POSTED BY: Eurobasket Center
Ghulam Ghous Nikbeen is one of the brightest examples of how much basketball is loved in Afghanistan and is followed by Afghani youth, despite all odds. His dedication to the game has earned him accolades both as a national player and in the domain of basketball coaching. He has consistently worked on acquiring of new coaching skills and has worked tirelessly in training Afghan youth in basketball making it a priority. The results are quite evident, witness the impressive work he has done in Herat, an Afghani province bordering Iran making it a province vibrant in basketball activity putting Herat in the forefront of best Afghani basketball talent and an example to follow for the entire country.
Ghulam Ghous Nikbeen started playing basketball at the age of 12 in Omar-e-Shaheed high school in the Afghani capital Kabul. In 1990 he joined the Education basketball team of Afghanistan under coaches Shams and Homayon Khan and a year later was selected for the Kabul B basketball team. He had to leave Kabul however because of the civil strife and he took refuge in Pakistan away from the war returning some time later to Herat Province in Afghanistan. Although he continued to train in basketball, there were unfortunately no organized sports as great restrictions were imposed by the Taliban on many sports activities.
Things only picked up in earnest in 2001 after the collapse of the Taliban and in November of that year Ghulam Ghous Nikbeen was selected for the Afghanistan National Basketball Team. In 2004, he took part with the team in games in Bangladesh as well as for qualifying rounds of Asian Basketball Championships in India.
In addition to his role as a national player, since 2002 Ghulam Ghous Nikbeen also started coaching the youth’s basketball team in Herat province (Afghanistan) and where basketball has prospered quite well. In July 2005 he was invited to an international coaches’ clinic sponsored by Asian Basketball Confederation in New Delhi, India. In a youth national tournament with teams from all over Afghanistan, Ghulam Ghous Nikbeen's coached Herat youth team won the trophy of the tournament that was held in May 2006. Consequently he was selected for the coaching staff of the Afghan national side as well as becoming national coach of Afghani Youth National selection. He continues to be a player in the Afghanistan National Basketball Team. Always active in sports, he also plays volleyball and has the ambition of becoming a top basketball coach.
