Most schools require seniors to complete a capstone project in a study area of their choice. For some it’s an art project, for others it can be scientific research. But for Coe-Brown Northwood Academy varsity basketball player Matthew Flanagan, it was much more than that.

Flanagan wanted to travel to Palawan, the largest province of the Philippines, as a volunteer with International Volunteering HQ. The organization partners with schools across the globe to bring foreign teachers in to help teach English, math, science and arts.

This trip was special for Flanagan because he’s half Filipino, so he decided to take his senior project a step further. Accompanied by his older brother Tommy and their mother Angela, Matthew raised funds over the summer to hold basketball clinics at the school on top of teaching. Basketball is widely regarded as the most popular sport in the Philippines so in many ways it was a no-brainer for Flanagan.

With $1,500 raised for the clinic, the Flanagans flew across the Pacific. On the way, they stopped to see family and friends they had not seen in years, and eventually made their way to Palawan. They bought 10 basketballs, brought over dozens of t-shirts, and much more to leave there. 

“We still passed like four basketball courts on the ride there (from the airport). It’s really cool to see because it is popular and it lived up to the hype because I knew it was popular before going there but then I got there and like, wow, this is actually very much a thing,” he said.

On the first day of the camp, after teaching and taking a few hours cleaning up the court, he said he initially expected 20 to 30 kids, but around 50 showed up. So they re-stocked to ensure everyone got some basketball gear to leave a lasting impact on the community and recreational basketball in the area.

“So when we got there, on that first day, we’re with a ton of little kids and there were a lot more people than we’d expected, so I was trying to bring in fundamentals and drills,” Flanagan said. He and his brother split up to put the youngsters through drills. “It was very tough cause there’s only the two of us,” he said.

“We came to the realization that they just wanted to play and like they just want to move around. So originally, we were going to try and teach them fundamentals, but for the younger kids, they just wanted to have fun. They were just happy to have basketballs and be able to play.”

He said it was a powerful experience and it helped him connect with a part of his heritage he hadn’t been able to before. Many of the family members he saw during the trip he remembered fondly and he was grateful for the opportunity to visit. His uncles in the Philippines played basketball in men’s leagues themselves. 

The opportunity to teach and play ball with kids passionate about learning was very gratifying for Flanagan. He forged friendships with the older kids and he hopes to be able to return some day.

His senior project was not just about donating gear and teaching ball but a testament to the transcendence of basketball across language and cultural barriers.

“I was told I had very Filipino characteristics like mannerisms and stuff like that so there’s that sharing of the culture,” he said. “Different culture or not, we’re all human. You can still connect with people. Even with those language barriers, everyone was still having fun and it didn’t really matter that I wasn’t from the Philippines, it didn’t matter that I was half, we were able to connect and have fun.”

Alexander Rapp can be reached at arapp@cmonitor.com