Pasha Bains is one of BC's local celebrities who has put a lot of effort into "giving back" to the community. He is an inspiration, not only to the younger generation of children, but to all generations, especially in the South Asian/Indo Canadian community.

1. How old were you when you started playing basketball?
I think I started playing basketball in Gr.3 or Gr.4. I started playing outside my neighbor's front yard and instantly fell in love with it. After school, I would go right next door and play for hours on end. I had a really creative imagination back than so I would create my own leagues where some of the best players in the nba and local players that I looked up to would compete in imaginary games in my head. I used to pass hours doing these "leagues" with scoring leaders, standings and championships. When it got dark I would come inside and do the same thing on my nerf hoop attached to the closet in my bedroom. I think it really helped me develop good form on my shot for when I got older.

2. What/who inspired you to pursue basketball?
I was always involved in sports growing up, track & field & soccer, so I knew I would pursue a sport full-time. Sports was just part of my culture growing up. Basketball for me was the easiest to play and easily the most fun. I used to be obsessed with the nba and all the great players, I would watch their moves and than try to copy them on my own hoop. In terms of people locally that inspired me to play growing up I would have to say my brother Pavel and his friends including Bobby Singh who now plays in the CFL. Bobby played basketball at a high level in high school and would always let me be the young kid playing in the local pickup games. My high school coach Bill Disbrow is one of the greatest coaches in B.C. History and he was really the one who inspired me to pursue excellence and push myself in ways I didn't even know how. He inspired me to wake up at 6am every single day in High School for 3 straight years to practice basketball for 2 hours before school even started. He even picked me up in the am's everyday until I got my license, I think certain people come around and change your life for the better and he was the one for me.

3. Who is your role model? on the court and off the court?
Role model on the court would have to be the greatest of all-time, Michael Jordan. He is the perfect basketball player in terms of mental and physical skills, I think me and every other kid from my generation has been inspired by him and still continue to be. I think he taught guys how to move and what moves to you on the court if you were a guard. I still watch all his games to this day. Off the court, I would have to say my father because he is the greatest man I've ever known. He would do anything to help people and he has taught me many lessons. He got me into reading at a young age and exposed me to Lit greats like Shakespeare, Thoreau, Emerson, Marx and revolutionaries like Bhagat Singh and Che. He really values education, teaching and learning and inspired me to pursue the academic goals that I set. He is a man who values work and supporting the workers, even in retirement he is busy away helping me with Drive and going back to school!

4. What is your education background?
I have a Double Undergrad degree in English and Psychology from SFU and went on to complete a Master's in Sports Psychology/Coaching Science at UBC. The Master's has been a huge benefit in terms of starting Drive and coaching and working with kids. I have definitely used everything I learned in my program within Drive and my lesson plans in terms of positive motivation and inspiring kids to play the game. My research was based on Achievement Goal Theory which is a theory that teaches students and athletes to be task-oriented and establish a mastery perspective as opposed to an ego orientation where you perceive your ability as dependant upon comparison with others. This is important when dealing with high school aged athletes because self-esteem and self-efficacy are very important qualities for the athlete's performance in sport and in life. By teaching kids to "run their own race" they can believe in themselves and have more confidence in their abilities. This is a huge part of the Drive program.

5. What are your short term goals and long term goals?
It's hard to share them. We definitely want Drive to keep growing and be able to establish more programs and services. We are constantly trying to improve the quality of the Drive product and expand and grow.

6. What/who inspired you to start the DRIVE program?
Honestly, it was just a natural thing for me to do. I had so many people helping me when I grew up that I felt that I needed to pass on everything I've learned to other young players. After I started Drive and realized how special it made me and the kids feel, it just took off. Even though Drive is open to all races, I definitely wanted to start a program that would help young Indian athletes learn the game and grow as individuals and basketball players. I had seen many talented Indian players growing up and definitely wanted to be directly involved in helping some of the younger generation achieve their goals. I'm definitely proud of all the amazing Indian ballers we have at Drive and other programs in B.C.

7. How many other people are involved in this venture?
There are too many great people to name. From my partners, Chad Clifford & Isaac Payne to the number of ex-campers who now help out, it is definitely a "Drive" community venture that involves many people including current campers, parents, volunteers & even my own family!

My partners Chad & Isaac are both experts in the fields of basketball and fitness so it's a great working relationship as we all push each other as Coaches and Trainers.

It is such a pleasure to "work" with my best friends and family because it makes it enjoyable and creates a family atmosphere between the coaches, campers, clients.

8. What is the mission/objective behind the DRIVE program?
To help inspire kids and create avenues for them to succeed on the court and in life. One of our recent T-shirts had "Pursue your Passion" on the back of it and we felt this encompassed so many different things in relation to the Drive program. Not only are we trying to inspire the kids to pursue their own passion in basketball but Chad, Isaac and I are all pursuing our passions in terms of sharing our knowledge and experience by Coaching and training youth & adults. We definitely want to develop not only great players, but great people! From a networking standpoint, we'd like the Drive players to be "Drive" for life, creating friendships and connections that will help them when they get into the "real" world. In particular, for Drive Basketball Chad Clifford and I both were BC MVPs and achieved team success in high school and because we work with high school athletes who are trying to achieve the same things we did in High School it makes sense to share what worked for us in terms of skill development, work ethic and mental approach. Chad and I have developed our coaching style from years of playing College and studying the game. We both pursued excellence in our own playing careers so we try to help kids do the same.

9. Describe the program and all the classes through the DRIVE program?
There's too much to describe when it comes to our current programs and services. Not only do we have the "Drive" gym in Richmond, but we have camps that run throughout the Lower Mainland on a yearly basis. We also have Elite teams that travel to tournaments in Seattle, Las Vegas & play locally in Vancouver. We also have community events such as our "Hoops 4 Hope" shoe "Drive" and other programs such as private training for basketball & fitness. If your looking to get better and get results Drive has a program for you, regardless of age or gender.

10. How many students currently? What is the sign up process/fee?
Each program has a different sign up process & fee. Including our basketball & fitness services we have over 500 people involved in Drive programs. If you are a high school player and you want to sign up for Drive Basketball you can call 604.818.SLAM or see www.drivebasketball.com. If you are an adult or athlete who would like fitness training you can call Drive Fitness at 604.214.9778 or see www.drivefitness.ca.

11. Do you get a lot of community support and/or corporate support?
As mentioned, we do get alot of community support from our own Drive Community and outside. However we have not received any corporate or sponsorship support to date, we have many "underprivileged" kids who receive Drive services free and would like to establish a Corporate Sponsorship program eventually but nothing to date. Part of the problem is we all love to Coach and that's what we are best at, so its hard for us to step away from that and think "corporate" mode, we try our best, but its tough.

12. What are your personal future plans?
I'm planning on returning to my own basketball career full-time. Eventually I would like to get involved in teaching at the College level and pursue a PhD in Education. I would like to continue to run Drive and eventually become a Coach full time.

13. What are future plans for the DRIVE program?
We have many future plans for the Drive Program. We plan on expanding our current programs and services and hopefully creating more training centres in the future.

14. Upcoming DRIVE program events for 2008
We have an annual Drive University that will be running in the Spring for Drive Basketball and Summer camps are always great for high school players. You can find information for Drive Basketball at www.drivebasketball.com or by calling Drive 604.818.7526. For Drive Fitness we have a "Biggest Loser" contest approaching and many new Membership and training programs you can register at www.drivefitness.ca or by calling 604.214.9778.

Some of our Drive Basketball players have gone on to Canadian & U.S. University Full Scholarships, we are proud of all our Drive kids!