JORGE Edson Souza de Brito, who is set to bring his volleyball smarts to the Philippine soils, has described his coaching style as between “a father and a monster.”
“I could be the fatherly-type, but I want to push myself and the team, work hard to achieve goals,” said Souza de Brito, 54, who was assigned this week by the International Volleyball Federation to help work on the national women’s team program.
Like any other professional coach–and an FIVB-appointee for that matter–Souza de Brito has already done his homework. He has watched videos of the Philippine campaign in the 2019 Southeast Asian Games and just recently, on the national team tryouts in Subic that were uploaded to social media last week.
“I’m very happy to have this chance to come to the Philippines, it’s an honor,” he said. “I love volleyball and I love the passion Filipinos have for volleyball. They love the sport so much–and there are a lot of fans.”
The Philippines is actually no alien to Souza de Brito. He learned about the country from, who else, Leila Barros, the charming former Brazilian star who became a darling to Filipino fans when she played for the Brazilian national team in the FIVB Grand Prix that Manila hosted in August 2000. Barros is now a senator in Brazil.
