By Leandro Grecco
Facebook: Leandro Carlos Grecco/Instagram: @leandro.grecco/Twitter: @leandrogrecco
The great moments of history are reserved for a few privileged people who, on their own merit, have been protagonists of those epics, deeds that are kept in memory and, in times past, could only be part of some chronicle isolated from the almost non-existent one. existence of media of yesteryear or those who circumstantially had the luxury of being mere luxury spectators.
In sport, with the passage of time, the inestimable feats of the different generations are measured, which, in the case of Bahía Blanca and basketball in particular, have been a beacon shining with its own light, admired by all. Coincident or not, a synergy has been generated in this city that awakens the pride of its own and the admiration of those who are outsiders.
Perhaps with less press than those who make decisions within a game rectangle, “Coco” Bruni stands out for having been the first prop man that the Bahiense Association had and for the uninterrupted decades working so that the players of the different teams, even when he had to play for Argentina. In The Compass 24one of the most beloved people in the environment left his mark.
“My full name is Oscar Rubén Bruni, but for a long time now and for everyone who knows me I am simply ‘Coco’. “I was born in Bahía Blanca on February 11, 1932, so I turned 92 just a few weeks ago,” summarized the beloved protagonist of this traditional Saturday section.
In recapitulating, he highlighted that “the first years of my life were spent in a house on 47 Thompson Street, right in front of what was then the Pacific Club. I remember jumping over the wall to go shoot the basketball hoop (laughs) and the basketball player, who was a man of Italian origin, warned me that he would only lend me the ball if I then watered the court.”
“As my family knew I was safe there, they let me stay later and I ended up mixed up with the Primera squad because someone was always missing. I had a younger brother who worked at the Sansinena Butcher Shop in General Cerri and was treasurer of Banco Italia,” he said, in the comfort of the living room of his apartment.
Asked about his training, he stated: “I went to School No. 34, which was in front of the Estudiantes club on Santa Fe Street, where there is now a very large building. Then, I attended Don Bosco School for a few years, until at the age of 13, while on vacation and with some boys at the door of the Bar Méndez de Thompson y Donado, I started to think about what I was doing chatting with them.
“I felt like I had to help at home, contributing a few pesos because my dad, who was a licensed gas fitter and did general maintenance, came back every day tired, with the food he had bought for us carrying his heavy tool box,” he said. “Coco,” with a firm tone of voice.
From a very young age he took on adult responsibilities: “My first job was at the Almada Pharmacy and I got it in a very particular way because there was a bicycle propped up at the door of the store and no one used it. That day it was raining and they had a lot of medicines to deliver, however I told them that I was willing to distribute because perhaps there were old people who needed their medicines.”
“People offered me a tip and I didn’t want it, it was only enough for them to know that if they bought there would be a person who would bring them their medication. That first day my mother looked for me desperately because I didn’t tell her anything about my intention to have a job,” Bruni said.
But the anecdote had one chapter left: “When I got home I had to explain to her and she told me that I had to go study shorthand and typing at the Caronti School. I am eternally grateful because it was something that over the years I was able to apply in other jobs, for example when I was hired at Hierromat at the age of 15.”
“Playing basketball as a child was difficult because not all clubs had pre-mini or mini, which is why I started in Children’s. One day I met a man who was sitting on the railing of the field and watching how we trained, a man who wore a hat and was none other than Abel Bournaud, who was president of the club,” he inferred, as he began to average. the back and forth with this chronicler.
Automatically, he felt like he was touching the sky with his hands, with the enthusiasm of a boy: “On one occasion he told me, ‘young man, come on, do you want to play here?’ To which I responded affirmatively, so he asked me to bring him two photos the next day to make the corresponding file for me. “My dad took me to a square to take the images and I took them to the club so he could get my card.”
“There were 25 years actively linked to Pacífico, as a player, coach and leader, I even had to experience very closely the institution’s move to the corner of Castelli and Charlone. The beginnings were not easy because we had to heat the boiler to be able to bathe after each practice, everything was very artisanal,” commented an endearing “Coco”, with his eyes that became even clearer due to the emotion that overwhelmed him.
It was a time when luxuries were not abundant: “Winters were not like today, in the morning when I had to train the boys, you turned on the faucet and the stream of water came out practically frozen. So that the institution does not spend on electricity, I stayed training alone at night, in the light of the moon and with the reflection of the brightness that came from the tennis courts.”
“I was the first prop man of the Bahiense Basketball Association, a place I entered through (Bill Américo) Brusa, on the occasion of a regional tournament that was held in Coronel Dorrego and in which the teams from the entire area participated,” said Bruni. with a prodigious memory.
His debut was a dream: “We had to win and I cried like a boy because, although I had not been able to achieve it as a player, it was the first time that I had to win a tournament representing Bahía Blanca. ‘Cacho’ Feliziani was another of those who invited me to be part of the staff because there was no one to carry the balls, water and towels.”
“Once I started, I got so excited that I never stopped doing it again, added to the fact that no one wanted to take on that responsibility because it was quite sacrificial, it required a lot of work. I was lucky to be part of an era of Bahia basketball, both with the minor categories and with the greatest players,” inferred one of the living legends of the city’s basketball.
Asked about the good vibes prevailing in the different groups he joined, he said: “I felt very respected by all generations, something that I am grateful to the different groups, because they knew that one was at the foot of the canyon to bring what they needed in the moment. We have to help the kids, treat them with affection and know how to advise them when the situation requires it.”
“During the year you end up spending a lot of time with them, taking into account that there were countless competitions in the different categories. I was lucky enough to be a prop for the Argentine National Team in 1967, in the World Cup in Uruguay, played in El Cilindro,” said a grateful Bruni with everything he had to live close to sport.
Another episode moved him to tears: “In that contest, together with “Coco” Ferrandi, we cried with emotion every time we heard the Argentine National Anthem. It was a team made up of the Bahia trilogy: (Atilio José) Fruet, (Alberto Pedro) Cabrera and (José Ignacio) De Lizaso and the rest of the players from Buenos Aires.”
“In that competition we had to face Japan, the United States and Russia, which scored 100 points for us,” he stressed, while also marking differences between the current game and the one of yesteryear: “I like basketball better now because you can see an eight-year-old boy passing the ball under his legs with an agility inappropriate for those of that age in a bygone era.”
“The same thing when they make a turn or put a screen, impossible to compare it with the stage of poor ‘Beto’ (Cabrera) who managed to carry the ball as best he could. My last tournament as a prop was a youth tournament in Olavarría, with Mario Errazu who was there as technical director, long before the pandemic,” “Coco” showed.
That farewell was going to be with glory: “We had to win the title, a beautiful finishing touch because, although one still misses that, at my age I can no longer perform the task as the situation warrants. Keep in mind that there are five items of clothing for twelve players that make up a squad that you have to carry every day, in addition to water, the first aid kit and ice.”
“We made two visits to (Juan Domingo) Perón, because I wanted to know who we were behind Bahía Blanca as the basketball capital. He was very surprised because no one beat us, that’s why he wanted to see us in Buenos Aires, he made a plane available to us and we went there with Fruet, Cabrera and De Lizaso,” he said, in the final part of the dialogue.
Although he was there almost always, some championships were lost: “It was not easy at different times to be able to make my private job compatible with basketball, every time Brusa was going to ask to be allowed to travel, the company manager trembled (laughs). Although I almost always managed to convince him, I couldn’t go to China and Canada for work reasons, there were many days and I couldn’t be gone for that long.”
“My wife, whom I miss every day, was a piano teacher even though she had vision difficulties, she gave two concerts at the Rivadavia Library. When we moved to the building where I currently live, it was difficult to continue teaching because the neighbors complained about the noise,” she added, in relation to her private life.
He also added: “I have two children and five grandchildren, a beautiful and very united family, but also, although I live alone, I really like to read, be informed, listen to the radio and watch television. I am grateful that, despite my advanced age, I can take care of myself, I even go out shopping every day.”
“The most beautiful thing that life has given me is the large number of friends, today we are in contact with (Jorge) Cortondo, (Adrián) Monachesi and (Raúl) López. We were even recently recognized at the Municipal Theater, along with those who unfortunately have already left this world, but are still present in the memory of all of us,” he concluded.
“Coco” does not lose his magic, his extroverted style transforms him into a friend to all who have the joy of sharing a moment with him. The formula to enjoy such good health is simple, because Bruni never sits still, he is healthy and takes care of himself, but above all things, the love of his family and friends is never lacking. If we add to that the fact that he does not deny the blows that life has dealt him and keeps his memories alive, the combo is the ideal one to continue enjoying his stories.
2024-03-02 23:00:16
#Today #feel #respect #basketball #environment #Brújula
