At midday on Feb. 28, 2021, 20-year-old Harshwardhan Tomar announced his signing with KEBA Preparatory School - a Christian basketball academy based out of Cincinnati, Ohio in the United States of America.
The 6'7" forward, out of the Bhind district in Madhya Pradesh, became the fifth NBA Academy India male student-athlete to commit to a high-school or college basketball program in the U.S.
“I am truly grateful to KEBA Prep School for this opportunity and look forward to adding new layers to my game and advance my academic goals at the same time,” said Tomar. “I thank my mother who has stood by me through all, and my coaches and peers at the NBA Academy India for getting me ready for this chapter of my life.”
He joined the likes of Jagshaanbir Singh (Golden State Prep, Point Park University), Pranav Prince (First Love Christian Academy), Amaan Sandhu (First Love Christian Academy), and Riyanshu Negi (DME Sports Academy).
“We believe Harshwardhan Tomar’s mobility, versatility and elite skill set will be a great fit with KEBA Prep’s rigorous training program and renowned work ethic,” said KEBA Prep head coach Liori Kennedy. “I’m excited to see how competing alongside our fierce competitors at KEBA Prep on a national stage will help accelerate his growth and contribute to his long-term success
Harshwardhan Tomar's journey
Tomar joined the NBA Academy India, an elite basketball training center for the top prospects from across the country based at the Jaypee Greens Integrated Sports Complex in Delhi National Capital Region (NCR), as one of the eight winners of the ACG-NBA Jump program in 2018 - the second-batch of student-athletes to join the Academy.
ACG, the official partner of the NBA Academy India, has assisted in conducting these programs annually since 2016.
Since then, Tomar has represented the NBA Academy India at the 2019 NBA Academy Games and the 2019-20 European Youth Basketball League (EYBL) in Hungary..
His biggest call-up came when he was one of two Indians and the only Indian boy selected to be at the fifth annual Basketball Without Borders (BWB) Global Camp during the 2019 NBA All-Star Weekend in Charlotte.
India's Grishma Niranjan and Harshwardhan Tomar showed out big time in the #BWBGlobal Camp! 🇮🇳#NBAAcademy pic.twitter.com/szNoZistNY
— NBAIndia (@NBAIndia) February 20, 2019
He has also represented India at the U18 and U16 stage in FIBA Asia competitions.
Years earlier, in 2015 - also the time he first participated in the Reliance Foundation Jr. NBA program, he made waves as a 14-year-old when he was selected by the Rome-based 'Stellazzurra Academy' for a three-month tryout period.
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