The Holy Week break is usually a time spent to reflect and rest for student-athletes. But for incoming UP Fighting Maroons senior Paul Desiderio, he is using this time to give back to the next generation of Cebuano cagers.
This weekend (April 15 to 16) Desiderio will host a free basketball clinic for the kids of Liloan, Cebu, Desiderio’s hometown.
“It’s my first to hold a camp. It’s very special for me since I started playing basketball here and it’s a way of paying back to the Liloanons who have always been there for me,” the 20-year-old shared.
“The goal of this is to inspire the youth to engage in sports especially basketball.”
The idea of starting a camp first came about when Desiderio went back home during the Christmas break.
“I was inspired [to start a camp] when a group of young kids came to me and asked if I could have time to train them for free since they don’t have the money for basketball clinics,” the UAAP Season 79 Mythical Five team member recalled.
And true to his word, Desiderio, who was recently crowned as the Most Valuable Player in the Araw ng Davao and the Republica Cup tournaments, decided to come back home and teach what he learned from UP head coach Bo Perasol.
“Right then, it came into my mind to have a free skills camp for the youth during my free time,” the fourth-year BS Education, Major in Physical Education, student said.
Joining Desiderio in hosting this camp is fellow Cebuano, coach Jeff Codera. Codera is a licensed USA Basketball coach and is currently part of the training camp staff of the Golden State Warriors.
Working side-by-side with Codera is something that Desiderio will cherish saying, “It’s a big honor to be with coach Jeff especially in an event like this.
“He is truly an inspiration to us. I believe that he can be a great help to the youth who are dreaming of having a basketball career someday.”
The camp will be held at the Liloan Kai Gym in Cebu from April 15 to 16. The event, sponsored by SMART, Chooks-to-Go, and Gold’s Gym, will host the 10-13 year old sessions from 8:00 to 10:00am while the 14-18 year old batch are scheduled at 10:00am to 12:00nn.
“The camp will be more on skills for basketball. Also since our aim is to inspire the youth, we will be encouraging them to step up and don’t be afraid to try until they succeed,” Desiderio said.
To register, visit http://bit.ly/liloanbasketclinic
