Development Through Schools
Bleacher Talk
August 19, 2007
Development Through Schools
Much has been said about grassroots development in sports. It has now become an over-chewed chewing gum, and there never seems to be an end to all the talk. Politicians, sportsmen and everyone else involved in sports seems to be an expert in the field, but the irony of it all is that we still can’t see the fruits out of all these talk. Where are the fruits of the all the grassroots programs that are being implemented? Or maybe the question should be: Do we have a genuine grassroots program?
I read in the news that BAP-SBP Executive Director Patrick “Pato” Gregorio is in town with veteran FIBA referee Alan Richardson who’s here for a lecture series on officiating. It isn’t too often that we get to talk to the brand new boss of basketball, and I’m pretty sure he doesn’t read or listen to columnists like us, but what the hell, I’d like to throw my two cents worth anyway.
It’s all about going back to school. If Pato (I’ve called him by his nickname before so I guess he won’t mind it) is sincere about building a genuine grassroots program for basketball, I’d like to suggest that he “goes back to school.” And I mean it literally and figuratively. Going back to school means the need to know the mad world of basketball that he has gotten himself into. Ever since he moved over from the corporate world of five star amenities and the glitz of the tourism business, I’m sure he has seen in the SBP-BAP many things that he didn’t expect to see. I wish I could talk about all these, but let’s save that for another day. For now, I guess all we can say to Pato is “Welcome to Philippine basketball.”
Going to school also means just that: go to schools. If our nation’s sports leaders are looking for a model on which they can go with grassroots development, they should seriously look in tapping the thousands of schools in all their programs. The school is the most basic source of a mass base of young kids full of potential. And what else blends perfectly with education but sports? Schools always talk about the need for a holistic approach to education. It’s not all about just academics and nothing else. Educators always look for a partner to academics and sports is always a top choice for all. And the feeling is mutual.
Sports also looks for a partner that will help athletes develop themselves to become ladies and gentlemen on and off the court. This is where schools come in to play their part. From the sports side, it can’t be just all sports. There’s a world more than sports to conquer out there, and we can’t send athletes who have nothing between their ears. Time has proven time and again that the athletes who have risen to the top and have succeeded at the highest levels were those who went to school.
We’ve seen the fruits of basketball development albeit on a smaller scale right here in Cebu. Milo’s SBP and Pasarelle program under the guidance of Nic Jorge has proven to be the model for youth basketball with many of today’s current stars having gone through this path. The program involves kids as young as ten years old playing against other schools in inter-school tournaments. They top off when they’re 14 years old and eventually join the high school varsity level after their SBP and Pasarelle days are over. The Milo BEST clinics are also connected to the program and reaches out to kids as young as seven or eight years old.
Juniors and seniors basketball in the CESAFI (or the UAAP, NCAA in Manila) is the next logical step for these athletes. And through all these, the school and basketball have always been together. For an athlete who goes through the whole system, he’ll start out at 10 years old and graduate at 22 or 23.
If you look at the roster of college and even PBA teams today, you can’t help but notice those who came from the ranks of the SBP, Pasarelle, juniors and then seniors basketball. It may have been a long road getting to the top, but the products are for real: athletes with a holistic (over-all) development.
There is a lot of talk about a lot of money being given to Pato to develop basketball in the country. If you thought we spent a fortune for the Philippine team, I heard there’s even more for grassroots development. As a word of advice, Pato must be very careful that this money ends up in the right hands. It’s just like any investment made by any businessman. Yes, he’ll pour in some money at the start, but he’ll expect fruits to be harvested in the long run.
If Pato seriously looks at tapping the countryside to develop sports, he should never overlook the value of schools. For starters, the schools are already there, filled to the brim with young kids bursting with energy and fire. The main problem is that nobody’s there to maximize their full potential. These kids are always overlooked in favor of other forms of basketball programs disguised as “grassroots development.” In truth, these activities are there more for entertainment and to deepen the pockets of a few.
I really feel for Pato right now. He’s caught in between so many basketball people who claim to have the right formula to solve the country’s woes. In the end, it’s all about making choices that will lead to the right path and produce the desired results.
Go with schools, and you won’t go wrong.
***
Time-out: Happy Fiesta to our friends at the San Roque parish in Subangdaku (Mandaue) and Yati (Lilo-an)! >>> You can reach me at bleachertalk@yahoo.com
August 19, 2007
Development Through Schools
Much has been said about grassroots development in sports. It has now become an over-chewed chewing gum, and there never seems to be an end to all the talk. Politicians, sportsmen and everyone else involved in sports seems to be an expert in the field, but the irony of it all is that we still can’t see the fruits out of all these talk. Where are the fruits of the all the grassroots programs that are being implemented? Or maybe the question should be: Do we have a genuine grassroots program?
I read in the news that BAP-SBP Executive Director Patrick “Pato” Gregorio is in town with veteran FIBA referee Alan Richardson who’s here for a lecture series on officiating. It isn’t too often that we get to talk to the brand new boss of basketball, and I’m pretty sure he doesn’t read or listen to columnists like us, but what the hell, I’d like to throw my two cents worth anyway.
It’s all about going back to school. If Pato (I’ve called him by his nickname before so I guess he won’t mind it) is sincere about building a genuine grassroots program for basketball, I’d like to suggest that he “goes back to school.” And I mean it literally and figuratively. Going back to school means the need to know the mad world of basketball that he has gotten himself into. Ever since he moved over from the corporate world of five star amenities and the glitz of the tourism business, I’m sure he has seen in the SBP-BAP many things that he didn’t expect to see. I wish I could talk about all these, but let’s save that for another day. For now, I guess all we can say to Pato is “Welcome to Philippine basketball.”
Going to school also means just that: go to schools. If our nation’s sports leaders are looking for a model on which they can go with grassroots development, they should seriously look in tapping the thousands of schools in all their programs. The school is the most basic source of a mass base of young kids full of potential. And what else blends perfectly with education but sports? Schools always talk about the need for a holistic approach to education. It’s not all about just academics and nothing else. Educators always look for a partner to academics and sports is always a top choice for all. And the feeling is mutual.
Sports also looks for a partner that will help athletes develop themselves to become ladies and gentlemen on and off the court. This is where schools come in to play their part. From the sports side, it can’t be just all sports. There’s a world more than sports to conquer out there, and we can’t send athletes who have nothing between their ears. Time has proven time and again that the athletes who have risen to the top and have succeeded at the highest levels were those who went to school.
We’ve seen the fruits of basketball development albeit on a smaller scale right here in Cebu. Milo’s SBP and Pasarelle program under the guidance of Nic Jorge has proven to be the model for youth basketball with many of today’s current stars having gone through this path. The program involves kids as young as ten years old playing against other schools in inter-school tournaments. They top off when they’re 14 years old and eventually join the high school varsity level after their SBP and Pasarelle days are over. The Milo BEST clinics are also connected to the program and reaches out to kids as young as seven or eight years old.
Juniors and seniors basketball in the CESAFI (or the UAAP, NCAA in Manila) is the next logical step for these athletes. And through all these, the school and basketball have always been together. For an athlete who goes through the whole system, he’ll start out at 10 years old and graduate at 22 or 23.
If you look at the roster of college and even PBA teams today, you can’t help but notice those who came from the ranks of the SBP, Pasarelle, juniors and then seniors basketball. It may have been a long road getting to the top, but the products are for real: athletes with a holistic (over-all) development.
There is a lot of talk about a lot of money being given to Pato to develop basketball in the country. If you thought we spent a fortune for the Philippine team, I heard there’s even more for grassroots development. As a word of advice, Pato must be very careful that this money ends up in the right hands. It’s just like any investment made by any businessman. Yes, he’ll pour in some money at the start, but he’ll expect fruits to be harvested in the long run.
If Pato seriously looks at tapping the countryside to develop sports, he should never overlook the value of schools. For starters, the schools are already there, filled to the brim with young kids bursting with energy and fire. The main problem is that nobody’s there to maximize their full potential. These kids are always overlooked in favor of other forms of basketball programs disguised as “grassroots development.” In truth, these activities are there more for entertainment and to deepen the pockets of a few.
I really feel for Pato right now. He’s caught in between so many basketball people who claim to have the right formula to solve the country’s woes. In the end, it’s all about making choices that will lead to the right path and produce the desired results.
Go with schools, and you won’t go wrong.
***
Time-out: Happy Fiesta to our friends at the San Roque parish in Subangdaku (Mandaue) and Yati (Lilo-an)! >>> You can reach me at bleachertalk@yahoo.com
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