Ulhas Koravi Satyanarayan, referred to as Ulhas K S, who is alumnus of the Business Management and Entrepreneurship BA course and former Captain of the Westminster Dragons Men’s Basketball Team, has been selected for the Indian National Basketball Team at the FIBA Asia World Cup Qualifiers. Ulhas is the first Indian athlete to play professional basketball in Europe, and was also the first Indian to play at university level in the UK.
Ulhas started his studies at Westminster in 2016. During the Welcome Week, he came through the Westminster Dragons Men’s Basketball Team, and after the try-outs, he got selected for the first team, run by Clive Castillo, Programme Director and Head Coach.
“Coach Clive has played a huge role in my success at Westminster. He gave me a lot of opportunities to prove myself and supported me throughout my time there,” said Ulhas.
In his first year at Westminster, Ulhas won the International Player of the Year Award. Later on, he became the captain of Westminster’s Dragons Basketball Team, and under his leadership, the University won its first championship in seven years in the British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS) league Division 3, promoting Westminster to the Division 2 BUCS league. In his third year, Ulhas led the team to second position in the Division 2 BUCS league, while also playing in the England National Basketball League.
After his graduation in 2019, Ulhas went back to India and played in local leagues until the COVID pandemic. In the same year, his basketball team, Old School Ballers, became Street Ball League champions, the first-ever semi-professional basketball competition in India, taking place in Mumbai.
In 2021, he was offered his first professional contract with the Gloria Basketball Team in the Moldovan National League Division 1, becoming the first Indian to play professional basketball in Europe. He became the League's second-best scorer, and greatly contributed to Gloria securing the bronze medal at the 2021 Moldovan Super League.
In 2022, Ulhas was invited to the Senior Indian National Basketball Camp, through which he made to the Senior Indian National Team, representing the country on the World Cup Qualifiers.
Talking about playing at the FIBA Asia World Cup Qualifiers, Ulhas said: “I was told I was not good enough, tall enough, strong enough to play at the next level, and here I am bleeding blue for my country. It is a dream and an honour to play for my country, India. It is still surreal that I made it.”
Ulhas was born in Hyderabad, in the Indian state of Telangana. He moved to New Delhi shortly after, where he started playing basketball at the age of seven. He attended G D Goenka Public School (GDGPSVK), playing in the Under-19 national school league and Delhi Open League, winning gold and bronze in two tournaments.
Reacting to Ulhas’s selection in the World Cup Qualifiers, GDGPSVK stated: “Of millions of basketball aspirants, only 12 make it to the Senior Indian National Team and Ulhas stands there tall and rising!”
Learn more about the Westminster Dragons Men’s Basketball Club at the University of Westminster.
