Thiago Mansini '13 Recruiting Profile

At the age of 12 basketball, has come to be a critical piece of my life. Besides

being a subterfuge in which I used to escape from the reality that surrounded me, it is also my

greatest passion. Since I started playing, there was not a day that I had not dedicated myself to

improve in this sport, and it was through basketball that I had the opportunity to change my life,

to have better life opportunities, better academic opportunities, to become a  better person, a

better athlete, consequently, a role model in my poor and violent community.

I used to play from the sunrise until dawn, under rain or cold, whenever I had the free

time to do so. Often, the hoops were crooked and broken. In the adjacent court, where boys

played soccer (the country’s favorite sport), police violence with the boys who played and

smoked was ordinary.

I was sure that if I tried hard, even if I went there alone (sometimes my older brother

could not take me there, because he was working to help my parents with our household

expenses). And kept practicing for hours, in adverse conditions and casting a blind eye on the

violence and drug consumption and traffic that happened right next to the basketball court, not

only this sport would change my life, but I would also become a great player.

The indication that I was right to put a lot of effort on basketball came with the

opportunity to participate in a program designed by the United States Consulate in Sao Paulo

called "Basketball Stars" (“Estrelas do Basquete” in Portuguese). It was a program targeting

low-income high school students from public schools throughout the city. When I heard about

the program, I thought I would never be selected among so many talented people from São

Paulo who were competing. But after a few days, I decided that I could not let such an

opportunity to slip through my hands without trying, after all, I was training precisely for

moments like this, and life was kind to give me such an opportunity.

I applied and was accepted into the program that took place for an entire year. From

 January to December 2012, every Monday, Wednesdays and Friday, I had to cross the city -

sometimes walking because my family did not have money to give to me to use public

transportation - after classroom time to get to the place in which the program was being held on.

SESC, in partnership with the American Consulate and the Alumni Association (English School

in Brazil), conducted this program.

It was a massive learning environment where along with 40 young people from the

public schools in the city, we had leadership workshops, and English and basketball classes.

What is interesting to notice is that I felt motivated to study English even more, because my

older brother learns it by himself, without teachers or courses, using only an old book. He taught

me that if I had ever had the chance to study a new language, I should do it because it would

allow me to understand a completely different universe, not to mention to think differently.

Nowadays, my older brother is a Master’s Student in International Affairs at the University of

California, San Diego, specializing in Cyber Security. In addition to the “Basketball Stars,” our

family bonds and my older brother efforts to give me a better life than he had, were fundamental

for me to be writing this letter for you today.

It was a significant experience where I grew up as both, an athlete and a human being. It

was a year filled with learning, special moments and enormous challenges, those including

hunger, physical stress, and financial constraints. However, I had a dream, and I knew that at

this end this would all worth it, and I was right.

By the end of the program, we learned that 14 young participants out of a total of 40

would have the opportunity to spend two weeks in the United States, having basketball clinics,

learning about the life of a student-athlete and especially to watch the 2013 NBA All-Star Game

in the city of Houston, Texas. I knew that I had a 1/40 chance to be selected, and the odds were

against me because, even though most of the students were from low-income families, they had

money to use public transportation or sometimes to eat. I did not.

I did not notice how the selection of the 14 young men was made, until recently. A few

weeks before the announcement, the organizers gave us a questionnaire with the names of the

40 participants and asked us to rate our “classmates” in some areas such as good

communication, union, teamwork, leadership, evolution in English, basketball level in a 1 to 4

scale. They also instructed us that we could only assign one single “four marks” in one, of the

criteria mentioned above, to ourselves.

I would never have imagined that this questionnaire answered by the participants

themselves would elect the 14 athletes! I will always remember the moment that the Head Chief

of the program said my name: "Thiago Scuarcialupi Mansini." It was one of the greatest

moments of happiness and joy that I could have ever experienced! Not long after, I had the

great honor to know that I was not only one of the “brave 14”, but I was also the first and most

voted among all the criteria.

The program allowed me to spent two weeks in the United States with everything paid.

One week in Washington, DC and the other week in Houston, TX. After having this great

experience, I realized that it does not matter how difficult things can be, if you work hard, you

can get anything you want. I promised myself that I would return to the United States, not only to

play but also to study in an American University not only to advance my basketball skills playing

among talented players but also to improve other interests that I have that are also related to

basketball.

All that I can say is that I'm different and I'm ready to prove my value for my university, for my coach and for my basketball team. I'm not just a kid with basketball dreams, I'm a man with basketball values.