With the current state of the NCAA transfer portal, it’s not uncommon for players to go out of state to play their favorite sport, but few athletes leave their home country altogether.
Yet, Baton Rouge was calling for these two athletes. Romanian tennis player Alexis Marginean and Australian men’s basketball player Max Mackinnon both decided to go to LSU for the culture.
“I chose LSU because I love the team,” said Marginean, a freshman tennis player. “I love the girls and the coaches. I felt like home here right when I came, so I felt it was the right decision for me.”
Going out of the country at any age can be nerve-racking, but coming to the U.S. was a must for Marginean and Mackinnon. The amenities NCAA schools bring to the table are incomparable to those of other countries, but LSU often brings more than other Division I schools.
The Tigers’ athletics staff designates a lot of time to keeping the players healthy, and that’s one of the benefits Marginean said helps her during the season. She said that the tools and resources that her coaches and trainers bring help foster a safe environment off the court.
Mackinnon said these resources have made him a better basketball player as well, and not just from a health standpoint. He said it’s helped his overall game.
“I may not look like it, but I definitely feel more twitchier, faster, and just my movement has gotten way better,” Mackinnon said.
The culture in Baton Rouge is genuinely like no other as well, and LSU easily plays into that. Both athletes said they feel at home when they step onto campus, but for different reasons.
Marginean said her decision to come to America lies within the facilities offered. She said that in Romania, they don’t have hard courts, and it’s very unrealistic to play at the professional level.
So, she came to the U.S. for college, and in the process, she fell in love with the culture of Baton Rouge.
She said she was between choosing LSU and Clemson, but when she toured, Baton Rouge became her new home. She fell in love with the team. It would be perfect for her.
Mackinnon had more connections to the U.S. than Marginean. His mom played basketball at Alabama, and he wanted to share that experience, so he came to America. He also said that during that process, he wanted to build a potential career as a professional basketball player, which led him to LSU.
“The resources here to get better through the managers, the coaches,” Mackinnon said. “It’s like a pro team.”
But he came to the U.S. to get a degree, and that’s a big reason why he came to play basketball.
He said that when the ball quits bouncing, he just wants to be happy. Finding a place where he’s financially stable and still showing the world his love for basketball is the end goal.
The U.S. is truly a place like no other, and when it comes to trying to build a career, it was the first stop for Marginean and Mackinnon. Marginean said she would tell every potential international athlete to grab the opportunity.
“I feel [being an international student is] a really nice experience, especially coming as an international from Europe to here,” Marginean said. “I feel like people are very nice and supportive, and it’s a really nice experience seeing how the U.S. life is. I would advise them to take the opportunity.”
