University of Cebu Stands by Their Student Athletes: Sesay’s Success Story

The University of Cebu (UC) has consistently upheld its promise to take care of its student-athletes’ futures. This commitment is exemplified by the success of UC Webmasters’ foreign player Mohamed Tosh Sesay, who graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (BSBA) majoring in Marketing Management last June 2024. Despite facing challenges, including a ban on foreign players in the Cebu Schools Athletics Foundation Inc. (Cesafi) league in 2021, Sesay achieved his academic goals.

Sesay arrived in the Philippines in 2019 to play basketball, initially based in Manila. Upon learning about an opportunity to play basketball and earn a degree at UC from a fellow foreign player, he moved to Cebu. He joined the UC Webmasters under the guidance of the late coach Yayoy Alcoseba.

“I was in Manila when my friend told me that UC was looking for imports. My friend, who played for UV, mentioned me to UC because I had sent them my video. Joey Manguerra, one of the UC players, showed the video to Coach Yayoy. They booked my ticket, and I attended practice the next day. There were three other imports trying out, and after a good practice, Coach Yayoy said he liked my game. Since then, UC has become my family,” Sesay recalled.

However, in the 2021 season, Cesafi decided to ban foreign players, leaving Sesay and others in a difficult situation. Many foreign players faced the loss of their scholarships and had to return home.

“It was so sad, not just for me but also for the other foreign players. When we realized they were going to cut foreign players in Cesafi, it really affected us. Some schools cut their imports and took away their scholarships. Things became really difficult for some imports to live here, and for that reason, some of them had to go back home. Things were really hard. For me, I was lucky to be part of the UC Webmasters. I’m happy to have met great people who treated me well and guided me in the right direction in life, people like Ma’am Jessica, head of the athletic department, the current head coach, Atty. Kenneth Kernn Sesante, and assistant coach Calib Gawangon,” Sesay expressed.

Despite these challenges, UC’s unwavering support enabled Sesay to complete his degree and secure a promising future. He is the last basketball foreign student-athlete to have completed a degree in UC. This story highlights the university’s dedication to its student-athletes and its commitment to their personal and professional growth.