Foreign talent flourishes

Technology has long been heralded as a game changer in the frenzied world of collegiate recruiting. It certainly played a big part in forming the Gonzaga men's tennis team.

 Take freshman Vladimir Mijatovic, who first heard about Gonzaga back home in Belgrade, Serbia, via the Internet.

"That's how I found out about the school," Mijatovic said. "I emailed Coach [Peter] MacDonald, stayed in contact, and eventually it ended up working out."

Sophomore Pablo Mosquera Pérez didn't decide to attend college in the United States until March 2010 — mere months before the start of his freshman year in August. But thanks to conversations with a couple of friends who were already attending school in the U.S., he ended up coming to Gonzaga.

"Coach MacDonald got in touch with me, and at first it was kind an adventure to see what would happen," Mosquera Pérez said. "Then, for me, I knew that the level of tennis here was very high, and I also wanted to improve my English. Usually, the best universities are in the U.S., so in the end that's what helped me decide to come here."

Olivier Jamin, a junior from Bordeaux, France, listed the fundamental difference between the European and American school systems as a deciding factor in his decision to pursue his education stateside.

"After the European equivalent of high school is completed, you have to choose if you want to keep studying or go professional … it's quite hard to do both," Jamin said. "The big difference in France was with my studies — I didn't have time to practice tennis every day. That was a big reason I wanted to come to the U.S."

"Gonzaga gave me the chance to keep up with my studies at a very high level while playing tennis competitively. This is the first year I'm practicing every day."

Mosquera Pérez, Mijatovic, and freshman Alvaro Nazal each expressed agreement with that assessment.

"I came to the U.S. because in Spain, you have to choose to either go pro or elect to focus on your studies, Mosquera Pérez said. "Here you can do both."

Head coach Peter MacDonald hailed the benefits of technology in facilitating overseas recruitment.

"When I'm recruiting, my pool isn't limited to the United States," MacDonald said. "It's truly an international sport. And with today's technology, it makes it really easy to look up a player's ranking and see what their results are."

"It's not too hard to sell Gonzaga's academics to an international prospect. The school sells itself, and the type of prospect we're usually going after is interested in both academics and athletics."

MacDonald has extensive ties in the northwest, built from years of experience coaching in the region, which helps with domestic recruiting. But the pool of U.S. players to choose from is only so big, he said. And if you miss out on them, you're left in the cold.

That's where international recruiting comes into play, MacDonald said. "If you broaden your horizons, you can keep competing."

"It's pretty standard to see a mix of American and international players in schools around the country. Here at Gonzaga, we've got five guys who are international, and six who are Americans. I think that it's pretty normal.

It's a trend that exists around the rest of the West Coast Conference. The University of San Francisco has the most international players on their current men's tennis roster with seven, followed closely by LMU with six and Saint Mary's with five.

Jamin, who is majoring in political science, agreed with his teammates when he said the transition to Gonzaga wasn't altogether difficult. The team is very close, he explained, and Mosquera Pérez, Mijatovic and Nazal agreed that the formidable prospect of coming to a new school, in a new country, was alleviated within in the comfortable confines of a team dynamic.

"I didn't know anybody before coming here," Nazal said. "I'd only come to visit, but this team made it really easy to fit in. We hang out together. We have fun, it's a great team."

"We'll go eat at the COG, play sports—a lot of things," Mijatovic said.

Mijatovic is looking forward to his first visit back home since arriving at Gonzaga, which should occur in a few months. He did reference Skype as a welcome tool for staying connected with family and friends back across the Atlantic.

The players poke fun at each other's interests, ranging from topics as far-reaching as football to, well, American football. Jamin said he was thankful for a website that allowed him to watch the French rugby team compete in the World Cup in New Zealand. Mosquera Pérez talked about following his childhood team, FC Barcelona. All made possible by the same thing that first got them in contact with their current college: Internet.

That's just what you'll get with this team. Disparate elements from far-flung countries, united somehow at a Jesuit school in the Pacific Northwest. Brought together, and always connected to their roots, by technology.