Like any youngster in Colombia Jesus Antonio Salcedo Montano, fondly called Tony, grew up playing football, the most popular sport in his country. Football also remains a uniting factor in Colombian society despite wide rifts between economic classes. Colombia has a small but very passionate basketball culture and somewhere down the line Tony took to basketball and got dunked.
He played for Toros del Valle Cali for nearly eight years. A vacation to Rome changed his fortunes. “I was on a holiday in Italy. In Rome I met a girl who later became my life partner. She wanted me to stay back and we began hunting for a place for me in an Italian basketball team. That’s how we found Vis Basketball and I began playing for them,” says Tony who has joined The Choice School as Director, Sports.
The Vis Basketball, established in 1954, is one of the oldest basketball clubs in the province of Bologna. It has moulded a line of fine players. “I played for this club till 2012, till an injury forced me to take a break. In between I travelled to Colombia where I played in an under-40 championship. During those trips I also managed to study electrical engineering. I’m now waiting for my degree,” says Tony in broken English.
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Tony’s son Eddie Salcedo has taken to football in Italy. “He is one of the most promising players in the under-15 year category. A forward he is credited with most number of goals in the national championship. I now function as his manager,” says Tony with a proud smile.
In Choice School, Tony is assisted by 12 coaches in various disciplines. He has just started work but finds a lot of good talent. “I’m looking for new talents. They must not only be talented but also need to be disciplined, must be able to develop an aggressive, fighting spirit. They must have that professionalism and the urge to keep winning. Sport is not all about getting out to the ground and roughing it out. It also has a lot to do with one’s attitude, ones mental abilities,” says Tony.