The Injury That Shaped Camille Clarin’s Basketball Career
Camille Clarin is one of the lethal shooters of the National University Lady Bulldogs. The tenacious player is a bronze medalist in the 2019 FIBA 3×3 U18 Asia Cup. Before all the accolades, It wasn’t an easy route to success for Camille. Hardships in basketball were a big part of her life.
Camille Clarin attended Blair Academy in Blairstown, New Jersey. Before entering her sophomore year in high school, Camille suffered a major setback that almost ended her basketball career. At age 15, She injured her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) while playing in the Filipino Basketball Association of North America (FBA-NA) tournament. “I was just going for a layup and the way I landed – like my knee just gave out so I tore my ACL at the beginning of my sophomore year,” Camille mentioned in an interview with Pinoy Bounce.
Thus, Camille spent most of her sophomore year recovering from her injury. Her determination to be one of the best basketball players for Blair Academy was unquestionable, whatever the circumstances were. She persevered and continued to recuperate from her injury. In the 2018-2019 season, she averaged 6.3 points per game with 32 3-pointers that season. She then devoted herself to be a better basketball player before the next season started. Her senior season was her breakout season as she averaged 12.6 points per game with 101 3-pointers. Camille also broke Blair Academy’s record by hitting 11 three-point shots that year. The injury helped her to see a different outlook of basketball and how to improve her game.
After graduating from high school, Camille was eventually going to sign with Hamilton College in Clinton, New York. Fortunately, however, she decided it will be best to take her talents to the Philippines. “Having two options kind of made me gear towards the one that is more unpredictable. Like, if I went to Hamilton you know, it will be all studies. I will kind of give up that dream of playing like the higher level of basketball,” Camille says. Ultimately, Camille joined the national team of the Philippines where she made the game-winning bucket against the Netherlands as the time expired. Camille and the Gilas Pilipinas Girls ended their 2019 FIBA 3×3 U18 Asia cup ousting China, 14-11, claimed the bronze medal alongside her future teammate Kaye Pingol.
Camille signed with National University in Manila, Philippines. She helped National University (NU) win the national championship in 2019, including a winning streak of 96 straight games. She consequently partnered and signed with Nike Brand and Milo Drink. She is also an analyst for NBA TV Philippines and one of the biggest advocates for women’s basketball in the Philippines and Canada. With all the accolades and success, her humble beginnings and injury shaped her to be a fierce, outstanding and incredible woman athlete.
“I believe that as athletes and even in our regular lives, it’s a choice to keep fighting for what we are passionate about and giving it our all,” – Camille Izabel Clarin
