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**Aurelino** · 09-26-2003, 11:54 AM

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Melissa Grgurev was only 7 when Drazen Petrovic, a rising star for the New Jersey Nets, was killed in an automobile crash in June 1993.

Growing up in a Croatian-American household, Melissa learned from family and friends about Petrovic's feats on the basketball court and the overall success that made him a symbol of national pride.

As she grew older, Grgurev, who lives in Ridgefield, emulated Petrovic's will and determination. She motivated herself, using it as a barometer to excel in the classroom.

Grgurev is now 18 and a freshman at New York University. Her hard work has not gone unnoticed.

She is the 2003 recipient of the Drazen Petrovic Memorial Scholarship, awarded annually by the New Jersey Nets and Devils Foundation to a Croatian-American student who demonstrates the same work ethic and will to succeed as Petrovic.

An honors student who has received several scholarships, Grgurev said she takes special pride in receiving the award because of its significance to her heritage.

"I knew from everyone discussing him and people always mentioning his name that he was an esteemed person," Grgurev said. "It really made me realize how important he was as an icon in Croatia and America."
Smart, determined, and active in the community, Grgurev is the type of student the foundation had in mind when it established the $10,000 scholarship in 1993.

"We look for students who are well-rounded, with a strong academic background with some understanding of who Drazen was," said Shané Harris, executive director of the non-profit foundation. "We also look for students who give back to the community."

To win the scholarship, which had 40 applicants throughout the state, Grgurev wrote an essay describing her goals and ideals, explaining how they coincide with Petrovic's drive for excellence.

Grgurev received the first $2,500 installment of the four-year scholarship this month, Harris said.

Named salutatorian at Ridgefield Memorial High School last spring, Grgurev tutored younger students, packaged food for the homeless, and taught computer skills to the elderly.

An economics major who wants a career in finance or investments, Grgurev said she learned a lot about the Nets guard while taking family trips with her parents and two older sisters to her father's hometown in Croatia. On those trips, she learned from uncles, aunts, cousins, and family friends how Petrovic's popularity had transcended his death.

"We would tell her about Drazen and how he was important," said her father, Ferdo "Fred" Grgurev, a former professional soccer player with the New York Cosmos and several indoor soccer league teams.

Fred Grgurev, who met Petrovic after starting a successful New York restaurant, said he often explained to his daughters how the basketball star's exploits on the court paved the way for other European athletes to play in the NBA.

Although a freshman, Grgurev speaks with the confidence and wisdom of an upperclassman. With a full load of classes and some newfound freedom, she said college is a different experience, but she's up to the challenge.

"You definitely have to learn time management," she said, adding that she enjoys the urban environment. "If you don't have a strong work ethic, you'll begin to fall behind in a lot of the studies."

http://www.bergen.com/page.php?qstr=...Y3dnFlZUVFeXk2

**Schottsie** · 09-26-2003, 12:02 PM

Its too bad we will never know how Drazen's career would have played out. He was amazing.

**Petey** · 09-30-2003, 09:15 PM

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Originally posted by Schottsie!
Its too bad we will never know how Drazen's career would have played out. He was amazing.

I know I am so disappointed. And when we need a shooter. I think he might still be in the NBA as a guy on the his last leg or to coach others.

-Petey

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