it's our first interview. I thank sincerely the following SB Arena staffers: Fumetto10, TorontoRaptors and EddyInter™.
there are some questions about Europe and Italy, it's so because slamball is strongly installed in Italy
I obviously thank 1000 times Brendan Kirsch, in Bradenton they have a rigorous training camp and time is really limited, but the coach took the time to answer to this interview. thanks thanks thanks!
At just 23 years old in 2002, Brendan Kirsch was the youngest of the SlamBall head coaches.
Kirsch credits this remarkable achievement to his lifelong passion for sports and a determination to succeed, no matter what obstacles may lay in his path.
Prior to joining the league, Kirsch was the youngest associate head coach fot a men's basketball program in NAIA history at Bluefield College. At age 22, Kirsch led hies team to the Appalachian Athletic Conference Championship and a berth in the 2001-2002 NAIA Tournamment. Kirsch's team finished th season with the best record in the school history.
Brendan Kirsch played in Maeve (1981), The Alarmist (1997), the new movie with Will Farrell Semi-Pro (2008) and in the TV series One Tree Hill.
At 30 years old, returing for his third year as head coach for the Mob, Kirsch's energetic coaching style and enthusiasm for the game are unparalleled.
He has a really interesting blog: www.slamballnation.blogspot.com
SB Arena Hello Coach, we start with you a series of interviews to the big guys of Slamball, it's a great honour for us.
Coach Kirsch Alex, it's a pleasure. You know the slamball family loves you, the Mob especially. Hopefully we'll be back in Italy soon.
SBA In your opinion would it not be appropriate to make "SlamBall Academies" in the USA? Could it be better in the long term compared to the tryouts to find and train new talents?
CK Yes. Our plan right now is to continue to train our players at the incerdible facilites at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida. But eventually we'd like a training facility of our own to develop players year round. That would be in the States, but with Slamball reaching every corner of the globe, I know development is underway in both Italy and Israel for a league. I'd love to see Slamball become an international phenomenon.
SBA What is your opinion about the creation of a European league or a championship for each country? And what about other slamball schools around the world?
CK I am all for it! For Slamball to succeed in today's world of sports purists, we need a following on the international stage. The most exciting part of being back for me is the opportunity to meet with executives and coaches in different countries around the world who are beginning to plan leagues of their own. Slamball always did better (with television ratings) in Italy than in the States.
SBA In what sense does Slamball want to become a professional sport? What would be the innovations and the changes?
CK We are working with new partners now who have one of the strongest sports backgrounds in the United States. IMG represents and trains athletes like Tiger Woods, Maria Sharapova, Peyton Manning, Freddy Adu, Vince Carter, and the list goes on and on. They have taken our sport to the next level and along with CEO Mason Gordon, Director of Player Personnel, Rob Wilson and partners Mike Tollin and Pat Croce, Slamball will be a fully operating sports league in the United States next year. This means there will be teams in 8 different cities and we will operate like any other professional sports league in existence.
SBA Pat Croce spoke recently of slamball at the 2012 Olympic Games... it's a joke, isn't it?
CK Pat is very optimistic about the sports future and gets excited. 2012 might be a bit soon, but we would like to see Slamball in the X-Games and the Olympics eventually, yes.
SBA About your players and MOB... Sean Jackson is not not a little "presumptuous"?
CK Sean is a great player. One of our finest. In America, many great players are "great" because they endured hardships that molded them personally. These hardships sometimes characterize people on and off the court. If Sean was not as confident as he is off the court, I don't think he'd be as exceptional a player on it.
SBA Why was LaMonica Garrett so disappointing in the second season (2003)?
CK I don't think he was! LaMonica is a bull out there. A quiet warrior, he gave us everything he had in Season II, but we came up short. I accept full responsibility for not winning a championship. We were up by 9 points againts the Riders in the semi-final and just couldnt hold on in the fourth quarter. LaMonica is going to be a FORCE this season.
SBA How did you discover Noah Ballou?
CK Noah was a late pick up for us in the 2003 draft. I saw him in the combine and fell in love with his style of play. Although I thought he could be a great handler for us, I had no idea how well he would develop. He became a superstar and was going to be a great player for us this season. Unfortunately he had a miniscus tear that may keep him out for the first part of the season. With Noah healthy, he makes us contenders.
SBA Why did you initially prefer Tolliver to Cassidy? And why did you change the stopper during the season?
CK Kendrick Tolliver was our stopper during Season I, and although I loved him, I though Rodney Patrick was a better fit for Season II. I picked up Kevin Cassidy as our back-up Stopper in the 7th round of the draft in 2003. Rodney Patrick suffered an ACL tear during the training camp for Season II and Kevin slid in as the starter. Much like Noah Ballou, I fell in love with his game and thought he could be an All-Star, but I never imagined how incredible he was going to be. After he played his first game, I knew I wanted to see him as our starting stopper for the rest of the season.
SBA The absolute strongest player of the first two seasons and POWERade 2007?
CK LaMonica Garrett. He is a difference maker.
SBA Have you got other passions and interests apart from slamball? Can you tell us something about your activities in the world of basketball?
CK I enjoyed some success in coaching college basketball as a young man, but fell in love with Slamball after Season I and never looked back.
SBA In Italy, there are many slamball fans. Several millions have looked last summer slamball on TV. Do you want to say something to these fans and to the MOB supporters?
CK Just that we love you! The Mob is truly a family and we discuss our fans at length. We could not be more appreciative of the fans in Italy and I am doing my best to make sure the Mob wins the Season III Championship this season!
SBA Have you ever been in Italy (perhaps for the tour...) or do you want to come? If I say "Italy", what do you think about?
Thank you for your time and best of luck for the season!
CK I was scheduled to be in Italy for the tour, but a conflict held me back at the last moment. I would LOVE to come to Italy to help develop the sport there. And when I hear "Italy" my first thoughts are "warmth", "friendly people", "amazing food and wine", "love" and "passion"! Thank you so much and any of your supporters can reach me at brendankirsch(at)gmail.com
Edited by Black Lion - 22/5/2008, 09:11
Group: Admin
