By Paul Casey Gotham
When spring semester classes begin this week on the campus of Canisius College, Gaby Belardo will find himself in a new position. Worry not Golden Griffin fans, the 6’2″ guard hasn’t decided to trade his perimeter game for post play.
Upon successful completion of fall classes, Belardo, a second semester junior, will officially make the transition from under-graduate to graduate student.
Yes, Belardo has three semesters of eligibility remaining to play basketball, and one degree already achieved. Belardo earned his Bachelors Degree in Communications and plans to study Sports Administration for his graduate work.
“It’s very important,” Belardo said of his accomplishment. “My family has always put academics first and sports second.”
Belardo is the latest off-the-court success story for the men’s basketball program at Canisius. But it’s a story that almost went untold.
Hailing from San Juan, Puerto Rico, Belardo had to overcome a language barrier. At first, the task seemed too daunting.
“I didn’t know if I was going to make it,” Belardo admitted. “When I got here, I told coach P. this is too much for me. But I’m glad I got through it.”
“It’s probably extra-extraordinary because English is not his first language,” said Canisius head coach Tom Parrotta. “He was about ready to throw the towel in when he first got here. He was at the breaking point.”
With the support of tutors, coaches and fellow players Belardo persevered.
“Everybody lifted me up,” Belardo reflected. “Most of my papers I write them in Spanish, and people help me translate them into English.”
“He’s got a great personality,” Parrotta explained. “He started to get comfortable here. People took a liking to him. When they realized this was important to him, they were in his corner from a resource standpoint. He fought through it.”
Belardo established himself as a leader on the floor last year when he averaged better than ten points and three assists per game. Off the court, he is blazing a trail not just for himself, but for fellow teammates Fred Asprilla (Villavicencia, Colombia), Franklin Milian (La Vega, Dominican Republic), David Santiago (Bayamon, Puerto Rico) and Isaac Sosa (Guaynabo, Puerto Rico).
“It makes me a role model,” Belarado explained. “We have a lot of Spanish kids out here on this team. They can see me, and I always tell them I struggled just like they are struggling right now. They can see me, and they know I got through it, so they can also get through it. It’s really important.”
“You have to have one,” Parrotta said of Belardo setting the example. “That’s why Sosa came here. That’s why Freddie came here. That was important to those families. Freddie came back to school because that’s important to his family.”
An ailing back has slowed Belardo on the court this season. He has sat out three games and averages less than 30 minutes when he suits up. He still scores 10 per contest, but he knows he has more to give.
“It hurts,” Belardo says of his injured back. “I gotta keep playing like that. It’s not going to get better. I just have to wait until after the season.”
Playing through pain and getting it done in the classroom, Belardo has shown he can shoulder responsibility.
Belardo follows the standard set two years ago by Frank Turner who became the first Golden Griffin to earn his master’s degree in four years all the while maintaining the responsibilities of playing division one athletics. Last year, Julius Coles, Elton Frazier, Robert Goldsberry, Greg Logins and Tomas Vazquez-Simmons followed Turner’s lead finishing their undergraduate degrees from the Jesuit school in three years and completing their master’s twelve months later. The celebrated five grabbed national attention when the NCAA included a full-page feature in the Final Four program outlining the accomplishments of Coles, Frazier, Goldsberry, Logins and Vazquez-Simmons.
Belardo and the Griffs take the court Thursday when long-time rival, Niagar comes to the Koessler Athletic Center for the Battle of the Bridge. An 8:30 PM tipoff is scheduled.
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