‘Diversity is always necessary.’ How international athletes at Mercer find pieces of home in Macon
The Mercer men’s basketball team features a lot of international talent who have had to adjust to playing in America.
Guard Djordje Dimitrijevic from Serbia, Center Victor Baffutto from Brazil and Forward Maciej Bender from Poland have each dealt with the challenge of moving away from their families in order to pursue basketball and an education abroad.
“The biggest adjustment for me living in Macon, Georgia, is living far away from my family,” Bender said. “It’s really hard sometimes to not be able to see my parents for a long period of time.”
While some battle homesickness, others learn how to cope with different foods and weather patterns. Baffutto, now a redshirt sophomore, said he has learned to adjust over time. As a freshman, he struggled with the colder weather as well as finding food that he actually liked. Since then, Baffutto has taken to Margaritas in Mercer Village as they serve things that remind him of home. He has also found a love for a particular American dessert.
“I have a favorite dessert. It’s pecan pie,” Baffutto said. “Or ‘puh-kahn,’ however you say it. There doesn’t seem to be a consensus even for native speakers. But that is really good. I love that.”
For Dimitrijevic, basketball has actually been the biggest help in the transition since it’s the one thing each of the players has in common. The court has become like a home away from home.
By focusing on basketball, Dimitrijevic doesn’t dwell on being away from Serbia and his family although missing them has been the hardest part of being in Georgia.
“When the season starts you don’t really have time to think about it,” Dimitrijevic said. “The hardest part is when everything is over and you have a month left to go home, that’s when you really start to think about it.”
The trips back home can be rare for these players. At Thanksgiving and Christmas, they stay in Macon instead of going home because the season is in full swing. Baffutto said each year he gets about five or six invites from teammates, community members or coaches to join in celebrating with their families.
Because the trips back home are so rare, they try to take advantage of the time they do have. However, even there they still have to maintain their workout schedules and keep basketball at the forefront of their lives.
“In the midst of all that you give your family some attention, you hang out with your friends, you play with your dog,” Baffutto said. “It is the things that when you are living there you don’t appreciate, but you definitely appreciate more when you don’t have it all the time.”
Head coach Greg Gary inherited these three players from the last coaching staff, but has already worked to bring in Neftali Alvarez and Felipe Haase. The pair live stateside in Miami but are also international talents: Alvarez is originally from Puerto Rico and Haase is from Chile.
Gary has been impressed with the three for staying committed to program and is excited to see them grow into new roles. International players on the roster tend to excel in the fundamentals of basketball with a focus on passing, good ball movement and shooting which has helped them adapt quickly to different systems, Gary said.
“They are talented. They know how to play. That’s the biggest thing to me.” Gary said. “To be able to get those guys obviously is a plus... They have been playing for a long time so their experience really helps too.”
The international players on the team share a unique bond. It is one that is rooted in the challenges each of them faced when they first arrived in the United States. It has exposed each to a better understanding of different play styles on the court as well as a greater appreciation for each other’s cultures off the court.
“Diversity is always necessary not just for us but guys from the United States,” Dimitrijevic said. “For us, we can just understand a little bit more about each other just because we know we are all coming from all different sides of the world.”