“I love Italy and I’m staying here to improve”

TREVISO

On the pitch he is a play with a fulminating first step, with a stop and shot from medium distance that is as atypical as it is effective. DeWayne Russell, known as “Weezy”, is in his second season in the Nutribullet jersey.

Wikipedia Italy writes that you were born in Peoria, Arizona, but in reality …

“I was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In Peoria, which is near Phoenix, I moved with my family when I was 7-8 years old. Unfortunately my parents separated and I followed my mother there. I have two younger brothers, Daron and Dawan. ‘

Which of the two cities do you prefer?

“They are very different. In Phoenix, the climate is great, there is always good weather, while in Philly I like the fact that it is a multicultural city. I identify with it more, although in the end I preferred to stay in Arizona. The college I went to, GCU, was 15 minutes from my home. ‘

From the second year of college he was at Grand Canyon University, where he met Dan Majerle, who was a great protagonist with the Phoenix Suns.

«And it was my luck, Dan took me under his wing and made me grow as a player and as a man. He often told me that “hard work always pays off”. Thanks to him I became a professional, I will always be grateful to him ».

In his senior year at GCU, he had bonded closely with a promising youngster, Oscar Frayer, who passed away last March.

“Oh, wow, it’s hard to talk about (his voice breaks, ed). Oscar wasn’t just a friend, he was like a brother to me. When he arrived at GCU I took him to know the campus, the city. He often came to eat at our house and we trained a lot together on the pitch, I had become his mentor. Losing him is a great pain, he had so much to give to the world. As a reminder, from last year I changed my jersey number and wear 4, his number ».

He has many tattoos on his skin. Which are the most significant?

“Maybe the ones on the right arm. Here I have a heart with a basketball in it. I did it at 17, when I still didn’t know if I could become a player. I mean, look at me, I’m small! But I had a great love for this sport, and I wanted to do it at all costs. Then there is another one that says “D. Russell, ”my brothers did the same. They and I are very close ».

On his Twitter headline it says “God1st !!!”. What relationship does it have with religion?

“I have studied different religions and I respect them all. I believe in God and in mutual love, I find it absurd that there are wars in the world in the name of religion. God is love, not hate ».

You are very attached to Italy, where your daughter Indie was born. And there is a curiosity about her name. Can you tell us?

“Oh yes, Indie was the name my wife and I had in mind. One day walking around Treviso she found a sticker with the word “Indie” and we discovered that in Treviso there is a vinyl store with that name and it was crazy. Two days later we had a medical examination: we were expecting a baby. It was a sign of fate ».

At this point he has to reveal where “Weezy” comes from.

“It’s a nickname that comes from DeWayne, and it’s also similar to that of my favorite singer, Lil Wayne. My brothers also have nicknames, Daron is “Fatts”, while Dawan is “Poober”.

He just turned 28. At what point in his career do you feel?

«It is an age that usually indicates the basketball maturity, but I don’t feel I have arrived yet. I know I still have a lot of room for growth, and I will be able to do it thanks to the coach and my teammates. I think the best will be seen after the age of thirty ».

What does the Russell family do in their free time?

“Everything revolves around the little girl, she is almost a year old, so for now we take a lot of walks in the park and a few trips out of town. We are in love with Venice, every time we go there we take a gondola ride ».

Where do you see yourself in the future?

«I would love to stay in Italy. There is one thing I haven’t said before: my father was killed when I was 11, he was shot. I say this almost as if it were a normal thing because in fact in America it is almost a normal thing. Now do you understand why I like Italy so much? If it depended on me, I would live here forever ». –