JBa on playing LANs: "I don't really get nervous"
Wildcard have had a metamorphosis with their roster ever since joining Counter-Strike, but one crucial piece has remained the same: Josh "JBa" Barutt. Many in the North American community have touted the young star as the next best thing. Under the tutelage of Peter "stanislaw" Jarguz, JBa has grown his game considerably as he helps his team qualify for international LANs across the world. While at ESL Challenger Atlanta, the American spoke with Jeffrey Moore about his growth, his nerves, and what its like balancing school with being a full-time professional player.
You’ve been working with Stanislaw for a while now, ever since Forsaken. What has that been like to have an IGL of his caliber bring you in and work with you for so long?
Yeah, he picked me up on Forsaken with like, no experience with me. One day, he said, “Come join the team,” and I did. He’s taught me so much about the game [inside the server] and so much about out of game stuff. It’s been a pleasure playing with him.
You’ve now been playing in this top level for about a year? What has the transition been like to go from someone on teams like X13 and Forsaken, to playing with Wildcard and flying around the world?
Not much has changed, to be honest with my mindset. I'm still playing as much as I used to, still taking the game as serious as I used to. I'm still in school full-time. The only real change has been traveling and not really living at home permanently.
You've only been to four international LANs. How do you feel like you're dealing with the jitters and stress of playing in front of a crowd? Is this something that comes naturally to you or something you had to learn?
Definitely, now I don't really get nervous. I'd say my first LAN that I was nervous, I was the RMR. I was shaking in that LAN, but I played soccer for like, 14 years. I always had that competitive drive. I kind of got my nerves like gone after playing soccer for that long and playing on the biggest stage that I could then. It comes naturally to me at this point.
Wildcard is set to play against M80 later today following the match between BetBoom and Rooster.
