For the third and final part of our Bill Bradley’s special for his 70th birthday, we have what he had to say to our Arthur Kenney about his workout sessions in Palalido and the three main things he learned from coach Rubini.

“My solo workouts mainly consisted of shooting-drills.  My rules were that I would have to make 25 consecutive shots from 5 places and then 15 consecutive shots from other 3 places.  I would not leave the gym until I was able to make all my shots.  I did need someone to retrieve the ball and pass it out to me, and Sandro Gamba volunteered to work with me.  Sandro knew that he was not going home to see his wife Stella until I made all my requires shots, so I knew he would would be passing me the ball in great position and rooting for me to make all my shots!  I looked upon Coach Rubini as if he were “my older brother” and if that were the case, then Sandro was “my little brother”. Sandro was not going home until I made all my shots, so I tried to hit my required-shots as quickly as as possible so he could get home in time for dinner!”

In summation what are the three things you learned from Cesare Rubini?

“1) To be aware of everything around you, without being emotionally caught-up in the moment or distracted by all that is going on around you.

2)   That “It ain’t over ‘till it’s over” and the necessity to have a long-term view.  An example was that in the European Cup, advancement was dependent on the results of the combination of two games, not just one game.

3) That you can be a good competitor, a “guerriero” as you might say, and still be a good human being”. (3- end)