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The convenience store that Mattessich’s father once owned was still standing across the alley. So was the Mattessich family home, where generations of Mattessichs spent time and visited.
It was 2007 and Dino Mattessich was making the trip to Susak for the first time in nearly 50 years — staying in the same home in which he grew up.
Inside the home was one bedroom with a mattress on the floor. Although satellites accompanied many houses around Susak, there was no television in this household. Nor was there a couch on which to sit. The kitchen came with four chairs. Mattessich brought his family of five.
The island had changed a lot, but few remained — only about 150 people live on the island year-round. As Mattessich and his family walked the village, they were recognized and greeted.
“It’s like going back in time,” Mattessich said. “It’s remarkable. You walk around and talk to some of the older folks there and they remember my father, brothers and sisters. When you arrive on that island, people know that you’re on that island and they seek you out.”
The natives of Susak got to meet a new generation of Mattessichs — Brian, Julie and Kimberly. Brian, who eventually played for his father with the UConn club team and continues to play with the Croatian national team, won’t forget his pilgrimage to Susak.
“The part that was really cool was the locals, how excited they were that he brought his family back,” Brian Mattessich said. “That made me believe that it doesn’t happen that often. People that leave typically leave for good.”
But Mattessich continues to go back to the island where his name still lingers. In 2016, he stopped there during a business trip. He had traveled back to Croatia to prepare his team for the 2016 European Festival, the first international tournament for the program. He was as close as he had been in 50 years to his heritage. Mattesich even started answering phone calls from his brother, Steven, speaking in Croatian — a language he seldom used for most of his life. His trips to Susak cemented his pride in Croatia, and lacrosse continues to bring him back.
“I wouldn’t be going back as much as I do if it wasn’t for lacrosse,” Mattessich said.
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Before it even took the field in Budapest, Hungary, the Croatian national team had Dino Mattessich written all over it.
The jerseys — Under Armour, red with white lining and large numbers — were “plain, simple and classy,” according to DeMarco. He expected nothing less from a team coached by Mattessich.
The Croatian national team traveled to Budapest for the 2016 European Festival, which accompanied the 2016 European Championships. It was a test for the young program and the accomplished coach that led it.
But if the jerseys were any indication, Mattessich was ready for it. No one was surprised that this team had the look of one that had been organized for years.
The play on the field matched the appearance, as Team Croatia, comprised of 19 players ages 16-34, finished third in its first real crack at playing international lacrosse. Mattessich and his team grabbed the trophy and celebrated the third place finish, which was a victory in their eyes.
COURTESY OF CHRIS VOELKER
“You would have thought they won the World Cup,” DeMarco said. “They were dancing around the streets. It’s great for the game of lacrosse.”
In those 10 days in Budapest, Mattessich made an effort to coach each player individually. If he saw an area in which a player could improve, he’d stop him and walk him through a mini-lesson. The tournament was as much a learning opportunity as it was a competition.
He had a plan for everything, on and off the field. He was vocal and energetic on the sidelines, just like he was when he led the Maryland and UConn lacrosse programs.
Everything he did in Budapest was a step toward building a strong team and growing lacrosse in Croatia.
“I learned in those 10 days in Budapest more than I have learned in five or six years playing lacrosse prior to that point,” Bodul said. “Not only in Coach Dino’s knowledge of the game, but he took time to talk about the positive and negative sides, what he should do to improve and what he needs to do to get rid of bad habits. That kind of enthusiasm to a cause or project is basically what Dino Mattessich is.”
“How they developed in one year was incredible,” Mattessich said. “From 2015 to Budapest, the level of improvement was remarkable. We were building a plane while it was flying.”
If there was any doubt about whether Mattessich could help Croatia Lacrosse, it was squashed in the summer of 2016. That event gave hope to Bodul, Marunic and the rest of the national team that more international play was in sight.
Like the 2018 FIL World Championship in Netanya, Israel.
Mattessich has added a spark to the Croatia program, to the point that players believe they can succeed in Israel next year. With a roster comprised of approximately 80-percent homegrown players, expectations are high for a team just two years in.
“We will go to Israel prepared,” Bodul said. “We will go to Israel with a roster that is the best Croatia can offer. We have a certain mentality in Croatia. We are a small country, but we have a lot of success in sport. I can guarantee you that Croatia won’t be the worst.”
Not with Mattessich in the fold. He’s gotten just as much out of this process as his players, and he’s not planning on stopping anytime soon.
“This was unlike anything I had ever done before,” he said. “What I’m trying to do is, through lacrosse, show the players that if you put your mind to something, it can be accomplished. …These guys have been very receptive. They want to learn, get better, and represent their country and they have.”