PBR Teams Preview: Austin Gamblers Made Minor Tweaks to Roster From Successful 2022
By: Darci Miller
PUEBLO, Colo. – In 2022, the Austin Gamblers did a whole lot of things right.
Drafting two-time World Champion Jose Vitor Leme with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2022 PBR Team Series Draft, for one. Leme would go on to be the league’s first-ever MVP, going a staggering 19-for-26 (73%).
They signed Ezekiel Mitchell, who became the team’s opener, and veteran Ramon de Lima in free agency. They traded for Dalton Kasel, who went 5-for-10 for the Gamblers down the stretch, late in the season.
The Gamblers took just three events to notch an event win, going 2-0 in Anaheim, California. They won again the very next weekend in Nashville, going 3-0. They went 3-0 again in Glendale, Arizona, to close out the regular season, and were atop the regular-season standings heading into the PBR Team Series Championship in Las Vegas, where they had a first-round bye thanks to holding the top spot.
The Gamblers showed up each weekend with swagger, knowing they were a juggernaut and the odds-on favorites to win every time the chutes opened.
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However, as right as things went, they also went pretty wrong.
In early September, Leme suffered three broken ribs – the fourth time he’s broken ribs on his right side – when he collided with an opponent during a soccer game at his ranch in Decatur, Texas.
While Leme missed only two events before rushing back into the lineup, the damage had been done – in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, the Gamblers went a combined 1-5.
“I was tired of being on the sidelines and watching my team,” Leme told PBR.com at the time. “When I got hurt, we were in the first position. Two events later, I was out, and we’re fourth. I want to try to help my team. That’s why I’m here. I’m here to help the Gamblers win.”
Even when he returned in Ridgedale, Missouri, the Gamblers managed a paltry 1-2 showing.
And then came the PBR Team Series Championship, where the Gamblers were one of two teams with a first-round bye. Though the odds were stacked in their favor, they went a disastrous 0-2 and were eliminated before the semifinals. They had just three qualified rides, none of them belonging to Leme, who could not compete in the Last Chance Game due to his ribs.
Having Leme on the roster is clearly an advantage, but no team can rely on just one rider to win games.
That being said, the Gamblers still have a loaded roster and a General Manager (J.J. Gottsch) willing to be aggressive in pursuing the 2023 PBR Teams Championship.
Returning Gambler Riders: Jose Vitor Leme, Austin Richardson, Lucas Divino, Ezekiel Mitchell, Ramon de Lima, Dalton Kasel, Claudio Montanha Jr.
New Gambler Riders: Adriano Salgado, Jean Fernandes Pereira, Cort McFadden
While other teams underwent significant turnover in the offseason, the Gamblers retained most of their 2022 roster. They were the only team without a pick in the protected-roster portion of the 2023 draft, adding just Jean Fernandes Pereira and Cort McFadden in the reserve-rider draft.
“I think the biggest thing that I’ve learned in this sport is that it’s not a matter of if guys are going to get hurt, but it’s when they get hurt, and do you have guys to fill in the holes?” Gottsch told Fanchon Stinger and Luke Kaufman on PBR Now! this spring. “And we saw that firsthand last year. We first in the middle of the season, Jose got hurt, we dropped to fourth in two quick weeks. Then Jose came back, and we regained that No. 1 position. But the reality is, not just for the Gamblers, but for everybody, that depth is really key, not only in the draft but throughout the year.”
“We all know that this is a battle of attrition,” head coach Michael Gaffney added. “It always has been. They say you can go from champ to chump real quick, and it’s never truer than in our sport.”
Their biggest offseason get was Adriano Salgado, who they traded their 2023 first-round draft pick to the Missouri Thunder to obtain. Salgado was the Thunder’s best rider, finishing sixth in the MVP race by going 15-for-27 (55%).
“One of the decisions that we had was, should we keep a roster spot open so you have something in the draft, or do we go after one of the free agents that’s available?” Gottsch said. “And so, after a lot of discussion, looking at tape, looking at video, doing interviews, we made the decision to go after Adriano Salgado.
“So now, arguably, with Jose, Dalton, and Adriano, we’ve got three legitimate No. 1 riders, and you back them up with Lucas (Divino), Austin (Richardson), Ramon, Zeke. We feel like we’ve got great depth.”
Another huge add was three-time World Champion Adriano Moraes, named Director of Brazil Operations, responsible for scouting and assisting in coaching and developing the team’s riders. He’ll also provide coaching and instruction to the riders and facilitated the team’s mid-June trip to Brazil, where riders competed at the PBR Brazil Iron Cowboy event in Americana.
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“I’m beyond excited to have Adriano join our organization,” Gaffney said. “I’ve known the man 30 years and have so many great memories of PBR and professional rodeo that were spent traveling and competing with this amazing champion. His wealth of knowledge will be invaluable to our young men of the Austin Gamblers. Brazil is full of talented cowboys. Adriano will be our eyes and ears in South America, searching for those aspiring to be great and join our team.”
RELATED: Austin Gamblers open operations in Brazil, led by three-time PBR World Champion Adriano Moraes
Moraes sets the Gamblers up to have an in with up-and-coming riders in Brazil and should provide valuable coaching to the existing roster.
Leme, of course, leads the way, fresh off the UTB campaign that saw him finish No. 2 in the standings. While a down year by his standards, he still notched a riding percentage of 55% and had three event wins. Greatness is, at this point, expected for the Gamblers. Kasel is also coming off a breakout UTB season that saw him in the thick of the world title race and ultimately finishing No. 5. With two event wins and two 15/15 Bucking Battle wins, he led the league in 90-point rides with six.
Lima, the Gamblers’ third-best finisher in the MVP race, finished the UTB season ranked No. 10 thanks to his third-place showing at the PBR World Finals in May. He went 11-for-30 (36%) for the Gamblers last season.
Austin Richardson, Ezekiel Mitchell and Lucas Divino are the question marks. Finishing the UTB season ranked No. 28, 29 and 32, respectively, all underperformed their potential. Mitchell went 9-for-24 (37%) for the Gamblers last season, ultimately finding a home in the opener role. If he continues his success there, he could be looking at a much-improved season. Divino, who qualified for the World Finals despite competing in just four regular-season events due to injury, went 10-for-27 (37%) last year and would be a valuable piece if he keeps that up. Richardson went just 2-for-20 (10%) for the Gamblers last season and missed half of the UTB season due to injury, but won Round 2 of the World Finals. If he can capitalize on that ability and start riding like the second-round draft pick he is, it would change the complexion of the Gamblers’ season.
The Gamblers kick off the 2023 season at Cheyenne Frontier Days in Cheyenne, Wyoming, on July 24-25 against the Kansas City Outlaws and the Missouri Thunder.
They host PBR Gambler Days on Aug. 25-27 in Austin, Texas, at the Moody Center, where they will take on the Outlaws, the Texas Rattlers and the Oklahoma Freedom.
Photo courtesy of Todd Brewer/Bull Stock Media
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