At age 19, his life had been defined by movement. Idle time just makes Handanovic feel like he’s lazy and like he’s losing sight of those expectations.
“I know I’m not that big or talented,” Handanovic said. “I have to be perfect in everything … with my shot and my defense. Honestly, when I get home from class and lie down, I see the picture of my family by the head of my bed. That makes me want to get up and get working. My family and I have been through so much. I want to succeed to take care of them.”
Since Handanovic was 3, his family has been in transition, trying to find a better way of life. The Croatian War of Independence forced Handanovic, his parents and older brother to flee their country to look for safety and stability. After living in four countries, a number of cities and four states, he chose to come to HCC because he believed it gave him the best chance to reach his goals.
“I want to be able to take care of my parents,” Handanovic said with conviction. “They have worked so hard for a better life and to help me get my chance. The payback will be if I get my degree and play professionally in Europe. They want to move back home and I want to pay my family back.”
Spanning the globe
Handanovic’s journey to get to this point would put a GPS on overload.
Croatia was in the midst of civil war over socialism when the Handanovic family decided to run from the conflict.
“I’m too young to remember, but my parents told me we were hiding in our basement as the army marched by,” he said. “After they passed us, we ran into the mountains.”
Similar the Von Trapp family in The Sound of Music, the Handanovics used passports to move to Germany, but were sent back to Croatia after three years when the documents expired.
The family made a second move, this time going to Holland where they became part of an immigration-like program. The Handanovics lived in a trailer and received $55 a week for food. They were given a test which would allow them to come to the United States. They passed, but had to wait for someone to pay for their tickets.
In 1999, Handanovic and his older brother, Nedad, were excited about moving to the U.S. They didn’t have any television to see what this country was like, but they knew it had to be better.
“I remember we were flying in and me and my brother were listening to “Miami” by Will Smith,” Handanovic said. “We liked the music and we flew into Chicago. It was big and there was so much going on.”
That was just the tease to hook the family. They soon caught their next flight out of the big city, which was destined for Twin Falls, Idaho — where they were to live with an uncle.
“I went to school. I was in the second grade, but we didn’t like it there,” Handanovic said. “There was nothing to do.”
The Handanovics attempted to find a place to call their new home. They moved to Vermont, then tried St. Louis before going back to Vermont, then on to New Hampshire, which is now home. Handanovic’s father, Kasim, works 12 hours a day in a plant which makes Coca-Cola bottles and his mother, Katharina, works in a paper plant.
Learning the ropes
Jasmin knew things were better, but he also knew they could improve. He worried about his parents because of how hard they worked, but there was little he could do.
In eighth grade, just after moving to Milford, N.H., Handanovic’s best friend at the time, Oliver Davis, was playing basketball and he talked Jasmin into trying out for a youth team. Davis’ father got the ball rolling for Handanovic.
“He did everything for me to get me going,” Handanovic said. “I played on four different teams in eighth grade. Mr. Davis paid my fees and picked me up. He proved to me that if he could care so much, I should be able to, too.
