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SANTA MARIA, Bulacan – Twelve-year-old Chulzzie Calub grew up watching basketball with her father.
As a fan of Michael Jordan, she was exposed to basketball’s greatness at an early age.
On Wednesday, Calub was among those who experienced greatness firsthand, with WNBA superstar Sabrina Ionescu leading a basketball camp with Calub and the rest of the Girls Got Game campers at the Sacred Heart Academy here.
Calub was one of the campers who wrote messages to the New York Liberty guard, who has been in the country the past few days as part of her Asia tour.
And on Wednesday, Ionescu taught campers the fundamentals of basketball, while also encouraging the young girls to continue chasing their basketball dreams.
“Yung naranasan ko po kanina, sobrang saya po na nakabisita po siya dito at marami rin po kaming natutunan sa basketball,” Calub told reporters.
“Sobrang saya po and sobrang exciting and inspiring,” she added.
This was echoed by another camper, 13-year-old LJ Makiraya – although she did not expect which Sabrina was holding a camp at first.
“For me, seeing Sabrina here in the Philippines was like, very inspiring and motivating. Actually, kala ko nga po, sabi po ng coach ko po sa atin, sabi niya po, Uy, ano LJ, sama ka dito sa camp, andito sa Sabrina,” she told reporters.
“Hindi niya po sinabi yung last name ni Sabrina. So, nag-assume po ako na si Carpenter. Ayun po, nagulat din po ako na si Sabrina na All-Star ng Women's NBA yung magtuturo sa amin. And actually, kanina po, sobrang na-enjoy ko po. And I know to myself na, yeah, apply ko po lahat ng mga natuturo dito,” she added.
Makiraya said she aims to be a professional basketball player like Ionescu is down the line.
“Dapat mag-strive kami. Katulad ni Sabrina, para ma-achieve yung mga things kung saan nakatayo na siya ngayon,” she said.
For her part, coach Sarrah Costan said that Ionescu’s visit to the Philippines, and the WNBA star teaching her skills in the basketball camp, is a very big thing for the young aspiring basketball players.
“For me, sobrang laking bagay niya para sa girls natin dito, sa Philippines. Young girls, nakita nila in person si Sabrina, tinuruan sila ng skills. Kasi nari-realize nila o naikita nila na ito yung pwede nating ma-achieve,” she said.
“Ito yung pwede nating maging dream, maging pangarap. Kaya natin siyang gawin bilang mga kababaihan,” she added.
The coach added that what Ionescu and Nike did to “make space for girls” will give them a much-needed confidence boost moving forward.
“Kasi usually, pagdating mo sa court, walang mga kababaihian na naglalaro. Eh hindi wala sila naikitang role models o representation nila doon sa basketball, lalo dito sa Philippines, emerging pa lang yung women's basketball,” she said.
“So napakalaking bagay na yung attention ng mga tao na pupunta sa women's basketball. And ito yung girls natin, na-ignite yung sparks ko nila na someday pwede ako maging women's basketball player.”
During a media availability on Tuesday, Ionescu said she sees a continuous growth of basketball in the Philippines, especially for women.
“Yeah, I mean, I think it's continuing to break barriers and kind of change the sport in different areas. Obviously, it's here in the Philippines, it's continuing to grow. But as these players are able to tap in to go play in different countries, hopefully come play in the WNBA and continue to understand where they came from and the community that shaped them to be the basketball players that they are,” she said.
“And continue to influence the next generation of athletes to want to play. And I think that's really what's important. And being able to be here in this community, you're able to see how it's growing. And those young kids that are participating in these camps are going to be that next generation.”
- Newly designed courts -
Aside from Wednesday's basketball camp on, two newly designed courts were also unveiled at the school.
Designed by renowned illustrator and visual artist Jill Arteche, the indoor and outside courts of the school aimed to empower and inspire young girls to pursue their aspirations.
Arteche, in a separate interview, said she was “very happy, grateful and excited” to see her work on such a big scale.
She added that several aspects of Ionescu’s game heavily inspired her designs.
“So for the outdoor court, it's heavily inspired by Sabrina's resilience and dedication for her game which has allowed her to break barriers, which is the title of the court. It's an invitation for young female athletes to take part in the game and be confident in stepping into the court, taking their first step just because they simply can and yeah, to break their own barriers, to defy stereotypes that confine them,” she said.
“And then for the indoor court, which represents the future, it's inspired by Sabrina's achievements and we wanted to show young female athletes that they too can, the potential that they have, send us possibilities that they can craft and deal for themselves.”
The process took two months, and aside from Ionescu’s team, Sabrina herself also had some input with the design.
Following her visit to Manila, Ionescu will also visit Hong Kong and China.
