DES MOINES, Iowa -- When it is all said and done, Alen Salibasic (Tuzla, Bosnia & Herzegovina) will finish is career as one of the most decorated men's tennis players in Drake history.
He has excelled on the court and in the classroom. Earlier this week, Salibasic received his third Capital One Academic All-District honor and last month garnered his third MVC Elite 18 Award. Last year, he was the recipient of the prestigious Elite 89 Award, which is presented to the student-athlete with the highest grade-point average participating at the final site for each of the NCAA's championships. Salibasic holds a perfect 4.0 GPA as an international business major and is a strong candidate to repeat the honor.
On the court, he has led the Bulldogs to four NCAA Tournament appearances, four MVC regular season titles and three MVC Tournament championships. He helped lead Drake to its only two NCAA Tournament victories in program history. Individually, he was named MVC Player of the Year twice and first-team All-MVC three times and earned a spot in the 2014 and 2015 NCAA Singles Championship.
Salibasic will be one of 35 Bulldog student-athletes to graduate on Saturday as he prepares for the NCAA Singles Championship next week.
After completing his last final exam of his undergraduate career he spent some time to talk with Drake Athletic Communications Department.
What has been your most memorable moment?
“I think it's still that win over TCU my sophomore year in 2013, because the goal of that whole year was just that one win. The guys were so ecstatic after we won the match and it was such an incredible feeling, and probably my favorite memory as a Bulldog.”
What are some lessons you learned while at Drake?
“I have developed a sense of discipline, drive, perseverance and to believe that I can accomplish my goals no matter what; and also striving for my goals and dedicating myself to it is one lesson. The other one is by doing so maintaining a high degree of integrity and being true to oneself. I think that is important as well. And then I have never learned as much about giving back here with all the organizations at Drake that you get involved with.”
What are your most prized accolades that you have received?
“One of them would be the Elite 89 from last year. It was pretty sweet being at the NCAA banquet and knowing that you didn't just make it to the NCAA Tournament but you have done exceptionally well in the classroom as well. Because it shows how well rounded you are. Another one would be winning the MVC Individual Tournament in the fall of 2013. I think for me that was a great accomplishment because my name gets put up on one of those banners in the Knapp Tennis Center with all the big names that have preceded me. I think that is pretty cool.”
How did you get into tennis?
“I was born during the war and there was a state of unrest in Bosnia and my parents fled to Germany. They tried to do what was best for the family. However we weren't able to stay in Germany as refugees, so they decided to come back to Bosnia after the war was over. And there was still a lot of instability in the country and the way I got into tennis was my dad just taking me to the courts one day. Because he didn't want me to spend the day in the streets or anything like that, because they were working a lot, like were talking like 12 hours a day during that time period. So a lot of the time I would be home alone and or playing outside because is was a dangerous situation kind of thing, so (my parents) wanted me to be involved in sports instead of getting into trouble. So that's how I picked up tennis and never stopped since I was four or five years old.”
Having a 4.0 GPA and making it to the NCAA Singles Tournament for the second time, who do you attribute your success too?
“I was always looking up to my parents because during that time period nothing was given to you, you had to take it away from someone or really work hard for it and my parents worked hard for it. I feel like I had the capabilities to be good at what I am doing so why waste potential and that's why I strive hard to get the most out of myself.”
What are your career goals?
“I want to get into graduate school to increase my chances in staying in the (United) States. Maybe eventually I would like to own a business. I'm a numbers guy and I love crunching numbers, so I wouldn't mind having an actuarial analyst firm or maybe investment banking.”
