Arun Basuljevic has been fortunate to circumvent the snowfall that’s pelted the region.
Basuljevic, a freshly-minted All-American who
got his playmaking teeth cut in Mahopac, is greeted each morning by the
scalding sun in Sarasota, Fla.
He
could be shoveling snow out of his biting-cold driveway at home, yet he’s
practicing in 80-degree weather and cooling off in the fabled Siesta Key Beach,
widely regarded as America’s top beach.
Security Guards are constantly prowling this
very beach, protecting against tourists stealing the purified white glistening
sand.
It is a unique environment for a unique
player, whose ability to set up goals and shred defenders in traffic has helped
the undefeated Red Bulls coast through the competition this fall.
While
he’s relishing the opportunity to be away from home, savoring the scenic
environment and blistering-hot weather, nothing is more important than the
upcoming tournament for Basuljevic’s U-18 Red Bulls.
“I
think the most memorable game of our season will be against Real Salt Lake on Thursday,” explained Basuljevic,
who captured a Develop Academy National Championship with a pulsating 2-1 win
over Shattuck-St. Mary’s in Houston over the summer.
“They
are undefeated and so are we. This is going to be an action-packed game with a
lot of people watching, in Florida. It is definitely exciting.”
Basuljevic
began his career with the Red Bulls five years ago. He was a 12-year-old with
an ultra-advanced skill-set, a thirst for competition, and a proclivity for
creating offense.
Having accelerated the maturation process, Basuljevic
was rendered hard-to-guard by many in his age group. Leaps-and-bounds above
than most in his age groip, Basuljevic needed to cultivate his talent in an highly-competitive
atmosphere. He needed a place where he could play against stiffer competition
and be assessed on a higher scale.
Enter,
the Red Bulls.
“All
the kids on Red Bull were once the best players on their own respective teams,”
Basuljevic said.
“It
was tough in the beginning, but I really benefitted from it. I think you can
compare the Red Bulls to a club overseas in Europe, in terms of how they run
their program. Everything is very professional, the level is really high.”
Basuljevic’s
confidence, likewise, is really high. The Red Bulls have eaten up a national
schedule in shark-size bites. The Red Bulls recently swept Albertson in four
age levels.
On
Thursday, Basulevic will play on the same sun-sprayed turf field at Sarasota,
Fla., where Georgetown coach Brian Wiese discovered him two seasons ago.
Basuljevic
chose Georgetown during the early stages of his recruitment, when a buffet-line
of Division-I recruits expressed considerable interest. Basuljevic was
inundated with offers from Duke, Wake Forest, Louisville, St. John’s, Maryland,
a slew of others.
“He
(Wiese) gave me an offer I couldn’t refuse,” said Basuljevic, whose pivotal
assist on Anthony Viteri’s left-footed snipe into the top corner during the 70th
minute, propelled the Red Bulls to a 2-0 win over Albertson.
“He
showed me that there is a very realistic possibility of me playing beyond
college and he showed that Georgetown can help me get there. It was everything
about the school that sold me. I love the town that surrounds it, and it’s in
D.C. The academics are great and they are one of the best programs in the
country. It was a no brainer.”
The
decisions will be a bit more difficult tomorrow. Real Salt Lake is one of just
six teams which have qualified for playoff berths at the U16 and U18 national
level the past three seasons. They enforce a high-scoring brand, predicated on
dominating possession. RSL finished 19-5-4 while playing a potent national schedule
in 2012-13, scoring 61 points in 28 games.