at the national level and remained unchallenged for over a decade in the state.
Besides being useful on court, Norman was a thinker of the game off it. Not surprisingly, he qualified as a coach from the National Institute of Sports, Patiala in 1992. A year later, the Basketball Federation of India (BFI) empanelled him as B class referee. He was also invited for commentary on Doordarshan and All India Radio.
His knowledge gained mostly on court, Norman was regularly called to officiate in the national championships since 1993. Since he was well versed with all the tricks players resorted to, his hawk-eyed vigilance ensured every game he controlled went off without incident or controversy.
Players, quick to spot an official, not only competent but also confident, wouldn't test their luck when he had the whistle. Promoted to the BFI's A panel in 1996, his mentoring of the state team saw it win the south zone and inter-zonal tournaments.
His progress didn't end there as he sought global exposure by clearing the international referees exam in 2002.
His credentials established, Norman was invited in the very next year to officiate in the Asian club championship at Kuala Lumpur. In 2004, he was back in the vicinity, this time in Singapore for the Asian championships. The BFI nominated him to take the Commissioner's exam in 2005 but he couldn't attend for various reasons. His dream was however fulfilled last month when he cleared the FIBA commissioner's exam at Muscat.
In an international event, the commissioner is equivalent to the commander-in-chief. Right from arranging referees to assessing their performance, from conduct of the event to its last technical detail, his is the last word. More importantly, this last qualification makes Isaac eligible to officiate at the world's highest levels, viz; the Olympics and the World Cup.
In an administrative capacity, he is Joint Secretary and Treasurer of the Andhra Pradesh Basketball Association.
A. J.A.
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