Ben Cecchini-Ramos combines basketball with developing mind and body at Costa Rica retreat. Submitted photo

The 2008 Gridiron — The Post-Journal’s annual high school football preview magazine — sported a photo of a Jamestown High School quarterback looking for an open receiver as an opponent pursued him from behind.

The signal-caller’s name?

Ben Cecchini.

That season, he was a first-team AA South free safety, a Post-Journal All-Star, a member of the Western New York All-Academic team and was named Jamestown’s offensive Most Valuable Player. Much of that latter honor came as the result of a game against Clarence when he passed for 260 yards and two touchdowns, ran for two TDs, added two two-point conversions, recovered a fumble for another score and collected 10 tackles.

That winter, Cecchini was a member of this newspaper’s all-star basketball team after averaging 13.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game, and shooting 52% from the floor and an amazing 52% from the arc, a school record that still stands.

Fast-forward 16 years.

Cecchini-Ramos — as he is known now — is still pursuing his love for sports, albeit in a unique and inspiring way in Nosara, Costa Rica.

The founder of “Heart of a Hooper Wellness Retreat,” Cecchini-Ramos said this summer’s weeklong camp (Aug. 4-11) “offers the unique blend of basketball training, nature excursions and holistic wellness experiences that will amplify your skills on the court and also develop your mind, body and heart for healthy and happy living.”

Among the retreat activities for male teenagers are a mountaintop sunset basketball game with local Costa Rican teams; surfing and swimming; live music by local Costa Rican musicians; private waterfall hikes; and nightly camp fires.

“We are excited to share this experience with adventurous hoopers that are willing to step outside of their comfort zone knowing that beyond our comfort zone is where massive growth happens,” Cecchini-Ramos said on the website.

He noted that one doesn’t have to be an experienced camper to “enjoy the experience” because he is experienced in the outdoors and he’s been living in Nosara since 2020.

“You will have access to wifi at least once a day to check in with the people that matter most, and our site is just a two-minute walk to a local neighborhood and six-minute drive to all the essentials in Nosara,” Cecchini-Ramos said.

Since graduating from Jamestown High School in 2009 and Washington & Jefferson College in 2013, Cecchini-Ramos has built quite a resume. It includes: founder and mental skills coach of Give’n Grow Basketball that’s impacted more than 45,000 youngsters nationwide; founder and coach for Heart of a Hooper; certified breathwork meditation facilitator; group therapy facilitator; mental health music creator; and, upon his arrival in Nosara, Cecchini-Ramos has brought organized basketball to the community for the first time ever.

“Whether you’re a peak performer flowing through your day-to-day and succeeding on the court, or you’re experiencing challenges with hoops, mental health or life, the tools we teach and the exciting experiences we have planned in paradise are aimed to move you towards your dreams and elevate your performance,” Cecchini-Ramos said.

For more information about the retreat, check out the following website: https://bencr.love/retreat/. Scholarships are available.

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The NFL draft has been in the rear-view mirror for two weeks, but we just learned in the last few days that the annual selection process has a local connection.

Matt Lee, a center from the University of Miami, was the 237th pick by the Cincinnati Bengals. The 6-foot-3, 288-pounder is the grandson of Roger Widrig, a 1959 Panama Central School graduate. Roger and his wife, Carolyn, now live in Oviedo, Florida.

Lee, who began his college career at the University of Central Florida, was named to the preseason watch list for Rimington Trophy, which honors the nation’s top center entering the year, and earned All-Atlantic Coast Conference second-team honors.