Since graduating from De La Salle University back in 2008, TY Tang has never stopped in teaching the fundamentals of basketball to young kids through his weekly clinic in Xavier School.
Despite playing for Rain or Shine in the PBA, and later on coaching College of Saint Benilde, the heady floor general always made sure to hold classes for the kids.
But with the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, he had to suspend his sessions last March 14.
“This is one of the rare times, if not the first time, that I felt helpless to anyone outside my home,” expressed the 35-year-old tactician.
This is not stopping him though from reaching out to his students, though.
Tang decided to put his classes on multiple platforms — namely Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. Yes, he is offering his classes for free online.
“We need to stay at home but we should not stop living effectively.
“The only way to fight this battle is if we all stay productive and treat every day as if it’s a regular purposeful and meaningful day. As a coach, my regular day job is coaching CSB and Nueva Ecija in the MPBL before the ECQ. That didn’t change when ECQ happened. I still stayed connected with both teams and did more research and study on how I can become better at it. It was my basketball school in Xavier that I certainly missed, as I can’t connect much with the kids that I’ve been used to seeing on a weekly basis,” shared Tang.
“This gave me the idea that I can still share my passion and knowledge, especially to the younger generations, who some may aspire and dream to be a pro athlete someday. This will at the same time broaden the community where I can share my expertise,” he continued.
Tang will be posting his sessions up until the enhanced community quarantine has been lifted.
Besides being able to teach and help groom the next generation, Tang hopes to send a message. And the message is that nothing can stop an aspirant from reaching his dreams — not even the coronavirus.
“Definitely basketball will not be gone but is just put on hold. It is with this reason that I find hope for the young basketball aspirants to keep pursuing as this game we all love will never die.”
Homeschooling with Coach TY @tytang_11 ?during the city lockdown #TYBS #basketball #corrections #familytime #bondingtime…
Posted by Ty Tang Basketball School on Thursday, April 2, 2020
