By Michael Angelo S. Murillo
Senior Reporter

A CONSCIOUS effort to learn the right fundamentals of the sport of basketball has allowed a 16-year-old Filipina player to steadily make a name for herself in the United States.
Ella Fajardo, a product of the Basketball Efficiency and Scientific Training (BEST) Center in the country, is being noticed for her solid play as a member of the Gill St. Bernard’s School in New Jersey.
The amiable Fajardo attributes the success she is currently enjoying largely on her experience at the BEST Center, in particular how it instilled in her “solid fundamentals with a scientific spin” which has been a big help as she tries to build on her achievements on the basketball court.
“Everything I am right now as a player is because of the BEST Center. Basketball starts with the fundamentals, which I did learn from the BEST Center,” said Fajardo in an intimate interview with media arranged by Milo Philippines on Monday.
“There is definitely a big difference in how fundamentals are taught in the States and in the Philippines. The Milo BEST Center really teaches you the fundamentals and all the coaches I had at the center gave me the support that I needed. They were really patient. They were there step by step unlike in the States where they are more lenient,” she added.
Unlike most graduates of the BEST Center, Fajardo had an interesting journey in her training, flying into the country from the States every summer break with her family to enroll at the center and further hone her skills.
From 2012 to 2015, Fajardo, with full support from her parents Ellen and Allan, who himself was product of the BEST Center and believes in its style of training, immersed herself in the basketball program from the beginners level all the way to the advanced ones.
It was a “sacrifice” that was well worth the effort and time, said Fajardo, especially since they are now reaping the benefits of it.
With her solid basketball play she has earned scholarships and won awards as well as become part of the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League with the New Jersey Sparks.
She has also earned the interest of collegiate teams, including Yale University in the Ivy League, New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) and St, Peter’s University which are Division 1 schools.
These are apart from the life lessons she also gained from the training she had here, including leadership, discipline and confidence as well as friendships she has built, particularly with her coaches at the center.
PROUD MENTORS
Seeing one of their products do well on the court like Fajardo, the BEST Center is brimming with pride and has become all the more determined to continue what it has been doing for more than 40 years now.
“At the BEST Center, aside from teaching the skills, important for us as well is the relationship we build. It brings a lot of pride on our part to do see our graduates do well. We really follow their progress. In the case of Ella, we have stayed in contact with her and her family. And we are happy to see her get all this success because she is a good kid,” Marilyn Jorge of the BEST Center, who is also the wife of founder Nic.
Ms. Jorge went on to say that they at the BEST Center really make an effort to teach the right fundamentals of basketball, armed with the latest techniques and done step-by-step by their coaches, many of whom are teachers as well in different schools.
While she has already accomplished a lot in playing basketball, Fajardo said that she still has a lot of goals as far as her journey goes.
“One of my goals is to get a full academic scholarship from a D1 (Division 1) school and play for the Perlas Pilipinas national team because I have a lot of Filipino pride. Being Filipino has taught me a lot to have puso (heart). And No matter what, always laban (fight),” she said.
She recognizes that moving forward it would get tougher for her but she was quick to say that she will be ready, banking on hard work and the support of her family and friends, and, of course, the many lessons she learned from the BEST Center.
As part of the Milo Sports Clinics, the BEST Center will begin its basketball and volleyball clinics for this year next month. Basketball and volleyball are among the 21 sports featured in the annual Milo clinics, which now include arnis, wushu and ultimate frisbee.

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