Bruno Baltazar interview

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Bruno Baltazar interview

November 17, 2009 WoB - Would you please introduce yourself? Name, Year of Birth, Place of Birth, Education, Position (Current job). Bruno Baltazar - Hello my name is Bruno Baltazar, born in Lisbon, Portugal in Europe June 21st, 1989, I got my high school diploma in electronics. My current work is being a scout for a few teams in the world and im always looking for new challenges and goals in life, im also a reporter for eurobasket.com and way more things such as being a agent too … WoB - Tell us something about your scouting job, how did you started? Who gave you an opportunity to became the youngest scout in NBA? Bruno Baltazar - I started some years ago when I knew I would go nowhere playing basketball, but my passion for the game was so much I had to be inside the game at least, that’s why I become a scout and reporter a job that I much love, Barreirense F.C. a team in Portugal gave me the opportunity to be inside their team and grow with them, building a team and all, I got a lot of connects and contacts because of them and I face and recommend to everybody that want to start to be inside a organization ,meet the staff and everybody else ,show what you know about this amazing sport and you will be sucessed if you got communication skills. WoB - What can you tell us about scouting at all, is this hard job, is that occupies you a lot, do you enjoy in doing this? Bruno Baltazar - Scouting is a lonely job no matter what people may say, if you inside this you know what im talking about, I take this for example, be in travels, flights, hotels, motels, different, countries, states, new faces people that you don’t know, places you don’t know, sometimes languages that you don’t know, that’s why its important as well you can have the power of the language, speak foreign languages is a big plus even if basket is a universal language… But as I said all these time that im traveling ends up to be a lonely job, you watch a lot of basketball games, sometimes you might be tired of watching players and games but for somebody that loves this like me, its amazing and fantastic and yes I don’t sleep a lot, I eat, breathe and eat again and sleep not much always thinking and dreaming about basketball. That’s what makes you the best in the business… WoB - What are your plans in this job? Bruno Baltazar - Keep working hard like I always do and trying to also get my name heard out there with my scouting and working skills and hopefully some day I can reach the top and be a NBA scout as that was always my dream since a lilttle kid and also make my family, friends and country proud and Barreirense my first team ever proud of me… WoB - Would you please explain what scouting exactly means: (start from beginning, explain how you find a players, what is important that players have, how you recommend players to the teams, are you involved in contracts signing, etc)? Bruno Baltazar - Scouting means a entire book explaining exactly what it means and different people always get different methods of working. But pretty much is the possibility of prospect a player and how well he can do in the future helping a system that your team got, see his potential, what he got now, what he can improve, his weaknesses. Like I said before its really important you have connections all around the world as sometimes there’s a lot of achievements in different continents that not a lot of people know and it helps have friends that email and text you about new prospects and players that I have to keep my eye in it…Players in my view need to be nice persons and know and understand this game and know how to play it. I am not involving in contracts and signing when im working for the team as a scout as my duties is recommend a X player not try to sell the player I want him to be sold, that’s the working of a agent, not the scout. But be familiar with technologies, meet a lot of people in the basketball world, connect online, speak about basket in forums, read, read and learn and start writing scouting reports and spread them online, it might be that in the future you also be a scout… WoB - You also work as journalist, you write articles for eurobasket.com, how can you describe this job? What's your duties, to inform visitors about basketball in portugal or from around the world? Bruno Baltazar - I describe my job as spread the word in the world about the basketball in my country and let everybody know we trying to have our first player in the NBA, and let everybody that lives outside and don’t speak Portuguese to know the latest news about it, I also write for the ABA, WNBA as we also have a Portuguese player there named Ticha Penicheiro…and I had to follow the woman’s side too and I cover the NBA for them, I will attend the NBA all star game in Dallas next season for them… WoB - If you have anything more to add, you are welcome. Bruno Baltazar - Thanks for letting this opportunity to let everybody know a little bit more what is a scout, in a time that everybody is speaking about the NBA draft...

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