Abbey College Manchester student Victor De Leon, a passionate basketball player from the Canary Islands, has soared to success in the sport and secured a spot on the renowned Manchester Giants squad.
Victor plays for the team in the U18 Premier League and Division 3. His intense schedule includes four two-hour training sessions each week in preparation for competitive games on both Saturday and Sunday, while also studying an International Foundation Programme with Economics and Photography at the leading independent college.
Abbey College Manchester’s strong partnership with the Manchester Giants, and flexibility in timetabling, provide Victor with the invaluable opportunity to combine professional basketball training with his studies, gaining qualifications for entry to university.
Speaking about his experience Victor said: “I’m loving my time here in Manchester playing for the Giants, we play two different leagues so practice a lot and don’t have many rest days during the season. I used to play in the guard because it is the position that I like the most and where in my opinion, I can give the most to the team, but this year I’ve been also playing the point-guard a lot and that has help me a lot to get experience for the future. I’m a team player, I love to score as everyone does, but I also like to give assistances, play defence, get rebounds and fight for every ball I see and think that I might be able to reach on the floor.
“A really special game for me this season was when we played Tameside Vikings in Division 3. It was the first game in two years that my parents have been able to watch in person and also the first game of mine that they watched away from Spain – it was a tough game against some former British Basketball League players. With a really good end of season in U18 we managed to qualify for the playoffs and fight for the title of the best team in the country, which I’m very proud of.”
Of his future aspirations Victor added: “I want to be a professional player and carry on playing basketball for many years; this sport has always been with me and I’ve achieved many things with it along the years. I would like to continue my basketball career next year at university, and I plan to go either to Leeds Beckett or the University of Chester. After university, I would like to join a Division 2/Division 1 team and make my way to the British Basketball League or another professional league in another country.”
Principal of Abbey College Manchester, Chris Randell commented: “We are very proud of Victor and his phenomenal achievements. Our Academic Studies with Basketball Training programme brings the benefits of elite sports training to both sports performance and academic studies, and it is a privilege to see Victor and many other students benefiting from this pioneering programme. What we refer to as the 5 Rs; Routine, Rigour, Responsibility, Resilience and Reflection, are all skills we strive to instil in students that will benefit them for the rest of their lives, in both sport and work.”
Abbey College Manchester, part of the Abbey DLD Group of Colleges, is a thriving independent college in the heart of Manchester city centre, with a fast-growing and vibrant community of students aged 15-19.
With a teaching philosophy based on small classes and highly personalised learning in an academically rigorous but informal setting, the college focuses on the transition from school to university, working with students individually to achieve the academic standards and social skills required by their target and world-class universities. Abbey College Manchester also expertly prepares students for challenging courses such as medicine. The flexible programmes and personalised learning, combined with a strong academic ethos, offer a unique alternative to traditional schools.
There are 220 students at the college, comprising a mix of students from the local area and other countries. The college offers A-Level, GCSE, Combined Studies and International Foundation Programmes.
For more information on Abbey College visit www.abbeymanchester.co.uk, or call 0161 817 2700.
Categories: Abbey College Manchester
