TAGUIG CITY, Philippines – The legacy of Nike Rise continues with We Rise, a six-month basketball training program for young athletes in Taguig City’s Tenement Community.
Following the success of Rise which ran from July to August this year, Nike expands its scope and seeks to bring the skills of street ballers to a higher level through We Rise.
This next phase of the Rise program aims to develop the basketball skills of young basketball fans who live in Tenement Court and instill in them the belief that they can RISE beyond belief and make their dreams come true. The program will be held every weekend in the morning starting November 2015 and end in May 2016.
Coach Ruben Lanot, founder of Hoop Dreams Basketball Clinic, a grassroots developmental basketball clinic, will be Head Coach for We Rise, supported by a team of professional coaches, national coaches and Nike athletes.
We Rise picks up from where the triumph of Rise left off. The hand print of Nike global athlete LeBron James, who visited Tenement Court during his last visit to Manila in August, will be installed at the main basketball court wall to remind residents of Tenement Court and Filipinos of his Rise story and inspire more to have the mindset of being able to rise above everything. At the end of We Rise, the participants will be given the chance to lay their own handprints beside King James to show that they have the ability to rise above adversity.
“Nike believes in developing athletes at a young age and providing access to sport to youths. The objective of We Rise is to provide a training platform to allow youths the opportunity to learn and develop basketball skills and passion within a structured program that hopefully leads to them having more confidence to pursue their basketball passions and realize their true basketball potential. We Rise will provide the opportunity to the youth of Tenement Court to receive formal training – something they have not experienced before in their lives. We want to help these young players reach new heights in their game.” said Patrick Reyes, Country Marketing Manager of Nike Philippines.
The We Rise basketball program will run for six months beginning this November. The coaches will begin working with the community this month to identify the qualified participants. More information on the program and the coaches can be found in the appendices.