MONDAY, AUGUST 8 2009
Sue Wicks
Former WNBA Player for the New York Liberty and Assistant Coach, St. Francis College Women’s Basketball Team
On our last full day in the Philippines we held a clinic for high school, college, and professional coaches. The Filipino people have such a passion for basketball and strong knowledge of the game. All the coaches participated with so much enthusiasm and were beyond ecstatic to be working with Erik Spolestra, who is major celebrity here.
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I had a fabulous time bringing people together through sports while encouraging the development of basketball. One of the best memories I will take with me is working with the amazing girl basketball players and seeing them shock the Miami Heat coaching staff by winning five consecutive shooting games against their male counterparts.
I’m wishing I were still in a hot and humid gym with hundred of enthusiastic Filipino basketball players working on the “Dwayne Wade patented jab step.” I know I speak for all of the envoys when I say that we were overwhelmed by the warmth and the hospitality of the Filipino people. We met with some of the wealthiest and some of the poorest people, and all showed us the same open hearted generosity that seems to be their unifying quality. I feel truly blessed to have had this opportunity.
FRIDAY, JULY 31, 2009
Erik Spoelstra
Head Coach, Miami Heat
Today was Day 4 of our trip in the Philippines. We conducted a clinic for 200 underserved young girls from the Manila area. We were so impressed with how attentive and eager to learn they were. We had some exciting competitions at the clinic and gave away some Miami Heat merchandise which the girls really seemed to enjoy - especially the Dwyane Wade lithographs we handed out. Then my Miami Heat staff and I went to watch one of the local pro teams practice and I addressed the team following practice.
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I capped off the day by having dinner with some of my family members and friends - it has really been amazing to be able to see my family who live in the Philippines this week and have them share in this homecoming.
Tomorrow we conduct our final clinic of the Sports Envoy Program. We've worked with nearly 1,000 young people this week at our clinics and its been an experience I will never forget.
THURSDAY, JULY 30, 2009
Erik Spoelstra
Head Coach, Miami Heat
Day 3 of our trip in the Philippines was our busiest yet. We started the day with a clinic for 200 boys and girls ages 13-22. The clinic was a lot of fun and the kids worked very hard. I have to tip my hat to former WNBA player Sue Wicks who is here coaching the kids with us. She did an amazing job with the girls and they won many of the competitions we had. We had some terrific games of "knockout" and the kids were hooting and hollering.
Following the clinic, we were hosted for lunch by the Philippine Basketball Association. We enjoyed speaking with the leaders of the organization and dining on Filipino food.
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Then it was off to conduct another clinic for about 200 high school and college boys and girls.
After the clinic we headed off to watch a local college basketball game at Araneta Coliseum, which was the arena where one of the greatest boxing matches ever took place when Muhammad Ali fought Joe Frazier in the "Thrilla in Manila". There is a big banner hanging in the arena with the date of the fight - October 1, 1975. We watched the game with members of the U.S. State Department and I was asked to say a few words to the crowd at halftime of the game. It was an honor.
From there we were hosted for dinner by the Basketball Association of the Philippines. The multi-course dinner was delicious and we really enjoyed speaking with members of the Association and learning more about basketball in the Philippines.
We'll all sleep well tonight after a very active day.
WEDNESDAY, JULY 29, 2009
Erik Spoelstra
Head Coach, Miami Heat
Today we started with lots of media interviews, everything from Philippines’ morning radio talk shows to ESPN Asia. I was very impressed with all of the questions that were asked today by the reporters we spoke with. They obviously did their research about us and they are very knowledgeable about the NBA.
In the afternoon we conducted a clinic for about 75 college and pro basketball coaches from Manila. I did the instructional clinic for the coaches with my Miami Heat assistant coaches Dave Fizdale and Chad Kammerer as well as with former WNBA star Sue Wicks. Following the clinic, I did some more interviews with the local media.
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After we cleaned up, it was off to a reception hosted at the residence of the U.S. Ambassador. This was a night I will never forget as over 200 people welcomed us to the Philippines with open arms. What made the evening most special to me was having members of my family and close friends from Manila in attendance. I have not been in the Philippines since I was three years old and this is such a special homecoming for me. I felt very moved to have my family and friends on hand. I have always been very proud of my Filipino heritage but maybe never more so than I have been this week as I have returned to the homeland of my mother and many of my family members.
TUESDAY, JULY 28, 2009
Erik Spoelstra
Head Coach, Miami Heat
Today was Day 1 of our trip in the Philippines as part of a sports envoy program organized by the U.S. State Department and the NBA.
The Philippines is the homeland of my mother and I am very proud of my Filipino heritage. I have not been to the Philippines since the age of three and I have wanted to make this trip for a number of years. I am excited to finally be back.
Today we flew from Manila to Zamboanga - a region of the Philippines the NBA has never been to. It was very cool to be a part of the first NBA contingent to visit.
Former WNBA player Sue Wicks joined me and two coaches from my Miami Heat staff, Dave Fizdale and Chad Kammerer, to lead a clinic for 200 youth from Zamboanga. We were also assisted at the clinic by several local basketball coaches as well as basketball players who serve in the U.S. military.
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I was amazed at how enthusiastic the youth participating in the clinic were. They all had smiles on their faces and greeted us warmly. The kids of Zamboanga in general are very warm and hospitable.
We ran the kids through a number of drills over the course of the three hour clinic. There were female players also in attendance and the girls more than held their own against the boys.
Mayor Celso Lobregat and Congresswoman Beng Climaco were our hosts for the day in Zamboanga. The Mayor is quite a basketball fan and the two of us even played a game of one-on-one, much to the delight of the youth attending the clinic.
Following the clinic we took questions from the kids. We were stunned at how knowledgeable they are about the NBA. They wanted to know about when Dwyane Wade becomes a free agent. If I didn't know better, I would have thought I was answering questions at a post game press conference.
We asked them NBA trivia questions and the kids continued to amaze us with their knowledge. They even knew that Bill Russell has won more titles than any player in league history and they knew the number of rings he has - 11. So they know the history of the NBA, not just the players of today.
At the end of the clinic, Sue, Dave, Chad and I signed autographs and posed for pictures with the kids and some of the staffers. My interaction with the kids today is something I will never forget.
Following the clinic we were taken to a local restaurant where we enjoyed some terrific seafood.
Then it was time to board a plane and head back to Manila where we will spend the remainder of the week.
Our trip to Zamboanga was a memorable experience that I won't forget. The week is off to a great start.
