7QUESTIONS+PLUS

Carthage College men’s basketball coach Bosko Djurickovic. Once an aspiring writer and broadcaster, he was influenced by a friend and former coach at Chicago’s North Park University who told him “You have been trying to coach my team for the last four years anyway, why not stay for a year and help me out?” Djurickovic took the coach’s suggestion and he’s still at it 35 years later. Along with his wife of 23 years, Becky, Djurickovic has three children — Mandi, a junior at Carthage; Steve, a freshman at Carthage and Pete, a junior at Bradford High School.

Bosko Djurickovic will now take your questions ...

What are the special challenges you confront on a regular basis in your role as a head coach in mentoring young men on the Carthage College varsity basketball team? One of the things that I have always enjoyed about coaching is that the challenges involved change not only from year to year but often from day to day. The ability to impact your players lives on and off the court is one of the most rewarding parts of coaching. I am in contact with players that I have coached often.

What do you enjoy most about the Kenosha area? The Kenosha area has been great for our family. My kids have had the opportunity to grow through their sporting activities as well as in the classroom. I love the location. With easy access to both Milwaukee and Chicago there are so many things to do. Restaurants, ball games and golf courses immediately come to mind.

Where is someone most likely to see you off-campus? Off campus, I have seen hundreds of club volleyball, legion baseball and AAU basketball games following Mandi, Steve and Pete. I’m also at local golf courses, restaurants or the dog track.

What is your opinion on the proposed Division 4 classification? Division 4 will eventually become a reality. How to arrive at a suitable plan is the question. How to choose the correct teams while maintaining the integrity of the Division 3 championships is quite a challenge. Division 3 is too large. There is a waiting list that grows every year.

Is Michael Harper the greatest Division 3 basketball player you have ever seen? Michael Harper is not only the best Division 3 player that I have seen, I would go as far to say that Harper is the greatest Division 3 player in the history of the championship. He was a three-time all-american and the dominant player on a team that won three consecutive national championships. Jack Sikma of Illinois Wesleyan and Devon George from Augsburg were drafted higher and had better NBA careers, but Harper was the dominant college player. Mike did play three years in the NBA. six years at the top level in Europe and is currently a very successful businessman in Portland, Ore.

How uncomfortable is it having your son as your star player? I wasn't sure going into the season that things would work out as well as they did. Steve and I are very close, and he has such an easy going personality that the season was a blur as far as the coach-player,dad-son relationship. I had talked to several friends that had coached their sons and received different thoughts. Denny Bridges, the retired outstanding coach at Illinois Wesleyan, who coached his son Eric in the ’80s said that if your son is a good player, it is an experience that you can’t miss. If he is not a good player, don't do it because it will be harder on him than it will be on you.

What’s your opinion on Native American mascots? Is the debate much ado about nothing? I don't have strong opinion on Native American mascots.

What basketball movie do you most identify with and why? I love all sports movies including basketball ones. I don’t know that I really identify with any one, but being a city kid from Chicago, I enjoyed “Blue Chips” and most recently “Glory Road.” I do also like “Hoosiers” a lot.

What is your position on the conference tournament? Why or why not should all eight teams be included? The current CCIW basketball tourney is not a tournament, but rather a half of a tournament. In my opinion,there should be no tourney or an eight-team tourney. The eight-team competition would be an event.

Who is your main competition in recruiting? Recruiting has become more competitive every year. In conference, Elmhurst, Augustana and North Central are often recruiting the same players. In Wisconsin, the WIAC schools are tough to recruit against.

What will the new facility do for recruiting? The new Tarble Arena will be one of the best Division 3 facilities in the country. In recruiting, it will enable us to get better players to visit.

What is your predicition for the White Sox this season? White Sox fans are always optimistic. I hope that they get off to a good start and can win close to 90 games. Starting pitching is a concern as well as team speed.

What motivates you? I am motivated by competition. I am competitive at everything that I do. It doesn’t matter if it is a board game at the kitchen table, the next shot on the golf course — and I am not a good player — a crossword puzzle, or a game of horse in the driveway.

Who do you like in the presidential race? I don’t have a strong opinion. I love the competition and the daily news bytes, but don’t really prefer any of the candidates.

Who do you have in the Final Four of your NCAA bracket? Who did you pick to win it all and why? This is a difficult question as the team that I pick to win will probably be gone before this piece runs. I am picking Louisville, Memphis, UCLA and Kansas and I’m picking Memphis to win it all. The star of the Memphis team is a freshman from the Chicago public league to which I am very partial. It may be the best high school conference in the country.

If you could coach any other sport, what would it be and why? I coached baseball at North Park U. for 17 years. We had wonderful success, four CCIW championships and five NCAA tourneys. I thought that after the insanity of the basketball season, baseball was played at a pace that I found relaxing. Of the sports that I haven't coached: football.

What reasons do you give for athletes to attend Carthage? I tell recruits that I can promise them three things. In order: a chance to get a quality education at an excellent school, a chance to play in a fine program in one of the best leagues in the country and the opportunity to have a unique and fun college experience. And I can offer these opportunities with great sincerity. I believe that strongly in Carthage. It doesn’t hurt that I have two kids at Carthage.