Serbia player hopes basketball will open doors

Wednesday, November 19, 2014
Sofija Pejcic, freshman point guard on McCook Community College's Lady Indians basketball team, has used her basketball skills to get her from Serbia to Florida and now, to McCook. (Lorri Sughroue/McCook Gazette)

McCOOK, Neb. -- If it takes strategy and determination to play basketball, then Sofija Pejcic, 19, of Serbia, is one step ahead of the game.

That's because the freshman point guard on the McCook Community College Lady Indians basketball team has used her basketball skills as a way to forge a new life for herself in the United States, with dreams of bringing her family over someday as well.

Two years ago, Sofija (pronounced Sofia) was in high school in Serbia, living with her older sister along with her dad, who owns a grocery store and her mom, who teaches middle school. Upon the advice of a Serbian friend living in Gainesville, Florida, Pejcic sent a video of her basketball highlights to the high school coach in Gainesville. He was impressed enough to ask her to come over and play, so at age 18, she came to United States by herself and enrolled in high school, living with the coach, his wife and three kids.

Before that, what she knew about the United States was limited to books and television, so the real thing was a little overwhelming, Pejcic recalled.

"Everything over here is so much better than what I saw in the movies," she said, noting the choices of food, the abundance of cars and the diversity of everything offered.

After graduating, she looked around for a college she could play basketball at, as a way to stay in the U.S.

A friend in Tennessee knew the basketball coach at MCC, Jon Froelich, so Pejcic sent a basketball tape to him, hoping he would find enough skills in her playing to offer a scholarship.

And he did: Pejcic was offered a full scholarship to the two-year college and she arrived in McCook in August, after a brief trip back to Serbia to see her family.

Although the separation from her family has been difficult, Pejcic said she is focused on what lies ahead.

"Of course it's hard for my parents to be without me, but they know for my future, it's better for me to be here," she said. "They support me. If I work hard here, there is a better chance of getting them over here with me."

Serbia was one of six republics that made up the communist country of Yugoslavia, which was broken up in the 1990s. Serbia's economic problems, such as high unemployment among the youth, combined with corruption and labor unrest, has made many young Serbians like Pejcic look elsewhere for a stable future

It's a future her basketball coach has no doubt that she will succeed at.

"She's talented, smart and driven. She knows this is the way to get her education and the more she can accomplish here, the more she can open doors," Froelich said. "If it's possible for her entire family to come over here, it would will be a greater success story than what she does on the basketball court. But first, she has to take care of Sofija."

She's doing exactly that, keeping her grades high and practicing her English, while living with MCC instructor, Shannon Schaben. She skypes with her family frequently and her parents watch her games on a live stream feed, although because of the time change, they're often watching at 1:30 a.m. After graduating from MCC, Pejcic wants to continue her education, get a degree in biology and eventually, become a U.S. citizen.

So she continues to hustle, on the court and off.

"I'm in a good place right now, it feels like home," she said of her life in McCook. "If you really want something, you go after it. I just want to be able to stay here, and bring my family over someday."

Comments
View 1 comment
Note: The nature of the Internet makes it impractical for our staff to review every comment. Please note that those who post comments on this website may do so using a screen name, which may or may not reflect a website user's actual name. Readers should be careful not to assign comments to real people who may have names similar to screen names. Refrain from obscenity in your comments, and to keep discussions civil, don't say anything in a way your grandmother would be ashamed to read.
  • Brave young lady. Welcome to America and McCook!

    -- Posted by dennis on Wed, Nov 19, 2014, at 5:03 PM
Respond to this story

Posting a comment requires free registration: