JD Walsh (coach)
Encyclopedia
John David "JD" Walsh is an American
basketball
coach. Born October 25, 1972, Walsh is a native of West Islip, NY
and currently resides in New York
and New Delhi, India
. Walsh graduated from University of Maryland, College Park
in 1996.
from 1991 to 1993. His teammates included NBA players Walt Williams
, Evers Burns
, Keith Booth
, and Joe Smith. Walsh's NCAA career ended early because of a back injury in 1993.
He competed in the Empire State Games
in 1991 and in 1996. He was the third leading scorer as part of the gold medal team along with NBA players Wally Szczerbiak
and Speedy Claxton
in Buffalo, New York
. In 1996, he had a short semi-professional stint in Ireland
for St. Vincent's Dublin.
Team in Queens, NY
. He began his high school coaching career in 1998 at Roslyn High School
and on to St. John the Baptist Diocesan High School
from 1999 to 2004, where he was instrumental in coaching future talent such as Donald Brown (Bucknell University), Kenny Harris (Hofstra University), Ryan Johnson (Hofstra University), Kevin Spann (CW Post), Prentice Small (Lehigh University), and Ed Zajac (Quinnipiac College).
Walsh has worked as a basketball trainer for hundreds of players including former and current NBA and WNBA players Shay Doron
, Troy Murphy
, and Smush Parker
. He has worked with the New York City Department of Education
through its CHAMPS program and written a handbook for all New York City Public Schools Junior High School basketball coaches. Walsh has trained with the Chinese Basketball Association
, Dominican Republic National Team
, Beijing Ducks
, United States Department of State
, Maccabi Tel Aviv, and Israel Junior Team. In November 2007, he conducted program for the Qatar Basketball Federation and Olympic Committee in Doha, Qatar
.
in 1995, Pizza Hut
in 1997, and Converse in 1998. Walsh had a role in the film Game Day in 1999, starring Richard Lewis
and directed by Steven Klein.
bases in the Persian Gulf region with Morale Entertainment and Air Forces Entertainment along with NCAA football
head coaches Mark Richt
, University of Georgia; Randy Shannon
, University of Miami; Jack Siedlecki
, Yale University; Tommy Tuberville
, Auburn University; and Charlie Weis
, University of Notre Dame.
to teach local kids in the New York metro area the fundamentals of basketball. Since then, it has evolved into global enterprise that has operated on three continents with more than 15,000 participants involved. Walsh has toured countries and held camps worldwide in countries such as China
, Dominican Republic
, India
, Italy
, Kashmir
, Qatar
, and Taiwan
.
to aid and develop grassroots basketball in China and promote friendship between the United States and China. The United States Elite All-Stars vs. China National Junior Team game series was viewed by over 300 million in China on CCTV and became international news. Players in the games included Yi Jianlian
, Darryl Hill (St. John's University), and Juan Palacios
(Louisville University). The SAIS New Star Camp was of first of its kind and attended by over 150 Chinese youth at the Beijing Sport University
. The coaches’ clinic required attendance for all national, professional, and Olympic coaches in China and was assisted by NBA players and coaches including Speedy Claxton
, Sonny Parker (basketball)
, Sandra VanEmbricqs, and Jim Todd
.
Walsh was head coach of Banyan Tree All-Stars for the 2005 and 2006 tours of North China with Heilongjiang
Province Sports Department. The tour team included Andrew Mitchell (Sweden Professional) and Leon Brisport (Providence College, Stony Brook University).
in June 2007 to work with the club, Deccan Gymkhana.
Since then, JDBASKETBALL has conducted over 75 camps in cities such as Bangalore
, Chennai
, Kolkata
, Midnapore
, Mumbai
, New Delhi
, Pune
, Patiala, and Trivandrum for over 5,000 Indian youth. He has conducted clinics for eight State Basketball Associations in addition to coaches' clinics for Kolkata's West Bengal Basketball Association, Pune's Fergusson College
, Tamil Nadu Basketball Association, and the Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu.
In May 2009, JDBASKETBALL ran camps in Mumbai, Chennai, Delhi (Delhi Public School), and Patiala (Netaji Subhas National Institute of Sports) with famous Indian coach, Ramesh Kelley. The Mumbai camp, sponsored by the Basketball Federation of India
, was held for over 700 in attendance at the Youth National Championships in Nagpada, Mumbai
.
In recognition for his work, Walsh has received special awards of distinction from Pune Municipal Corporation
by the former Leader of the Opposition and Bharatiya Janata Party
leader, Vikas Mathkari. Walsh has been quoted in Indian press to be building a training academy in North India.
at a Bedouin
camp in the desert outside Eilat, where he worked with Palestinian and Israeli youth and Christian, Muslim, and Jewish leaders to work on non-conflict resolution.
. The children were introduced to basketball in a three-day skills training and team building program, attracting national attention to the new innovative solution to bring about social change. The goal is to use basketball to support the psychosocial rehabilitation and provide a means of community integration of the CHINAR children. In the future, there are plans to build an on-site basketball court as well as forming a team that will travel and compete. In 2008, CHINAR won the Nike Sport for a Better World/Changemakers competition, providing funding for the Hoops for Health project.
, former United States Deputy Secretary of State
Richard Armitage
praised Walsh's unique approach to public diplomacy through basketball:
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
coach. Born October 25, 1972, Walsh is a native of West Islip, NY
West Islip, New York
West Islip is a hamlet and CDP, located in Suffolk County, New York, USA. Situated on the south shore of Long Island, the population of the CDP was 29,907 at the time of the 2000 census.-Geography:West Islip is located at ....
and currently resides in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
and New Delhi, India
New Delhi
New Delhi is the capital city of India. It serves as the centre of the Government of India and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. New Delhi is situated within the metropolis of Delhi. It is one of the nine districts of Delhi Union Territory. The total area of the city is...
. Walsh graduated from University of Maryland, College Park
University of Maryland, College Park
The University of Maryland, College Park is a top-ranked public research university located in the city of College Park in Prince George's County, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C...
in 1996.
Playing career
Walsh was a former High School McDonald's All-American (Honorable Mention) his senior year at St. Thomas More School in Oakdale, CT in 1991. He was a full scholarship team member of University of Maryland's men’s basketball teamMaryland Terrapins men's basketball
The Maryland Terrapins men's basketball team represents the University of Maryland in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I competition...
from 1991 to 1993. His teammates included NBA players Walt Williams
Walt Williams
Walter Ander Williams is a retired American professional basketball player. A sharpshooting 6'8" forward/guard, Williams attended school at the University of Maryland from 1988 to 1992, and is credited by many for resurrecting the school's basketball program which was going through very...
, Evers Burns
Evers Burns
Evers Allen Burns is a retired American professional basketball player who was selected by the Sacramento Kings in the 2nd round of the 1993 NBA Draft...
, Keith Booth
Keith Booth
Keith Eugene Booth is an American basketball coach and former player. Booth played college basketball at the University of Maryland from 1994 to 1997. He was an assistant coach at his alma mater under Gary Williams from 2004 to 2011...
, and Joe Smith. Walsh's NCAA career ended early because of a back injury in 1993.
He competed in the Empire State Games
Empire State Games
The Empire State Games are a set of annual Olympic-style competitions for amateur athletes from the state of New York, encompassing several divisions and allowing athletes of all ages to compete. It was a member of the National Congress of State Games...
in 1991 and in 1996. He was the third leading scorer as part of the gold medal team along with NBA players Wally Szczerbiak
Wally Szczerbiak
Walter Robert "Wally" Szczerbiak is an American former professional basketball player.-Early life:Szczerbiak was born in Madrid, Spain, while his father Walter was playing for Real Madrid, and spent much of his childhood in Europe during his father's playing career...
and Speedy Claxton
Speedy Claxton
Craig "Speedy" Claxton is an American former professional basketball player. He is now a college scout with the Golden State Warriors.-College:...
in Buffalo, New York
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
. In 1996, he had a short semi-professional stint in Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
for St. Vincent's Dublin.
Coaching career
Walsh began as a volunteer coach in 1997 for Vincent Smith, assisting the Aim High AAUAmateur Athletic Union
The Amateur Athletic Union is one of the largest non-profit volunteer sports organizations in the United States. A multi-sport organization, the AAU is dedicated exclusively to the promotion and development of amateur sports and physical fitness programs.-History:The AAU was founded in 1888 to...
Team in Queens, NY
Queens
Queens is the easternmost of the five boroughs of New York City. The largest borough in area and the second-largest in population, it is coextensive with Queens County, an administrative division of New York state, in the United States....
. He began his high school coaching career in 1998 at Roslyn High School
Roslyn High School
Roslyn High School is an American high school in Roslyn Heights, New York. In the fall of 1999, The Wall Street Journal listed Roslyn High School in the top ten public high schools in America....
and on to St. John the Baptist Diocesan High School
St. John the Baptist Diocesan High School
St. John the Baptist Diocesan High School is a private, Roman Catholic high school in West Islip, New York. It is operated by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Rockville Centre.-Faculty:Faculty members at St...
from 1999 to 2004, where he was instrumental in coaching future talent such as Donald Brown (Bucknell University), Kenny Harris (Hofstra University), Ryan Johnson (Hofstra University), Kevin Spann (CW Post), Prentice Small (Lehigh University), and Ed Zajac (Quinnipiac College).
Walsh has worked as a basketball trainer for hundreds of players including former and current NBA and WNBA players Shay Doron
Shay Doron
Shay Doron is an Israeli professional basketball player in the Israeli league. She plays for Elitzur Ramla.-Biography:Doron was born in Ramat Hasharon, Israel, to Yehuda and Tamari Doron...
, Troy Murphy
Troy Murphy
Troy Brandon Murphy is an American professional basketball power forward who last played with the Boston Celtics in the National Basketball Association. Murphy was born in Morristown, New Jersey but grew up in Sparta Township located in northwest New Jersey...
, and Smush Parker
Smush Parker
William Henry "Smush" Parker is an American professional basketball player. Parker played shooting guard in college but moved to point guard in the NBA...
. He has worked with the New York City Department of Education
New York City Department of Education
The New York City Department of Education is the branch of municipal government in New York City that manages the city's public school system. It is the largest school system in the United States, with over 1.1 million students taught in more than 1,700 separate schools...
through its CHAMPS program and written a handbook for all New York City Public Schools Junior High School basketball coaches. Walsh has trained with the Chinese Basketball Association
Chinese Basketball Association
The Chinese Basketball Association , often abbreviated to the CBA, is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in China.The league is commonly known as the CBA, and this acronym is often used even in Chinese...
, Dominican Republic National Team
Dominican Republic national basketball team
The Dominican Republic national basketball team are the men's basketball side that represent the Dominican Republic in international competition...
, Beijing Ducks
Beijing Ducks
Beijing Jinyu Ducks or Beijing Ducks or Beijing Jinyu is a basketball team in the North Division of the Chinese Basketball Association, based in Beijing. They were formerly known as the Beijing Shougang Ducks or Beijing Shougang; the name change was likely due to a change of corporate sponsorship...
, United States Department of State
United States Department of State
The United States Department of State , is the United States federal executive department responsible for international relations of the United States, equivalent to the foreign ministries of other countries...
, Maccabi Tel Aviv, and Israel Junior Team. In November 2007, he conducted program for the Qatar Basketball Federation and Olympic Committee in Doha, Qatar
Doha
Doha is the capital city of the state of Qatar. Located on the Persian Gulf, it had a population of 998,651 in 2008, and is also one of the municipalities of Qatar...
.
Actor/Model
Walsh appeared in numerous commercial and print ads, including television commercials for ESPNESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
in 1995, Pizza Hut
Pizza Hut
Pizza Hut is an American restaurant chain and international franchise that offers different styles of pizza along with side dishes including pasta, buffalo wings, breadsticks, and garlic bread....
in 1997, and Converse in 1998. Walsh had a role in the film Game Day in 1999, starring Richard Lewis
Richard Lewis (comedian)
-Early life:Lewis was born in Brooklyn, New York City and was raised in Englewood, New Jersey. His father worked as a caterer and his mother was an actress. Lewis is Jewish. He later attended Ohio State University and was a member of the Alpha Epsilon Pi Fraternity....
and directed by Steven Klein.
2008 Moral Entertainment Persian Gulf Tour
In 2008, Walsh participated in the first ever tour of Air ForceAir force
An air force, also known in some countries as an air army, is in the broadest sense, the national military organization that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an army, navy or...
bases in the Persian Gulf region with Morale Entertainment and Air Forces Entertainment along with NCAA football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
head coaches Mark Richt
Mark Richt
Mark Richt is the head coach of the University of Georgia Bulldogs football team. His previous affiliations include fourteen years at Florida State University, where he served as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, and one year as offensive coordinator at East Carolina University.-Early...
, University of Georgia; Randy Shannon
Randy Shannon
Randy Lennard Shannon is a former American football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at the University of Miami from 2007 to 2010. Shannon played football at Miami and then with the Dallas Cowboys of the NFL....
, University of Miami; Jack Siedlecki
Jack Siedlecki
Jack "Sid" Siedlecki is an American football coach. He was a head coach in college football for 21 years for Worcester Polytechnic Institute , Amherst College and Yale University...
, Yale University; Tommy Tuberville
Tommy Tuberville
Thomas Hawley Tuberville is an American football coach and former player. He is currently the head football coach at Texas Tech University, a position he has held since the 2010 season...
, Auburn University; and Charlie Weis
Charlie Weis
Charles Joseph "Charlie" Weis is an American football coach. He currently serves as offensive coordinator for the Florida Gators. For five years, from December 2004 through 2009, he was the head football coach at the University of Notre Dame...
, University of Notre Dame.
JDBASKETBALL School
Walsh started JD Walsh Basketball School, or JDBASKETBALL School, in 1998 in Great Neck, NYGreat Neck, New York
The term Great Neck is commonly applied to a peninsula on the North Shore of Long Island, which includes the village of Great Neck, the village of Great Neck Estates, the village of Great Neck Plaza, and others, as well as an area south of the peninsula near Lake Success and the border of Queens...
to teach local kids in the New York metro area the fundamentals of basketball. Since then, it has evolved into global enterprise that has operated on three continents with more than 15,000 participants involved. Walsh has toured countries and held camps worldwide in countries such as China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, Kashmir
Kashmir
Kashmir is the northwestern region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term Kashmir geographically denoted only the valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir Panjal mountain range...
, Qatar
Qatar
Qatar , also known as the State of Qatar or locally Dawlat Qaṭar, is a sovereign Arab state, located in the Middle East, occupying the small Qatar Peninsula on the northeasterly coast of the much larger Arabian Peninsula. Its sole land border is with Saudi Arabia to the south, with the rest of its...
, and Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
.
China
In 2002, Walsh was a critical member and founding partner of a negotiating team awarded a prestigious 10-year agreement and co-operation with SingOlym Sports Technology and the Chinese Basketball AssociationChinese Basketball Association
The Chinese Basketball Association , often abbreviated to the CBA, is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in China.The league is commonly known as the CBA, and this acronym is often used even in Chinese...
to aid and develop grassroots basketball in China and promote friendship between the United States and China. The United States Elite All-Stars vs. China National Junior Team game series was viewed by over 300 million in China on CCTV and became international news. Players in the games included Yi Jianlian
Yi Jianlian
Yi Jianlian is a Chinese professional basketball player for the Guangdong Southern Tigers. He has also played in the NBA for the Milwaukee Bucks, New Jersey Nets, and Washington Wizards. Yi played power forward for the Guangdong Southern Tigers of the Chinese Basketball Association in 2002 and...
, Darryl Hill (St. John's University), and Juan Palacios
Juan Palacios
Juan Diego Tello Palacios is a Colombian professional basketball player.Born in Medellín, Colombia, Palacios attended high school at Our Savior New American in Centereach, New York, United States...
(Louisville University). The SAIS New Star Camp was of first of its kind and attended by over 150 Chinese youth at the Beijing Sport University
Beijing Sport University
Beijing Sport University , founded on November 1, 1953, has contributed greatly to the sustainable development of Chinese sport and physical education and has enjoyed the fame as one of the key sport universities in China and in the world.In the past five decades, over 30,000 students of...
. The coaches’ clinic required attendance for all national, professional, and Olympic coaches in China and was assisted by NBA players and coaches including Speedy Claxton
Speedy Claxton
Craig "Speedy" Claxton is an American former professional basketball player. He is now a college scout with the Golden State Warriors.-College:...
, Sonny Parker (basketball)
Sonny Parker (basketball)
Robert S. Parker, known as Sonny is a retired American college basketball forward for Texas A&M University who was a first-round NBA draft pick for the Golden State Warriors...
, Sandra VanEmbricqs, and Jim Todd
Jim Todd
Jim Todd is a professional basketball coach. He was the coach at Salem State College for nearly ten years, and coached the Los Angeles Clippers for half a season in 2000, replacing Chris Ford. His focus was power forwards and centers...
.
Walsh was head coach of Banyan Tree All-Stars for the 2005 and 2006 tours of North China with Heilongjiang
Heilongjiang
For the river known in Mandarin as Heilong Jiang, see Amur River' is a province of the People's Republic of China located in the northeastern part of the country. "Heilongjiang" literally means Black Dragon River, which is the Chinese name for the Amur. The one-character abbreviation is 黑...
Province Sports Department. The tour team included Andrew Mitchell (Sweden Professional) and Leon Brisport (Providence College, Stony Brook University).
India
Walsh first visited PunePune
Pune , is the eighth largest metropolis in India, the second largest in the state of Maharashtra after Mumbai, and the largest city in the Western Ghats. Once the centre of power of the Maratha Empire, it is situated 560 metres above sea level on the Deccan plateau at the confluence of the Mula ...
in June 2007 to work with the club, Deccan Gymkhana.
Since then, JDBASKETBALL has conducted over 75 camps in cities such as Bangalore
Bangalore
Bengaluru , formerly called Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and...
, Chennai
Chennai
Chennai , formerly known as Madras or Madarasapatinam , is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal. Chennai is the fourth most populous metropolitan area and the sixth most populous city in India...
, Kolkata
Kolkata
Kolkata , formerly known as Calcutta, is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, it was the commercial capital of East India...
, Midnapore
Midnapore
Midnapore is the district headquarters of Paschim Medinipur district of West Bengal. It is situated on the banks of the Kangsabati River . This area had taken a pioneering role in India's freedom struggle...
, Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
, New Delhi
New Delhi
New Delhi is the capital city of India. It serves as the centre of the Government of India and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. New Delhi is situated within the metropolis of Delhi. It is one of the nine districts of Delhi Union Territory. The total area of the city is...
, Pune
Pune
Pune , is the eighth largest metropolis in India, the second largest in the state of Maharashtra after Mumbai, and the largest city in the Western Ghats. Once the centre of power of the Maratha Empire, it is situated 560 metres above sea level on the Deccan plateau at the confluence of the Mula ...
, Patiala, and Trivandrum for over 5,000 Indian youth. He has conducted clinics for eight State Basketball Associations in addition to coaches' clinics for Kolkata's West Bengal Basketball Association, Pune's Fergusson College
Fergusson College
Fergusson College is a degree college in western India, situated in the city of Pune. It was founded in 1885 by the Deccan Education Society and at that time was the first privately governed college in India. It is named after Sir James Fergusson, the Governor of Bombay, who donated a then...
, Tamil Nadu Basketball Association, and the Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu.
In May 2009, JDBASKETBALL ran camps in Mumbai, Chennai, Delhi (Delhi Public School), and Patiala (Netaji Subhas National Institute of Sports) with famous Indian coach, Ramesh Kelley. The Mumbai camp, sponsored by the Basketball Federation of India
Basketball Federation of India
Basketball Federation of India is the governing and controlling body of Basketball in India, responsible for the development and promotion of the Sport at all levels. BFI oversees all the national level basketball operations in India...
, was held for over 700 in attendance at the Youth National Championships in Nagpada, Mumbai
Nagpada
Nagpada is an area in South Mumbai. It is a mostly Muslim inhabited area. Nag is the Marathi word for cobra. A Nag temple still exists at this place. It is Muslim-dominated, so few people visit the temple, but on special occasions, Nag-Panchami people visit the temple. It is a crowded area, and...
.
In recognition for his work, Walsh has received special awards of distinction from Pune Municipal Corporation
Pune Municipal Corporation
The Pune Municipal Corporation was established on 15 February 1950. The PMC controls the whole administration of Pune. The executive power of the corporation is vested in the Municipal Commissioner, an Indian Administrative Service officer appointed by the Maharashtra state government...
by the former Leader of the Opposition and Bharatiya Janata Party
Bharatiya Janata Party
The Bharatiya Janata Party ,; translation: Indian People's Party) is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Indian National Congress. Established in 1980, it is India's second largest political party in terms of representation in the parliament...
leader, Vikas Mathkari. Walsh has been quoted in Indian press to be building a training academy in North India.
Israel and Sulha Peace Project
Walsh's first major camp, made possible by the Sulha Peace Project, was in the Middle EastMiddle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
at a Bedouin
Bedouin
The Bedouin are a part of a predominantly desert-dwelling Arab ethnic group traditionally divided into tribes or clans, known in Arabic as ..-Etymology:...
camp in the desert outside Eilat, where he worked with Palestinian and Israeli youth and Christian, Muslim, and Jewish leaders to work on non-conflict resolution.
Kashmir and Hoops for Health
Walsh teamed up with Child Nurture and Relief (CHINAR) in 2007 to conduct a three-year basketball program in KashmirKashmir
Kashmir is the northwestern region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term Kashmir geographically denoted only the valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir Panjal mountain range...
. The children were introduced to basketball in a three-day skills training and team building program, attracting national attention to the new innovative solution to bring about social change. The goal is to use basketball to support the psychosocial rehabilitation and provide a means of community integration of the CHINAR children. In the future, there are plans to build an on-site basketball court as well as forming a team that will travel and compete. In 2008, CHINAR won the Nike Sport for a Better World/Changemakers competition, providing funding for the Hoops for Health project.
United States Department of State
Walsh has worked in a diplomatic speaker program with United States Consulates and American Centers in Doha, Qatar and in North, South, West, and East Indian regions to promote world peace and diplomacy through sportOn Senate Record
Also, during a hearing on April 24, 2008 on national security reform held by Joe BidenJoe Biden
Joseph Robinette "Joe" Biden, Jr. is the 47th and current Vice President of the United States, serving under President Barack Obama...
, former United States Deputy Secretary of State
United States Deputy Secretary of State
The Deputy Secretary of State of the United States is the chief assistant to the Secretary of State. If the Secretary of State resigns or dies, the Deputy Secretary of State becomes Acting Secretary of State until the President nominates and the Senate confirms a replacement. The position was...
Richard Armitage
Richard Armitage (politician)
Richard Lee Armitage, GCMG AC CNZM was the 13th United States Deputy Secretary of State, the second-in-command at the State Department, serving from 2001 to 2005.-Early life and military career:...
praised Walsh's unique approach to public diplomacy through basketball:
You know the most effective public diplomacy I've seen? It's been basketball...There's a J.D. Walsh right now in basketball, he's a Maryland graduate, he's in India doing this same thing, but he's expanded on the idea. He's using it to also, as they teach basketball, to have HIV/AIDS testing, to teach courses in nonviolent conflict resolution. He's not talking about Arab-Israeli peace issues, or Al Qaida, for that matter, but he's having more effect in diplomacy than you can imagine.
External links
- Official JDBASKETBALL Website
- Official CHINAR Website
- Compilation of news articles about JDBASKETBALL
- Hoops for Hope @ OneWorld.net
- Press release on the United States Consulate General (Mumbai) website
- Press release on the United States Consulate General (Chennai) website
- JD Walsh's blog on TalkBasket