A mainstay of ETA Conor Jackman’s experience with SMAN 1 Seluma is basketball. Whether it’s shooting around with students and teachers or coaching the boys and girls teams with Pak Jon, basketball is a frequent occurrence. Like all student-athletes, the basketball players must balance school work and practice. However, due to the multi-sport competition calendar, student-athletes regularly play two or even three sports in the same season. Every Tuesday and Thursday practice SMAN 1 Seluma basketball players demonstrate their dedication to basketball among numerous other responsibilities and various commitments including swim team, taekwondo, drum band, babysitting siblings, English Club, and national exam preparations.

Recently, both teams competed in a district-wide tournament where they played hard and left it all on the court. SMAN 1 girls played their hearts out and lost a nail-biter in the semifinals. So much went right for the boys’ squad until the final minutes when their rivals pulled ahead by just six points and took the championship. ETA Conor is incredibly proud of the teamwork and devotion that both teams displayed over the past few months. SMAN 1 Seluma students continue to uphold the values of top-tier student-athletes. Excellent work!

Conor Jackman is currently teaching at SMAN 1 Seluma, Bengkulu.