He Shoots, He Scores!

Picture this: it is the finals of the 2021-2022 ACAMIS Shanghai basketball tournament. A player adorning a YCIS Leopards jersey, measuring 190cm, rhythmically taps the basketball up the glossy gymnasium floors looking for his breakaway. Mind whirling, he calculates how the opponent shadowing his every move will react. He dodges any opposing ball theft and suddenly picks-up speed, weaving through two layers of opposition defense. He lifts off the ground.  

A perfect shot by Frank! 

A few more baskets later, the YCIS Puxi Boys Division 1 Basketball Team had just won the tournament and added another championship to the trophy case. 

Role Models

Frank is grateful to his coaches, teammates, and even opponents who helped him grow on a technical and personal level. 

Frank's talent for sport appeared early and runs in the family. His coordination ability improved quickly with pratice and dedication at an early age. 

His father, who was also a tennis player in school, was Frank's first coach.  Frank tells us as a child they would frequent the football fields, volleyball court, and Taekwondo studio. He is also grateful that his parents support his decision to pursue sport as a career in the near future. 

Mr Seong Kim and Mr Matthew Jarrett are the two YCIS Puxi basketball team coaches. When they were students, they were. also star players from Canada and Australia respectively. Frank tells us that he “respects their strong sense of responsibility, attention to detail, and how they don't hesitate to give advice.” 

AKSIL Basketball is another competitive elite basketball program that Frank is involved in. Players are selected by experienced and veteran coaches. Practices are demanding and include minimum training twice a week on top of the YCIS Puxi Leopards training of twice a week. 

Frank and his YCIS Puxi teammates will also dedicate hours to replay games and study the plays. This dedication and commitment to the game has led Frank and his teammates to compete in other leagues, sometimes playing with more experienced adult players. 

Pass First, Shoot Second

Being captain of several sports teams has taught Frank many valuable lessons.  

In our Physical Education (PE) course in Secondary, learning areas are interrelated and contribute to developing healthy and active lifestyles. Our students also build interpersonal skills such as communication, conflict resolution, and decision-making skills that are highly valued in day-to-day scenarios.

Frank's relationship with basketball started after he joined YCIS ten years ago. At that time, he could not play basketball and he tells us he was “quiet and reserved” before participating in sports. In fact, it was his early friends, Peter and David, who encouraged him to play and taught him a lot about the game. Playing basketball has allowed him to become more open to communicating with people and develop his confidence, mirroring other subjects in the classroom.

At YCIS Shanghai, we understand that allowing our students the opportunity to communicate, collaborate, and compete with one another is invaluable as they learn how to navigate relationships and evaluate their performance. This was demonstrated during last year's ACAMIS semi-final. 

Frank suffered a knee injury which prevented him from playing to his fullest and instead had to sit out and trust his teammates. The basketball team guaranteed his confidence by scoring one goal after another, and at half-time, the YCIS Puxi Leopards shared group hugs and words of encouragement to uplift injured Frank.  

Every Shot Counts

After ten years of playing basketball in Primary through to Secondary, basketball is not only a fun sport to Frank but has also added much value to his life. He admits that healthy pressure and motivation for his personal best go hand in hand but has learned that the latter is greater. 

"I always reflect on my performance and pinpoint areas where I can improve beyond basketball. Winning is great, but I am motivated by looking toward the future and improving on what I have already accomplished." 

"I’m very lucky that my parents are supportive of my dream to pursue the sports route. They see my passion and talent for sport and encourage me to move forward." 

Frank has now entered Year 13 and has started to prepare his university applications. It is his dream to go on to play professional basketball. 

Join us in cheering Frank on!