Bruno Baltazar: an inside look on foreign scouting (part 1)
At first thought, I was skeptical to interview somebody who contacted me to set something up. After all, if they need to advertise themselves, they wouldn’t be a good choice, right?
However, when Bruno Baltazar sent me an offer, I definitely had to look into it. Baltazar definitely has a unique resume. He’s only 18 years old, which most certainly makes him one of the youngest in the sports management business.
While I was at first doubtful about his resume, there’s evidence of his work. Baltazar writes for the Portugal EuroBasket site and a Portuguese basketball site, BasketMe.com.
This interview is split into three parts. Part 2 on Tuesday, Part 3 on Wednesday. Today Bruno and I discuss some of his own personal background, as well as players, coaches, and teams he as worked with. Parts 2 and 3 cover the lifestyle of scouting, his philosophies on scouting and coaching, as well some international players you’ll be hearing about in the future.
DB: Okay, Bruno, tell me a bit about yourself. Where are you from? What are some interesting things about you?
Bruno Baltazar: I’m from Portugal, a little country in Europe where not many people follow basketball. Not many people know exactly where this country is, even though the national team achieved the 9th place in the last European in Spain (they beat Andris Biedrins‘ Latvian team and Israel, got eliminated against Greece).
I’m just 18 years old of age, being the youngest scout, coach and team director in the world right now. At the personal level, I’m married to a American lady named Lia — so you might say I do everything at a young age. I lived in Africa (Mozambique), USA (Philadelphia), England, France and Spain. I speak English, Spanish, Portuguese and French — a thing I consider important in a global sport. I also represented as a agent Mike Smith in Mexico, and I’m director of two football teams in Portugal due my experience in organization, write as a reporter for international sports web sites.
DB: Tell me about your experience. What are your primary responsibilities? Who do you work with now, and who have you worked with in the past? Read the rest of this entry »
