Fast Breaks with DJ Vasiljevic

DJ VASILJEVIC

DJ Vasiljevic
Hometown: Calgary, Canada

My hometown is Calgary, Canada, but I currently live in Melbourne, Australia. My parents fled the war from former Yugoslavia to Canada where they had me and my sister, and then they moved to Australia because my dad got a job there and so did my mom.

My family is the most important thing in my life. They motivate me and I love them to bits. During my basketball career, they have told me what to do, driven me from practices to practices and supported me along the way. I’m just happy and grateful I have them in my life. When my sister was six – I was playing soccer at the time – she told me to go play basketball in the junior leagues and that’s when I got serious about it. I thank her for influencing me to play.

I started playing basketball at the age of 11 on the outdoor playgrounds with my dad and a few of my close friends.

I went to high school in two different places. I went to one of them as a freshman and sophomore and they retired my jersey there. I had fun playing for them and they helped me with academics as well. I played for Australia travelling around the world at that time, too. Then I went to Lake G, where I’m originally from. That’s where all the athletes go in Australia because they give you a scholarship to the Australia Institute of Sport and I won a high school championship with them. It’s a memorable feeling.

When I was younger I wanted to be a waiter because when I traveled the world back in Europe with my mom and my dad, I saw the waiters carry around all the food and carrying a lot of cash in their pockets. I thought I might as well be a waiter, but then I realized how difficult that job is, so I just stuck to basketball.

The hardest part of being away from home is not being able to be there with my family during the holidays, like Christmas, New Years and Thanksgiving. Having to call them over the phone is probably the hardest thing.

Playing basketball has given me a lot of opportunities to see the world. Right now I’m in New York. I have been here once before. I’ve been to Italy and France. Basketball takes you to so many places.

When I played basketball growing up I pretended to be Drazen Petrovic and Kobe Bryant. Kobe because he had that mentality of winning. Petrovic was probably the greatest shooter in his time when he played. He probably would have been the greatest shooter of all time if he wouldn’t have died in a car accident.

When I was introduced to Coach L he was like a father figure to me, like my second dad. He told me the truth and there were no lies. He was honest in saying that I had to deserve the minutes to get to play, whereas some of the other schools lied to me. He would help me and talk to me when I was back home. He was funny and relaxed. He’s a cool guy to be around and he cares about those around him.

I’m a Hurricane because it was the best choice for me. I’m happy I am at The U. Everyone supported me and told me to go here and I’m happy to be here.

The U is another part of my basketball journey, and academically as well, because I’m going to get a degree.

The city of Coral Gables is friendly. A lot of people know us. It’s a friendly community.

Playing for Coach L at Miami, I’ve learned a lot of things. All the stories about him coaching a long time, the way he plays, and about him and the other coaching staff is interesting to me.

One thing everyone should know about UM hoops is that we are on the rise. Coach L has taken teams to the NCAA Tournament before. He has had five 20-win seasons in the past six years. We’re on the rise. We’re getting good five star players, and we are getting good international players.

My legacy is just to be who I am. I’m not trying to change for anyone. I just want to have a legacy of my own.

I am grateful to be a Miami Hurricane. With all of the great players, including James Jones and Sheldon McClellan, I’m just trying to follow in their footsteps.

My favorite thing about the U family is that we’re so versatile. Everyone is friendly. Everyone is good at something they do. We’re like a big family always doing stuff together and talking.

I’m closest on the team with Mike Rob, Buka, and Bruce. Bruce is pretty much my older brother. I’m always with him no matter where I go, as well as Mike Rob and Buka. I’m always with them in the locker room and Bruce as well. We go watch movies together, and also go out to eat. I’m always with them.

I wear jersey No. 4 because Drazen Petrovic wore number four back in the day. It’s the number I’ve always worn since my junior year to now.

Making 3-pointers – it’s a game changer. It can silence the crowd. It can get us back into it and it motivates me because once I hit one, I know the next couple of them are going in no matter what.

If I wasn’t playing basketball I would probably be doing nothing. Probably sitting on the couch playing video games. I’ve never really thought about anything else I do other than play basketball.

Some of my personal goals are to just try and be who I am. I’m trying to create a legacy of my own and not trying to be anyone in particular. I just want to be myself. I want people to look at me and know I went in my own direction.

I never thought I’d be able to travel the world so much with my friends and my teammates and being able to go everywhere and every part of the world.

I secretly wish my family lived closer to me, somewhere in America. But it is what it is.

I like to watch TV, Facetime people and hang out. I definitely like talking to my parents. My favorite TV show is The Fresh Prince of Bel Air. As a kid growing up, my parents used to show Fresh Prince of Bel Air to me. It’s entertaining to me.

My favorite part about the holidays is being with my family traveling everywhere. We used to go to my dad’s hometown in Bosnia and my mom’s hometown in Croatia. We also went to Macedonia and Serbia, all areas of the former parts of Yugoslavia. We went to the beach as well. I like being able to spend time with them.

Nobody knows that I am a versatile player. Everyone knows me as a shooter, but now I’m driving the ball and I’m a defender, too. I compete to win. Some people underestimate me because of who I am or where I’m from.

Becoming a man is about having your own responsibilities, taking care of yourself and growing up. It’s also about looking out for those around you and making sure you’re a figure to them and someone they can look up to.

After college I want to play basketball professionally, but also see where my degree takes me. I’d like to do that too. Right now, I’m majoring in business management and a minor in economics. If I graduate early, I can do another major, like sports administration. I’m just trying to be versatile and see where it takes me. When basketball is over, I’d like to run my own basketball company or just a company in general.