MULTI-TITLED coach Jong Uichico, head of the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas Coaches Academy, is back after attending the FIBA WABC Level 1 Coach Instructor Course in Chennai, India recently.

“I am fortunate to be part of the FIBA WABC Instructor course,” Uichico said. “It was a great opportunity to enhance one’s knowledge and skills as an instructor.”

The 9-time PBA champion coach said the three-day course, a partnership between the International Basketball Federation and the World Association of Basketball Coaches, “involved teaching methodologies and principles to equip you to become a better teacher.”

Among the instructors Uichico interacted with are Nour Amri, Mounir Ben Slame and Arnika Patil. The two-time PBA Coach of the Year also met with India’s Serbian national coach Veselin Matic.

“It is also an event that forms a bond with individuals from all over Asia with a common interest in uplifting basketball in their respective countries,” said Uichico.

Fifteen candidates from 13 Asian countries attended the course where Patil, a FIBA WABC Instructor from India, commented: “FIBA and the WABC’s continuing work is bringing coaches together under one umbrella, aiming to elevate standards across the world by providing educational opportunities through Coach Instructor courses.

“The coaches who attended the course in Chennai demonstrated a great willingness to learn the concepts and left content. This is something every federation should look forward to.”

The WABC, which is committed to “enhancing the quality of the sport by improving the skills of those entrusted to teach the game,” held two other Level 1 courses in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire (Africas) and Miami (Americas).

According to the FIBA website, the courses involved “three days of intense theoretical and practical sessions, with the primary goal of providing each participant with effective presentation methods, concepts and approaches.”