ONE impressive person I met and made acquaintances over the last few months is Edster Sy.
He is a basketball man who has been supporting the basketball programs of Chiang Kai Shek College and, most recently, the Adamson University Baby Falcons. Working as the sports marketing consultant of Freego jeans, he also provided huge support for the SM-National Basketball Training Center that recently wrapped up its 10th season.
With the scholastic school-year sports calendar all but over, Sy recently told me he is getting ready for a couple of basketball events this summer.
Making a splash this summer is the World Balance-Headstart Sports Academy Basketball Camp that tips off on April 4 at the SGS Stadium on G. Araneta Avenue in Quezon City.
This is a seven-level basketball school with eight sessions of four hours per session, where participants are taught the fundamentals of the game, as well as individual offensive and defensive skills, small-scale game, the concept of zone defense, and how to participate in team practices.
The schedules are every Tuesday and Friday, with morning sessions from 8 to 11, and afternoon sessions from 1 to 4. For those students who are still going to class around that time, there are Saturday classes, from 8 to 11 a.m., beginning on April 1.
Participants will be given a camp shirt, and level-one students a pair of basketball shoes from World Balance.
Coaches who will run the camp include Reynaldo de Vera, who was a former coach of Jose Rizal University (JRU), where he handled the likes of Louie Vigil, Keith Agovida and Joshua Saret; Elmer Latonio, who coached the Letran Squires and players such as Kevin Alas, Roi Sumang and Glenn Khobuntin; and Jing Ruiz, who starred for Letran in the 1980s and played in the Philippine Basketball Association.
Other participating coaches include Willy Tan of Grace Christian College and JRU; Edster Sy, who works with Grace Christian College, JRU, Chiang Kai Shek College (CKSC) and Adamson University; and former players Jan Colina, Kenny Santos, Toffie Santos, Carmelo Navarro, Danny Ching and Nicolo Chua.
His second project this summer is the Headstart Developmental Basketball League, or Freego Kids Cup Interclub Basketball League. This is exclusively for high-school hoopsters who will compete in two divisions—Under-12 and Under-15.
Last season’s championship game ironically pitted Sy’s two teams—CKSC and Adamson University—in which the latter prevailed.
Edster Sy, who is an engineer by trade having graduated from Mapua, also runs the highly successful PSSBC (the Champions League for High School teams). Interestingly, when Edster isn’t busy with basketball, he teaches robotics and chemistry at Grace Christian College and Mapua.
When I asked him how he manages to divide all his time with all his endeavors, he smiled and said, “It’s simple time management”.
“Besides,” he added, “there’s so much to do.”
Interested parties in the World Balance-Headstart Sports Academy Basketball Camp and Headstart Developmental Basketball League, or Freego Kids Cup Interclub Basketball League may get in touch with Coach Edster himself at 0917-858-4384 or Coach Willy Tan at 0917-8920120.