EP #111: Kavishan Pathmanathan - From Flemingdon Park To Fort Erie, Helping To Create Influential Canadian Prep Basketball Program

Kavishan Pathmanathan (@__kavishan) is the Co-founder and Director of Basketball Operations at Fort Erie International Academy (@feiambb).

He joins Ara on this week’s episode of #TheTamilCreator to discuss hating basketball while growing up because of his brother Deluxshan (@deluxshanp), how he helped start Fort Erie International Academy's basketball program, his relationship with Leonard Miller (@leonard.m11), signing a three year deal with New Balance (@newbalance), the impact of Vince Carter (@mrvincecarter15) and the Raptors (@raptors) winning a championship on the Canadian basketball scene, quitting his full-time insurance job in March, the importance of working for free to achieve your goal, and so much more.

Follow Kavishan:
- LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/kavishan-pathmanathan-a05a1623b/)
- Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/__kavishan/)

Timestamps

00:19 - Ara introduces this week’s guest, Kavishan Pathmanathan
01:01 - Sibling rivalry and rebellious childhood attitude spurred Kav’s passion for basketball
02:31 - Kav’s parents initially pushed him and his brother towards music
03:02 - Starting Fort Erie International Academy’s basketball program; how it has grown
04:04 - Prioritizing academics to compete with other players in the industry
05:41 - How Canadian basketball has evolved over the past five years
07:34 - The business side of basketball
10:25 - Quitting his full-time insurance job to go all in on basketball
12:25 - Seeing his students (Leonard Miller) get drafted into the NBA; and future prospects
15:51 - The difference in talent between athletes
18:02 - Kav’s journey to becoming a coach
24:13 - Is there a growing number of South Asians and Tamils in basketball?
27:14 - Nav clarifies that he is not a coach; focuses more on recruiting and business
30:30 - How he got a sponsorship deal with New Balance; talking with Nike and Adidas
32:03 - His pitch for attracting talent to Fort Erie
34:27 - Securing a sponsorship deal with ANTA for the first year of the program
37:16 - Kav’s view on social media
39:21 - How he balances his passion and responsibilities
42:16 - Ara butchers another quote
42:38 - A major learning lesson in Kav’s life three years ago
45:13 - Feeling connected to his Tamil identity but not necessarily the community
46:37 - Advice he would give his 16-year-old self
48:10 - The personal legacy he wants to be remembered for by friends and family
49:29 - Creator Confessions
51:51 - The Wrap Up

Intro Music

Produced And Mixed By:
- The Tamil Creator
- Yanchan

Written By:
- Aravinthan Ehamparam
- Yanchan Rajmohan