SSAC News
Fri, Dec 5, 2008 - [Women's Basketball]
Rome, Ga. - There are times in life when individuals are
given a key to a new door that presents a once-in-a-lifetime
opportunity.
Seldom does that chance repeat itself.
Katarina Martinovic, however, has been blessed with a key that has opened up one door after another and one that has allowed the Shorter College senior basketball player from Serbia to escape a part of the world that has been ravaged by war and become one of the top NAIA players in America.
Martinovic - `Katcha' is her nickname - has already proven her ability to play the game well, having reaped numerous honors in her first year with the Lady Hawks last season when she averaged more than 15 points, three rebounds and three assists a game to eventually earn All-Southern States Athletic Conference honors, the SSAC Newcomer of the Year award and be recognized as an NAIA All-American.
As Shorter prepares for its conference clash Saturday at Southern Poly, she has picked up her game a notch this season ranked among the nation's top 20 NAIA players in scoring (20.5) and with a remarkable shooting touch from three-point range where she has hit more than 51 percent of her shots.
Yet the success on the court pale in comparison to the success Martinovic has achieved off of it, starting with her first opportunity that came when she was nine years old.
Although removed from the areas that have been torn by bloodshed and war - the troubles in Serbia, Bosnia, Croatia and Kosovo have been in the world's headlines since the breakup of Yugoslavia nearly 28 years ago - Martinovic still knew of the suffering as she grew up in the city of Velika Plana.
"I was pretty far from it," she explained without going in great detail, "but it affected all of us. It was a pretty rough time. I just wanted to do something and my dad (who had a friend who was a coach) asked if I wanted to play basketball."
Given that first opportunity, she joined the club team in Velika Plana and got her first taste of the game despite being at one noticeable disadvantage.
"I was the youngest one there," Martinovic said, "but I was excited to go and practice even though everyone else was older and had more skills."
Her skills didn't take long to develop and by the time she was ready to enter high school, she was noticed by a coach from a larger club team in the Serbian capital of Belgrade, where she packed her bags and left home to attend a boarding school and play basketball.
For the next four years, Martinovic emerged as a solid competitor and instead of continuing her education in Serbia, she turned her attention to the United States.
"I wasn't ready," she said about her decision to bypass remaining at home, "and a few of my friends already came (to America). I decided to come over and see where it would take me." That's when the doors, many of them, opened up.
After making contact with several colleges, Martinovic was eventually helped by some of the coaches she talked in enrolling at Kirkwood Junior College in Iowa, where she played sparingly but found difficulty in making the cultural transition from one country to another, especially trying to overcome the language barrier.
"It was scary coming to a new country," she said, "and it was hard that first year."
Again, another door opened, this time coming when the Kirkwood coaching staff, seeing how hard it was for Martinovic to make the transition, helped her transfer to Spoon River Community College in Canton, Ill., where she established herself in the classroom and on the basketball court. That's when the biggest door swung open in a most unusual recruiting process.
Enter Shorter head coach Vic Mitchell, who found out about Martinovic from a coach friend.
"Katcha and I conversed on the phone," Mitchell said, "and after several phone conversations she made the decision to come here without even visiting. She made a leap of faith."
Two days before classes started in 2006, Mitchell drove to Dalton to pick up Martinovic at a bus station.
"I never heard of Shorter before and thought `What does Shorter mean?' she said. "But just from talking to (Mitchell) on the phone, I could tell he was a good person. I felt comfortable right away."
As Mitchell's first international player, Martinovic was red-shirted that season before making her debut last year along with Serbian player, Sandra Kostandinovic, who got to know Martinovic during her club days in Belgrade.
"You always have to adjust to coaching styles," said Martinovic. "It's hard, but you have to listen. And you have to stay consistent and that's hard. If you want to prove that you're good and you can play, you have to be consistent."
"I had no idea she'd be this good," Mitchell said. "Once we saw her play, we were pleasantly surprised. Her drive to be good and to be successful and her love of basketball are things we later found out about her. We changed our offense because of Katcha. We became more of a perimeter team. Katcha is the best shooter I've ever coached in 25 years, hands down. She's uncanny at using the backboard."
Martinovic seldom gets to go home. Save for a trip back last summer - teammate Danielle Lowhorn went with her back to Velika Plana - Martinovic has remained in the United States, spending breaks and holidays with the friends she has made. This Christmas, she will board a bus back to Canton, Ill., to be with he friends she made at Spoon River.
"I'm used to being away from home," she said, noting that she has been away since she left for Belgrade when she was 14. "I'm hoping that my mom (who has not seen her play a single game in the U.S.) will be able to come over for my graduation, but I don't know if it's financially possible. After that, I'm looking to see what's the best possibility for me, whether it's working or playing basketball. I'll just wait and see what is the best offer."
"It's been a neat experience for her," Mitchell said. "Obviously she's contributed a lot to this program, but I believe she's gotten more out of it."
Seldom does that chance repeat itself.
Katarina Martinovic, however, has been blessed with a key that has opened up one door after another and one that has allowed the Shorter College senior basketball player from Serbia to escape a part of the world that has been ravaged by war and become one of the top NAIA players in America.
Martinovic - `Katcha' is her nickname - has already proven her ability to play the game well, having reaped numerous honors in her first year with the Lady Hawks last season when she averaged more than 15 points, three rebounds and three assists a game to eventually earn All-Southern States Athletic Conference honors, the SSAC Newcomer of the Year award and be recognized as an NAIA All-American.
As Shorter prepares for its conference clash Saturday at Southern Poly, she has picked up her game a notch this season ranked among the nation's top 20 NAIA players in scoring (20.5) and with a remarkable shooting touch from three-point range where she has hit more than 51 percent of her shots.
Yet the success on the court pale in comparison to the success Martinovic has achieved off of it, starting with her first opportunity that came when she was nine years old.
Although removed from the areas that have been torn by bloodshed and war - the troubles in Serbia, Bosnia, Croatia and Kosovo have been in the world's headlines since the breakup of Yugoslavia nearly 28 years ago - Martinovic still knew of the suffering as she grew up in the city of Velika Plana.
"I was pretty far from it," she explained without going in great detail, "but it affected all of us. It was a pretty rough time. I just wanted to do something and my dad (who had a friend who was a coach) asked if I wanted to play basketball."
Given that first opportunity, she joined the club team in Velika Plana and got her first taste of the game despite being at one noticeable disadvantage.
"I was the youngest one there," Martinovic said, "but I was excited to go and practice even though everyone else was older and had more skills."
Her skills didn't take long to develop and by the time she was ready to enter high school, she was noticed by a coach from a larger club team in the Serbian capital of Belgrade, where she packed her bags and left home to attend a boarding school and play basketball.
For the next four years, Martinovic emerged as a solid competitor and instead of continuing her education in Serbia, she turned her attention to the United States.
"I wasn't ready," she said about her decision to bypass remaining at home, "and a few of my friends already came (to America). I decided to come over and see where it would take me." That's when the doors, many of them, opened up.
After making contact with several colleges, Martinovic was eventually helped by some of the coaches she talked in enrolling at Kirkwood Junior College in Iowa, where she played sparingly but found difficulty in making the cultural transition from one country to another, especially trying to overcome the language barrier.
"It was scary coming to a new country," she said, "and it was hard that first year."
Again, another door opened, this time coming when the Kirkwood coaching staff, seeing how hard it was for Martinovic to make the transition, helped her transfer to Spoon River Community College in Canton, Ill., where she established herself in the classroom and on the basketball court. That's when the biggest door swung open in a most unusual recruiting process.
Enter Shorter head coach Vic Mitchell, who found out about Martinovic from a coach friend.
"Katcha and I conversed on the phone," Mitchell said, "and after several phone conversations she made the decision to come here without even visiting. She made a leap of faith."
Two days before classes started in 2006, Mitchell drove to Dalton to pick up Martinovic at a bus station.
"I never heard of Shorter before and thought `What does Shorter mean?' she said. "But just from talking to (Mitchell) on the phone, I could tell he was a good person. I felt comfortable right away."
As Mitchell's first international player, Martinovic was red-shirted that season before making her debut last year along with Serbian player, Sandra Kostandinovic, who got to know Martinovic during her club days in Belgrade.
"You always have to adjust to coaching styles," said Martinovic. "It's hard, but you have to listen. And you have to stay consistent and that's hard. If you want to prove that you're good and you can play, you have to be consistent."
"I had no idea she'd be this good," Mitchell said. "Once we saw her play, we were pleasantly surprised. Her drive to be good and to be successful and her love of basketball are things we later found out about her. We changed our offense because of Katcha. We became more of a perimeter team. Katcha is the best shooter I've ever coached in 25 years, hands down. She's uncanny at using the backboard."
Martinovic seldom gets to go home. Save for a trip back last summer - teammate Danielle Lowhorn went with her back to Velika Plana - Martinovic has remained in the United States, spending breaks and holidays with the friends she has made. This Christmas, she will board a bus back to Canton, Ill., to be with he friends she made at Spoon River.
"I'm used to being away from home," she said, noting that she has been away since she left for Belgrade when she was 14. "I'm hoping that my mom (who has not seen her play a single game in the U.S.) will be able to come over for my graduation, but I don't know if it's financially possible. After that, I'm looking to see what's the best possibility for me, whether it's working or playing basketball. I'll just wait and see what is the best offer."
"It's been a neat experience for her," Mitchell said. "Obviously she's contributed a lot to this program, but I believe she's gotten more out of it."
