Usha Acharaj has devoted her life to basketball and is preparing future athletes for the same.

Usha Acharaj is the Basketball Coach at Maharana Pratap Khel Gaon, Udaipur.

Usha hails from Udaipur, Rajasthan. She has done her schooling from St. Theresa Sr. Sec. School and pursued her graduation from B.N. College. She got the motivation to pursue basketball as a career watching her seniors play in her school. She was a promising player since her school days and went on to play for her college team at the national level. So after completing her graduation, she pursued a degree course in Physical Education from Patiala University, followed by an NSNIS diploma.

Her journey was not an easy one though, she says that she had a little difficulty convincing her parents to let her pursue sports. Her coach also helped her convince her parents and then eventually they were convinced.

Talking about her achievements, Usha says that she has earned an under-19 silver medal for Rajasthan. She has played at various prestigious tournaments and has been recognized as the best player in many of them.

The pandemic has been a challenge for everyone and especially for the athletes as they have a fitness regime to keep up to. Personally, Usha felt quite bored and unmotivated for a while as working out in closed walls didn’t appeal to her. But eventually the lockdown was lifted and she felt content that the athletes could finally hit the ground.

To become a good sportsperson, Usha advises everyone to maintain a healthy and active lifestyle. She says to become a sports coach, one should be empathetic with the players and also possess adequate knowledge of the sport.

Usha regards her coach to be her role model, who has produced many great players under his guidance. She has instilled his style of teaching into herself too. Her seniors and friends also keep inspiring her.

Usha thinks that a good leader is a good team-player, she herself has also learnt leadership through this method only.

Usha says that there is a general misconception that a career in the sports field does not have future opportunities. She says that this is a mentality of the past and in today’s world, sports are even more lucrative and secure as a career than the conventional ones.