A TOUGH weekend didn’t stop Barangay Ginebra from making an impact off the court on Monday when it graced an outreach program at Kids International Ministries in Cainta, Rizal.
A day after a 91-85 loss to Terrafirma on Sunday that followed another defeat to San Miguel, the Gin Kings held practice at the newly built basketball court that was donated to the ministry for underprivileged kids in Cainta.
After the light training session, Ginebra players and coaching staff dished out an assist by distributing packed meals to the kids.
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“Honestly, it was really a tough one for us to come here and do this after playing so poorly last night…So to turn around and do this, you got to give the players a lot of credit for coming out here and putting on happy faces,” Ginebra coach Tim Cone said.
“We’re not a happy team right now, but we try to put on happy faces for everyone and just realizing that this is beyond basketball. It’s really the ability to give back.”
Cone has long supported Kids International Ministries and among those behind it in Chinese-American Dave Yuen, one of the best friends of Fil-Am Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra. Cone met both of them at the same time in 2009 and have been friends since.
Yuen said the basketball court is the latest project of the ministry that also runs an orphanage and a school, among other outreach programs.
The Gin Kings gladly took part.
“It’s just really good stuff for our players to do and just remember that as bad as it gets, there’s other people out there that need more than we do,” Cone said.
Bigger than basketball
“We lose a game, we feel bad, but other people out here, they’re not eating well. They’re not going to school well. It’s a tough family life without parents. Their situation is a lot worse than ours after losing a basketball game,” he added.
The Gin Kings had been conducting outreach programs regularly before the pandemic. The PBA’s crowd darlings returned to reaching out a couple months ago in Smokey Mountain and are planning a fans day soon.
“We want to get back and reconnecting with the fans a little bit more,” Cone said. “That’s what Ginebra is all about. I felt the pandemic kind of distanced us from that and we’re trying to get back closer.”
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