MUNCIE, Ind.— The culture change between Brazil and Indiana took more than one season for Ball State men’s volleyballs setter to adjust to. However, Lucas Machado has improved on and off the court.
The improvements came after his freshman season with the help of a youth soccer team.
“He’s become a little bit close to my kids and their soccer team,” Head hoach Donan Cruz said. “It has helped him to understand his family here and different ways to connect to that.”
Machado wasn’t alone in his coaching endeavor; Patrick Rogers came along to help the soccer team and Machado.
“It’s Donan’s kid who plays,” Junior, Patrick Rogers said. “It’s fun to help out the community and help Donan out with his kids.”
Cruz said that being around his son’s soccer team is one of the main reasons Machado has settled into his new community. He joked that after watching Machado coach that he might make a good dad someday.
“It was so good for me because I get to do something else in my daily routine, Machado said. “It was good to help the kids play soccer; soccer is a sport that I really like.”
After coaching the team, Machado said this his confidence has gotten better on and off the court. He also echoed Coach Cruz’s comment about being a father, saying that he would love to be a dad someday.
Contact Josh Gabbard with comments at Joshua.gabbard@bsu.edu.
