Boniface legacy in basketball continues with Edith and Chloe |11 January 2024
The daughters of 44-year-old Jean-Paul Boniface, son of Rose Mary Boniface who was a pioneer in Seychelles’ basketball, and brother to Tyra Boniface who also was the first Seychellois female to play in Spain, has taken up the mantle to follow in their family’s footstep of playing basketball.
Edith and Chloe Boniface aged 14 and 12 respectively, are currently playing basketball in Spain where they reside with their father. Both daughters who grew up in Catalunya attended a basketball academy named Club Joventut Badalona since the age of four.
In an exclusive interview with Sports NATION, former division 1 player Jean-Paul Boniface spoke on the development of hers daughters in the discipline and how Seychelles should invest in youth development.
Since when did the girls decide to shoot hoops?
I started bringing my kids to the basketball club as an excuse to see my kids more as I am a divorced dad.
They started playing at four years old with Club Joventut Badalona, the club that won the Euro League 1994 and it’s almost ten years since they joined.
We chose to go in Badalona instead of Barca because Badalona is a club that does not form players and use them in my opinion, but then the team got interested and told me they’ll pick up my kids at school to train them and they will pay for everything and now there is an interest from Palmares.
What are Edith and Chloe’s achievements so far?
They are both big prospects. Edith who plays in the U16s national league is a Catalan champion with the U14s and has been named the best scorer for her team. As for Chloe who currently plays in the 14s national league is a Catalunyan champion of 3x3, runner-up of 5x5 for the U12s and two years in the Catalan selection.
My daughters once asked me if we play just for medal and I had to find an answer for that as I believe it is not just about the medals and winning but the life values that govern all that.
What role do you play in their career?
As a father and a basketball enthusiast I have acknowledged that basketball is a useful tool to help educate life to my kids, to teach them about self-discipline and responsibilities, teach them how to overcome their own hurdles mentally and physically; educate them on how to make better decisions on and off-court and also encourage them to put in the work to realise progress and to stay out of trouble and social ills.
As their mentor I also help them to navigate the social media wisely as we have met so many good people through basketball in Spain and Seychelles.
Are they happy with the life of an athlete?
Yes truly! They are fully committed; out typical day is school at 8am till 5pm. Then training begins from 6pm till 9pm then we head home, shower, eat, and make sure they complete their homework and bed. Then next day repeat. Moreover, my girls like wining and having people watching and cheering them every weekend. My girls and I talk every time and their dream is to get a scholarship in an American university. When we were on holidays recently, they also got the chance to meet with local basketball club in Seychelles – Mont Fleuri Dawgz –and trained with them.
What are your thoughts on youth development for basketball in Seychelles?
From our visit to Seychelles we have seen that there a few descent courts and few junior league teams. We think the authorities need to invest in courts in the communities and organise junior and feminine leagues on a broader scale. Also families should lend a hand in guiding kids in sports as it has many positive outcomes which may benefit the whole community.
Will Edith and Chloe play for the Seychelles national selection if they are called up?
The kids are getting ready to help Seychelles in the next Indian Ocean Islands Games and to also honour the tradition of Boniface in basketball. Our final message in all that is to dream, but put in the work and you never know what you can achieve and how far you can go.
Compiled by Neil Sirame
