De Guia ensures Punchbowl Boys High are hungry for success on the basketball court
Joseph De Guia knows first hand what it means to go hungry and that is why and his wife make lunch packets for many of the players on the basketball teams he coaches in this area.
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JOSEPH De Guia knows first hand what it means to go hungry and that is why and his wife make lunch packets for many of the players on the basketball teams he coaches in this area.
De Guia, this week’s Local Sports Stars Awards nominee for Service to Sport, knew he would not reach his goal of playing professional basketball so he decided to become a coach and help others realise their dreams.
De Guia coaches elite young basketballers who could be our next Boomers while also making sure the needy ones have food.
“When we were growing up we did not have much money and it was not easy for a single mum to bring up my five brothers and sister,’ the Punchbowl Boys High School teacher and basketball coach said.
“A lot of the kids I train don’t have lunch so we make them a simple meal.”
De Guia, 43, has been coaching and mentoring school teams for 11 years, and led five teams to the NSW CHS events.
He coaches the south west regional teams and is proud that one of his players is training the squad while he travels overseas to get new uniforms.
He said he gave up his dream of playing pro basketball because he did not have the height but this is now his motivation as he trains the next generation of basketball stars.
“Before De Guia came to the school, it was known for touch football,” fellow teacher and basketball trainer Francis Floresca said.
“But after painting the basketball courts and teaching them how to play, the school is a basketball powerhouse.”
“Whether it’s dressing up the boys in proper uniform, teaching them basic skills or packing lunch for them at competitions, De Guia is willing to do it all for his students.
“De Guia is the coordinator for the school’s most successful and longest-running well being.
“It provides students at-risk of not graduating an opportunity to engage by taking them to ski camp yearly for the past decade.
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“It involves building strong relationships and enlisting community support to subsidise high costs.
“He has given over 250 students life experiences out of reach to their families.
“The program produced six school captains and many student leaders in 10 years.”
Local Sports Stars is proudly sponsored by Featherdale Wildlife Park and Bankstown Sports.
To nominate: bit.ly/2GlPxKd
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