Spending days and nights in the basketball court – the life of a female basketball coach
‘Basketball has changed my life much.’ OneKi, who has referee and coach qualifications, has got in touch with basketball since she was in P.6. She has experienced every role related to basketball: participating in competitions as a player, judging games as a referee, training players as a coach… Spinning a basketball on her fingers agilely, OneKi shared with us her ‘basketball life’.

Change in traits after being a referee – Thanks to the encouragement from social worker Gugu
OneKi grew up in The Boys’ and Girls’ Clubs Association (BGCA) centre in Ho Man Tin Estate. Although the centre has been demolished, the good old memory remains. She excitedly shared with us activities she had joined before. ‘I’ve been a BGCA member since I was 7 years old. At BGCA, I learnt taekwondo, rope skipping, table tennis, board games, so on and so forth.’ One of her most unforgettable activities must be volunteering. An award scheme was set up in the centre back then. Youngsters could get an award card to redeem prizes if they volunteered to help, such as lending toys, collecting toys and tidying up the bookshelves. And OneKi joined the scheme. She said that she almost spent all the spare time in BGCA during her primary school life. She also met plenty of close friends.
When OneKi was young, she was petite and always stood at the front of the line because of her height. She had never dreamt to be in the basketball team. It was not until when she was in P.6 that her classmates invited her to join the game because there were not enough participants. Since entering secondary school, OneKi has had more and more enthusiasm about basketball. ‘The PE teacher, Mr. Fung, at my secondary school is my enlightener. He made me love basketball.’ The teacher requested OneKi and other players to attend referee training sessions starting from F.3. Apart from further understanding rules, they could contribute to the school using this skill. OneKi pointed out that she has changed a lot after becoming a referee,. ‘Iin my childhood, I was a bit dull and I dared not voice when bullied by others. Upon becoming a referee, I’ve become bolder and I know how to express myself better now.'
Coincidentally, OneKi met our social work Gugu (Miss Tang) from Kwun Tong District Youth Outreaching Social Work Team. At that time, Gugu was organising a basketball competition for teenagers and she invited OneKi and her secondary schoolmate Chi as the referee. OneKi said she was 20 years old back then. In her first few times of judging games, she was questioned by players because she made mistakes. ‘People pointed their fingers at me, asking me if I were blind. Of course, I was upset.’ Fortunately, Gugu was there to solve the crisis and comforted her by giving her endless support and encouragement after the match. Besides, Gugu invited OneKi to be the referee of the annual Fun Day. OneKi has got used to meet Gugu at the annual Fun Day once a year, just like visiting relatives during Chinese New Year. ‘No matter how busy I am, I’d love to join the Fun Day and meet Gugu.’
From a teacher to a basketball coach – guiding Kornhill members to the league
Despite her passion in basketball, OneKi had never thought of choosing it as her career goal in university. She only worked as a part-time referee to earn some money when she was free. Upon her graduation, OneKi had been a PE teacher at a local school, which she quit after 6-7 years as the workload was too heavy. Whilst contemplating her future, she learnt that the Hong Kong Basketball Association was holding coaching courses. She joined the courses and got her coaching qualifications successfully.
Returning to the basketball court after so many years, OneKi is now a full-time coach. Apart from coaching basketball teams including teams of local primary and secondary schools, she worked with our social worker Eric to train the girls' basketball team of Kornhill Children Centre for joining BGCA CARE basketball league programme. While striving for triumph, OneKi and Eric want adolescents to learn teamwork, interpersonal skills and self-management for emotions. OneKi puts much emphasis on discipline. She will sternly correct any players who are not serious in training, which complements Eric’s role. She admits that coaches rarely talk about emotional support, but she has learnt many counselling skills and can care for students timely by observing Eric’s interaction with students. ‘In the team, Eric is like a father while I’m everyone’s older sister.’
Talking about the girls in Kornhill team, OneKi described them as ‘hard-working, obedient and very fond of playing basketball’. Although OneKi has been practising with the players for few months only, their minds are in sync. OneKi has high expectations on them, hoping them to achieve good results in the league. More importantly, she hopes that they can feel the team spirit and pursuing the same goal with teammates.
From meeting Gugu as a junior referee in her debut to teaching Kornhill girls' team now, OneKi connects with BGCA through basketball at different stages of her life. Looking back at her history as a player, she is lucky to have found great companions with whom she can share joy and sorrow. At present, she helps the team to run in as a coach, hoping that more young people can find companions who support and encourage each other.