The Grandmaster of Basketball

Manisha Satyajit Daange, 44, is a resident of Thane. She is a former basketball player who represented India at the international level. Her adventure started in fourth grade when her mother encouraged her to play basketball as her height was less than other girls her age. After years of utmost practice and dedication, she played her first National Basketball match in 10th grade.

Manisha began taking part in Indian Basketball camps as her skill level rose. She joined the women’s basketball squad for Indian Railway and served as team captain in 2006. Mrs. Daange represented India in the Asian Basketball Championship (ABC) in 2006. ABC is a tournament which is played every two years by Asian countries. She faced a lot of hardships and criticism during her journey, and sometimes she used to get substituted as well. But she kept pushing herself with the undying support of her husband, Mr. Satyajit Daange. Finally, in 2013, she got a chance to play a 3×3 court event in the ABC, and the team won the gold medal. This was the turning point in Mrs. Daange’s life. She played her last match in 2014, and it was difficult for her to leave this sport altogether.

After a gap of a few years, she travelled to Patiala in 2016 to pursue a diploma in basketball coaching. It was very strenuous for her as she had to leave her family behind to complete this diploma. “My husband strongly stood by my side, and my in-laws supported me throughout,” says Manisha. She cleared all of her exams with flying colours and topped her batch. Subsequently, she became the coach of the Indian Railway team and the Indian women’s basketball team.

Later, she transitioned from a basketball player to a coach. Mrs. Daange was awarded the Shiv Chhatrapati Award for contributing to the basketball field in 2017. She respectively holds a prestigious record for throwing the longest one-hand ball shot. The shot sailed through the air and landed perfectly in the basket at a distance of 22 meters (66 feet), and she was titled “Grandmaster”. Mrs. Daange is truly an inspiration for all the sportswomen out there.