Luka Barišić

Luka Barisic wanted a chance to succeed at both academics and athletics and realized the United States would provide him with the best opportunity to do just that. Here, he tells Rooted in Sport about his journey playing basketball and the value of academics at universities in the U.S.

Where are you from and which sport do you play? How did you begin playing sports in general and/or your sport?

I am from Osijek, Croatia. While growing up my two older brothers played basketball and I decided to follow in their footsteps which is simply how I started playing basketball. I fell in love with the game and have stayed with it ever since.

At which U.S. university do you play and which year are you in? What are you majoring in?

I started my career in NCAA Division One basketball at The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) and in the summer of 2021 I decided to transfer to Western Illinois University (WIU). I will be a graduate transfer this upcoming season at WIU and I will be completing my Master of Business Administration (MBA) in Business Management while here.

How did you begin your recruitment process? Did you research colleges and reach out to colleges first, or did they find you? Were you looking at any other schools besides the one you chose? How did you decide to transfer?

In all honesty, all of my different recruiting processes with various schools were not very difficult because I received a lot of offers from college coaches who were interested in me. I am very lucky to have had a lot of schools to choose from, but because there were so many that offered different things it was at times a tough decision. Sometimes I wish I had only received one offer (hahaha). Coaches from different schools reached out to me, and I didn’t necessarily reach out to all of them, but after a lot of thinking and talking to people close to me I decided to go to UTSA. After a couple of years I decided that WIU would be a better fit and decided to transfer because I think I will have the best opportunity to succeed here in both academics and athletics.

Why was college in the U.S. the best option for you?

College in the U.S. was the best option for me because it offered me something that I couldn’t get anywhere else - both basketball and an education combined. In Croatia you cannot study and play at the collegiate level, but I knew that this was something I wanted to do. In the end, thinking about my future, I decided to go where I would have the best chance to succeed at both.

What was it like going from Croatia to the U.S.;a totally new country and culture? What was the transition like?

It is always tough to leave your home and your country to go somewhere else in the world, but I think I transitioned very well. Of course, everything is different from the language, to classes, to even the game of basketball itself, but I realized I had to adjust to the American way of living or I would not “survive” in this world.

Did your school provide you with sufficient resources to help you get accustomed to a new country and school system? Was financial aid available to you?

I would say yes, they definitely helped me at first before preseason, but once preseason and especially the season start, nobody has time for you and your feelings. You kind of just need to suck it up and do your best on the court and in the classroom. The time before preseason is short so I only had a short amount of time to adjust before I was on my own. It really is a place where the individual needs to learn how to make it on their own with great effort.

Did your college experience (both athletically and academically) help you get to where you are today? Do you continue to have contact with your former college, teammates, friends, coaches, etc. Has this network helped you frame your plans for your future?

Yes, definitely. I have the opportunity to earn an MBA degree at the end of this year, which is something that less than 8% of people in the world possess. I think that this is an incredible opportunity that my college provided me with that I would not have had the chance to do if I did not come to the U.S. Athletically speaking, my basketball experience in the NCAA has prepared me for a potential professional career, which I am planning to pursue after I graduate with my MBA degree. I do still keep in contact with a lot of teammates, some coaches and athletic directors from UTSA and of course, hopefully once I graduate from WIU I will be doing the same. Some of my coaches and directors even ask my opinion about other players from Europe that they are considering which is always interesting.

Do you have any tips for young athletes from Croatia looking to go to college in the US to continue in their sport?

I would just say once you make the commitment to go to America, enjoy your time there. The U.S. is one of the best countries in the world and I think you should be happy and grateful that you have the opportunity to not only go to school, but also play sports there. There are going to be a lot of ups and downs, but you have to keep your head up and try to do your best, give it your all. And always remember, nothing comes easy.

What is your favorite sport to watch and who is your favorite athlete?

My favorite sport to watch is definitely basketball and my favorite athlete is Dirk Nowitzki.

Thank you Luka, for speaking with us and sharing your experience playing basketball around the United States so far. We wish you all the best with the Western Illinois University Leathernecks and look forward to watching you further your career.