Interview with Brazilian coach Dannyel Russo

[by Gustavo CARDOSO] - If you read the post on Ceará hoops last week you were probably wondering who Dannyel Russo is. Well, I should say he is a good example of what the average Brazilian coach is: hard working, not well paid (or not paid at all), and forgotten, to say the least.

He recently coached the Ceará squad that won the 58th Brazilian U17 Nationals for group 2 (Northeastern states only). Below is a quick interview I had with him, after a phone call and a few e-mails. As you will see he doesn’t have that much free time. He is always doing something in the name of the game, so it is hard to catch him.

He gives us a good panorama of Ceará basketball and shows us the life and dramas of one that decides to invest their time and efforts in the game. As usual the game is fully dependent on the dedication of a few persistent individuals. Until when, though? When are these things going to change?

Gustavo Cardoso (GC): First of all I would like to know how did you started with basketball? Did you play the game? 

I have played basketball since I was 14, and stopped when I turned 28 [he is 35 years old now]. I always played for the Ceara state squad, and as time went by I started playing at the JUBS (Brazilian University Games).

GC: When did you start as a coach?

DR: I started coaching at 19. Sometimes I think I am addicted to it. I wake up and sleep basketball and think about it 24 hours a day, whether I am stuck in traffic, in the bathroom, or among friends.

GC: And what about this coaching life in Brazil?

DR: My wages are ridiculous. Things around here are difficult. I had some opportunities to leave Fortaleza [Ceará’s capital], including one from Cesar Guidetti (Brazilian NT coach for youth divisions], but I stayed here.

I work for Batista (school in Fortaleza) coaching all their squads (U12 through U19), and work at Circulo Militar de Fortaleza, but I don’t get paid for it. They provide their facilities, and pay for tournament and event fees. It is pretty tough.

I have been the head coach of the Ceara State Squads (U17-U19) for 10 years now, but I never got a dime for it. I usually have to cover the expenses myself, such as paying sub teachers when I travel, gas [to go to practices], food, and medicine for the more underprivileged kids.

GC: So where are you making your money?

DR: I have a “escolinha” (basketball school) with almost 40 kids, and that is where I get some of my money. Thanks God I have a wife that understands me, but I don’t know until when.

GC: Can you tell us a little bit more about this escolinha?

DR: EBDR (Escola de Basketball Dannyel Russo) is what I call a work philosophy. The athletes who train with me and adopt my strong defensive philosophy are what I call EDBR. I dream about having my own space, with my own office, so I can teach basketball day and night, to all ages. Ludic basketball, athletic basketball, personal basketball classes, for children, adults, and paraathletes as well.

GC: Is basketball in Ceará centralized in Fortaleza? How do things work over there?

DR: The largest center for the development of the game is Fortaleza, without a doubt. We have the FCB (Ceará Basketball Federation), which promotes the youth league competitions, and adult leagues (U21), the AVAB (The Association of Veterans and Friends of Basketball), and the FECECO (Ceará Collegiate Federation).

Basketball is growing in the country side. We currently have 50 municipalities with basketball in their curriculum, and our adult league should have 16 teams, 3 under my supervision. The teams from the country side play in their own league and in 2008 there should be 23 teams playing.

The main municipalities are Sobral, Aracati, Morada Nova, Tabuleiro do Norte, and Juazeiro do Norte. We are now working so that the youth divisions also grow in these locations, creating basketball clinics, and bringing their coaches to follow our work with the Ceará State Teams.

GC: Can you talk a little bit about the tournament you have just won with the Ceara State team?

DR: This is the second straight win for us. This year Pernambuco was the favorite team, but they lost in the semis. We had a very young team with 4 kids born in 1991, five 1992, and three in 1993. It was a very young squad, but mature and well trained. We have been working with these kids since last year, and practiced throughout the holidays and during Semana Santa (Easter Weekend).

GC: Who are the new names coming out of Ceará?

DR: We didn’t have one specific outstanding player, but the group was very good as a whole. Caio Chastinet, Rafael Machado, Antonio Gilson, Ricardo Phelippe, Anderson Josué, Ivens Paulino, Igor Ian, and Vitor Gusmão are some of them. Vitinho (1993) was drafted by the NT of his age group. I had to call Cesar Guidetti to tell him about this kid, and told him he should see the kid in action. Vitinho told me that in the first phase of training he had great practices, even playing among the starting five, which made me feel proud.

GC: What is the future of these kids? I saw you have two of them which are already 200cm tall.

DR: Yes, we have a couple of them, and they continue to grow up. I am tying to send them to São Paulo or Rio. I have a lot of kids playing around the country, and have sent them to clubs like Flamengo, Fluminense, Tijuca, Cascavel, Praia, Esperia, Paulistano, Americana, São Bernardo, Casa Branca etc. I have just sent one of them to Joinville, and there are two girls, Issi and Poliana, who are playing with Macau (Coach).

Things are difficult, as many clubs cannot provide housing for them. We have a lot of talented kids around here, but it is hard to find a place to all of them.

GC: In Brazil people talk a lot about disagreements among people who work with basketball. Is that common in the Northeast? Are there any quarrels among basketball coaches and state federations from state to state?

DR: That does not happen among the youth divisions in the Northeast, not among the coaches. We have a very close relationship, exchange lots of information, and personally I like them a lot as people, and as basketball professionals. There are lots of good names around here.

GC: Dannyel, I appreciate your time in answering these questions. Congratulations on your work, and keep it up.

DR: Thank you.