Notre Dame Fighting Irish - Official Athletics Website

Macura Learns American Basketball And Style

Dec. 20, 1999

by Gene Brtalik

The main objective of high school basketball players is to attend the college that suits them best. With the current explosion of information on the internet, players can research the colleges of their choice, while looking for a school with all of the characteristics to give them the ultimate college experience. Most high school basketball players looking at schools are trying to find the program they can eventually put on the college basketball map, while others want to attend one already filled with a winning tradition. That was not the case for freshman forward Jere (pronounced URE-ee) Macura, as he used some unique reasoning in selecting Notre Dame as his college of choice.

“I found out on-line Notre Dame was a nice place with pretty girls, that was also close to Chicago.”

Poll many of the students who attend Notre Dame and chances are none of them used the same reasoning as Macura for selecting Notre Dame, but Macura is unique.

In fact, Macura, a native of Split, Croatia, is unlike all but two other students at Notre Dame – fellow Croatians – basketball player Ivan Kartelo and fencer Ozren Debic. All three of them are freshman and they all rely on each other when they are feeling homesick. “Those guys are great to talk to whenever I miss home,” said Macura. “Plus, it is a big help to have Ivan on the basketball team because we played together in Split. It also gives me someone to talk to about everything I am going through, whether it is basketball or school.” The 6-foot-9, 219 pounder has had no problem blending in with the rest of the undergraduate students at Notre Dame. His physical appearance makes it seems as if head basketball coach Matt Doherty pulled Macura off the pages of the latest Abercrombie & Fitch catalogue and not the basketball courts of war-torn Croatia. Two things do separate him from the rest of the class, however, his accent and his clothes. Macura’s native European accent breaks through from time-to-time as he struggles with the English language, and although he may look like an Abercrombie or Gap model, his clothes will never be mistaken for the latest fashion trend.

“I had to go to the mall and change all my clothes because it’s a totally different style here,” joked Macura. “Back in Europe, you could wear tighter pants. Here, they wear them big and baggy, like sheets.”

One place where the American culture shock hasn’t hit the 19-year-old small forward is the basketball court, which is often where you can find him after a day of classes.

“I was concerned at first with the way he would adjust to the American style of basketball,” notes Doherty. “But through the first month and a half of practice, he has adjusted very well.”

“It took a while, but I have adapted to the fast-playing up-and-down-the-court style,” bluntly states Macura, “In Europe, they play a slower style and use more tactics.”

Doherty really didn’t know what to expect when he saw the second player he recruited walk into his office in late August. Doherty had based his whole recruiting of Macura on videotapes and the words of international scouts.

“It’s like selecting a wife based on video footage,” joked Doherty, “only to be alarmed when she doesn’t turn out like you expected on the wedding day.”

Fortunately for the Irish, Macura proved to be the bride that every guy fantasizes about marrying. His size brings to Notre Dame something the Irish haven’t had in a while – a true small forward. Last year, current sophomore David Graves filled that role, but lacked the size to dominate not only the scoring column, but also the glass.

“Jere will give match-up problems to whomever he faces,” stated Doherty. “If he is against a smaller guy, he can post him up and grab the rebounds over him, but if he is taking on a bigger player, he can take the ball out and shoot over him.”

Coming into this year, every opponent knew that the main focus of Notre Dame’s offense revolved around reigning Big East Rookie of the Year and second team All-American Troy Murphy. The problem for the team was to develop a scheme that would keep defenses off Murphy. That is what makes Macura so vital to this team. He can run, shoot, and pass with the best of them. His athleticism opens the court for the Irish marksmen and frees the middle for Murphy. Fans were given an early glimpse of his athleticism at Midnight Madness, as Macura threw down an assortment of acrobatic dunks, each time making fans rise to their feet.

Doherty has a lot of confidence in Macura, enough so that he is often one of the first people off Notre Dame’s deep bench.

“I have a lot of faith in Jere when he’s on the court, part of that is because of his competitive nature and the other part is the athleticism he brings each time he steps on to the court,” said Doherty.

“The more I play, the more confidence its gives me,” adds Macura. “It shows Coach has trust me even though I am only a freshman.”

Another thing that has caught the eye of the young player is the emotion that Doherty brings to the floor. Already fans have seen him throw his jacket to the floor, pick up a technical foul and follow the referee up and down the court trying to explain in the nicest manner how the official might have missed that last call.

“When you see Coach yelling, it fills you with adrenaline and motivates you,” states Macura, “It shows that he really cares about what is going on with this program.”

Nine games into the season we have caught glimpses of what to expect from the young Croatian as he is averaging 4.2 points and 3.8 rebounds a game. In his second game, Macura pulled down seven rebounds to go along with his seven points in Notre Dame’s victory over Siena in the second round of the preseason NIT. When the Irish traveled to Bloomington, Ind., to take on Bobby Knight and the Hoosiers, it was Macura who helped sparked a furious 20-point comeback as he scored 13 points and added eight rebounds. His three-point-shooting touch has also become evident as he has scored on six of 20 attempts, adding him to the list of candidates Doherty may call on to hit that important trey down the stretch. Although he has dazzled fans with his play, Macura is always looking to improve. Doherty pushes him in practice when his focus is off, telling him that he must make better decisions on the court. The yelling and instruction do not bother Macura though. “In Croatia, the coach would shout at you all the time. I feel it is like an advantage for me. By shouting at me, Coach shows he cares for me and he wants me to improve my play and my abilities.” One thing that cannot be coached is toughness. Evidence of this was in the Indiana game as Macura dove for a loose ball only to get up and receive a forearm from the opposition. Macura stood his ground and the pair had to be separated by the officials. The Indiana player didn’t realize the forearm was the least of Macura’s worries considering what he has endured. Back in 1991, Macura was more concerned about the air raid sirens whirring around him while he hid with his family in bomb shelters during the war that gave Croatia its freedom. The forearm shiver was nothing compared to the bullets and grenades he had to avoid while he was a member of the Croatian national army.

“All I did was serve in the army,” adds Macura, “They taught me how to shoot all types of guns. It was a new experience for me but not something I would like to do again. It did make me tougher overall, and I won’t let myself get bullied on the court.”

In between protecting his country and himself, Macura was on the court winning championship after championship. He led the Basketball Club of Split to four straight national championships, leading the team in scoring and being named MVP in 1996 and 1997. As a 15-year-old, Macura played on the 16-and-under Croatian team that won the European championship. Now with a European championship under his belt, he aims to help lead Notre Dame to its first-ever national title.

Maybe after the season ends in late March or early April, Macura will be able to stop, take a breath and enjoy the pretty girls he read about on the internet, or even take that 90 mile trip down I-80 to visit Chicago, but for now he is just concentrating on creating a style all his own – both on and off the court.