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The Itambe Minas team is here in India for the very first time as the country is set to host its first-ever Volleyball Men’s Club World Championship. The tournament is scheduled between December 6 and 10 at the Koramangala Indoor Stadium in Bengaluru.
Itambe Minas is one of the two Brazilian volleyball clubs looking to vie for the championships in the six-team event. The club, which was founded in 1937, has won seven Superliga titles (Brazilian Volleyball Super League), the country’s top professional league.
Minas is paired with hosts Ahmedabad Defenders (winner of Prime Volleyball 2023) and defending world champions Sir Sicoma Perugia in Pool A. The southeastern Brazilian club will bank on the prowess of their American middle blocker Austin Wilmot as they strive for their elusive club world championship.
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Although Austin Wilmot has made his first trip to India in his six years of professional career, he is not a stranger to the Indian Volleyball system.
“This is my first time visiting India. I actually used to watch the Prime Volleyball League. I have some friends who have played in this league. Aaron Koubi, David Lee, Colton Cowell. I played with Colton this summer in the national team,” Austin told Sportskeeda at the Bengaluru Torpedoes volleyball academy ahead of the Club World Championship 2023.
“I think it’s (Prime Volleyball) amazing. They bring entertainment to the level with their queen ace two-point serve. They bring a lot of excitement, the lights, the fans going, I think everyone’s doing a fantastic job,” the lanky Minas player added.
With an impressive height of 6’8, the lofty Austin can tantalize his opponents. He joined Itambe Minas in September 2022 and has been the lynchpin of their setup, particularly with searing smashes from the middle of the court.
The Los Angeles-born player expressed his wish to make an appearance in the Prime Volleyball League, which is just two seasons old. However, the busy roster of world volleyball stands as a barrier for the American to participate in the PVB.
“I would (like to be part of Prime Volleyball) and it would be amazing. We were talking before with Rakesh and we were talking about how it needed to be in July or something, so we can come for a month and two weeks after our season. Because it is impossible to go in the middle of our season,” Austin said.
“I would love to come here for a season at least. It would just have to be outside the traditional volleyball schedule (September-April) in Brazil and Europe,” he added.
Itambe Minas will take on the Muthusamy Appavu-led Ahmedabad Defenders in their opening game of the world championship on Wednesday, December 6. Despite the massive success of the Brazilian club, Austin doesn’t want to take the competition's new entrants lightly by any means.
“We haven’t watched any film in particular but I am sure I have seen these guys on YouTube playing before. I know they have a ton of talent and they make Volleyball really exciting. It’s not a team to overlook,” Austin said on playing against the Ahmedabad outfit.
“They are, obviously, a very good volleyball team. It’s a team we need to study in the film room and take some notes to be prepared before we get into the game,” the 25-year-old further said.
Why did Austin Wilmot choose Volleyball among the least popular sports in America?
Volleyball wasn’t a definite direction for Austin Wilmot. Just like any other American, he was keen on playing basketball and baseball, the sports he excelled at in high school. However, advocacy from his mother and a close friend obliged him to reconsider his decision when he was in his freshman year.
“My mom and another friend recommended that I try Volleyball because kind of have the body type for it. I am tall and lanky I just tried it one day and I slowly got better. I never thought I would be at this level for sure,” Austin spoke about his decision to play Volleyball.
“I kept getting better and eventually I was good enough to play in college. And eventually I did well enough to play for a pro team. So here I am still sticking with it,” he added.
The biggest challenge for an English speaker in Latin America is communication. According to a report published by the British Council by Data Popular Institute, around 5% of Brazilians stated they have some knowledge of English.
Austin mentioned that he learned Portuguese to bridge the language obstacle with his teammates and the coaching staff. He said:
“Language is a big barrier but I am learning Portuguese really well actually. You can ask almost all of the people, now I am very fluent, which I am really proud of. It took me about 6-7 months, all my grammar and word tenses are off but they still understand me when I talk.”
“Which is a pretty cool feeling. It’s necessary to learn because a very few people speak English in Brazil. It’s not like India where a lot of people know English. It’s a big chage.”
Brazil is the most successful nation in football with five FIFA World Cup titles. The country considers the sport as a religion with the national stars being worshipped by the aficionados back at home.
Austin revealed that volleyball is the second most popular sport in the South American country, and pointed to the stark contrast of the playing culture in his home.
“Volleyball-wise, the culture in Brazil has always been high. It’s one of the best countries to play volleyball. People care it the most and they have the most people playing unlike America which doesn’t have too much men’s volleyball participation. I can go to a random park and see kids playing Volleyball, which I would never see in America,” the Minas middle blocker said.
Austin also represents the US Volleyball team at international events. However, there was no men's team participation from their federation for the Pan-American Games 2023, which concluded last month in Chile.
"I am surprised the US didn’t take a volleyball team but I don’t know. I guess they didn’t want to. Usually, they take a younger team and most of the kids are either gone playing pro now or they are back in college. So it’s a hard schedule to balance," he concluded.
Itambe Minas will also eye for a semi-final berth and potentially meet Superliga rivals Sada Cruzeiro Volei (four-time club world champions) in the knockouts.
