But one that you may not guess?
The dearth of good coachesand in particular coaches who have been specifically trained to keep girls in the game.
There are so many courts in the Philippinesproblem is, everyone loves to play basketball, says Lopa.
Heres what I learned about coaching girls from the guide and from my time at The Courtyard.
Even coaches with the best intentions may accidentally send the wrong message.
With these girls, its freshthey have no preconceived notions of what basketball is, saysL.A.
coach of one of the Philippines’ top women’s college basketball programs atAteneo de Manila University
Mumar,coach of one of the Philippines top womens college basketball programs atAteneo de Manila University.
They think, this is normal, I can play ball.
And then after 40 minutes, lets talk about it.
It may seem obvious or unimportant, but even referring to girls as guys can feel unwelcoming.
Name-dropping womens professional teams and role models across the gender spectrum is also key, according to Nike.
It makes them feel like, oh, this program is specifically for me.
And Im gonna keep wanting to go back.
Yet even then, theyre unlikely to make enough money for it to be their full-time job.
In many countries like the Philippines, even thats not an option.
coach of one of the Philippines’ top women’s college basketball programs atAteneo de Manila University
Its so easy for girls to quit because theres nothing to look forward to, says Lopa.
Its so easy to sayIm done, Im just going to study.
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