Gilas Pilipinas Women mainstay Ella Fajardo believes sports is a good avenue to share her faith to fellow basketball players.
Gilas Pilipinas Women guard Ella Fajardo recently held a basketball camp that had intentions close to her heart — to spread love and faith with young Filipina cagers.
While the camp understandably focused on drills and skills needed to excel in basketball, the spiritual essence of the camp was emphasized just as much, if not more, through Fajardo and her fellow coaches’ approach.
Dubbed the “Kingdom Elite Camp”, the one-day event was held at the CCF Center in Pasig, and was attended by scores of young players from 12 to 18. Knowing that there were a lot of other opportunities for the kids to pursue, Fajardo felt that everyone who had found themselves attending were there by divine intervention.
“[There is] a lot of things actually going on for women's basketball, which I'm really excited about. But I want to put a little bit of emphasis on the fact that this is a Kingdom Elite Invitational Camp. And I really do believe that Jesus has really put into these kids' hearts to come because there's so many things happening today yet they're still here,” Fajardo told One Sports.
“They're ready to learn. They're ready to listen. And it's just a huge blessing to be able to be here and coach these children.”
In recent years, Fajardo has been vocal about her faith both on and off social media.
Even in her role as a student-athlete, she finds multiple opportunities to advocate for what she believes in. The camp she held in Manila was no different.
“Jesus is everything. I try to tell these kids I haven't grown since the sixth grade and I have had so many lows in my basketball career, yet that's where Jesus met me. And I really want to encourage these kids that when they hit those lows, it doesn't mean that they have to agree with what the enemy says,” Fajardo said.
“But instead, in our weaknesses, He is stronger. And in these weaknesses, that's how I've grown as a person in general. And it's just always been about Jesus. It all really does connect to Him. And that's what I want to be able to teach these children today,” she added.
Growing up in the US, Fajardo did have some barriers in connecting with the campers. But when the ball started dribbling and the shots started falling, she didn’t have any problem at all in interacting with her campers.
For Fajardo, basketball helped connect everything — from friendship, to faith, and to getting better as an athlete.
“Basketball is a universal language. Obviously, I speak English and everyone's predominantly Tagalog. But they have been just listening and the sport of basketball can just bring so many people together,” she said.
“And it's fun. It's really fun to go out there, shoot some hoops, and we're just meeting people where they're at.”
At the end of the day, the Gilas guard wanted to share one thing to her campers, and it didn’t particularly involve basketball.
More than the skills, Fajardo hopes that those she encountered would end up being a better person — on and off of the courts.
“I think it's just that it's a crucial moment. It's a crucial generation for them to know that they're seen, that they're heard, and they're loved by Jesus. Some people may think, even when I was younger, that, oh, I'll wait till I'm older to explore my faith and whatnot,” she said.
“But why not now? Why not learn from who he is and who we're meant to be through him? So, yeah,” she added.
Apart from Fajardo, the camp also involved other basketball players like Rachael Niles, Julia Barroquillo, Ford Grajales, Kat Quimpo, and CC Junsay.
Fajardo is currently in Taiwan for the William Jones Cup. They also play the 2025 FIBA Women’s Asia Cup later this month.