Matt Bassuener has played football around the world. He’s got the war wounds and passport stamps to prove it.
The Georgetown junior spent the second half of his sophomore year of high school in Helsinki, Finland, where he played for a club team.
“Since it’s so cold, you play on this turf, and they put a layer of sand over it so the ground doesn’t freeze,” said Bassuener. “Every time you fall on this turf – it’s made for soccer but football’s growing so they don’t have fields for football – so every time you fall, you’re cut. You finish a game like a walking raspberry.”
Bassuener also spent his first year after high school at Western Reserve Academy outside of Cleveland. Then it was on to Monterrey, Mexico, where he played his first collegiate season. Since he arrived at Georgetown, his role for the Hoyas has been equally circuitous; from quarterback to safety, to wide receiver, and finally back to quarterback.
Bassuener made his first start under center last weekend in the Hoyas’ 31-14 loss to Colgate.
“It’s been a long process to get to that point. It felt like a lot of work coming to fruition, I guess, but I wish I’d had a better outcome,” said Bassuener, who finished the game 14-of-25 passing for 160 yards with a touchdown, an interception and a fumble.
Bassuener began this season as a defensive back and third on the depth chart at quarterback. He took advantage of injuries to senior Nick Cangelosi to get increased repetitions in training camp. Shaky play from sophomore Ben Hostetler opened the door even wider this fall.
“All he wanted was an opportunity,” said Hoyas offensive coordinate Jim Miceli. “He felt like the old coaching staff had a preconceived notion that he wasn’t good enough to be a quarterback. ‘I’ll play anywhere you want me,’ he said, ‘I just want the chance.’”
In his first three appearances off the bench, Bassuener completed 34-of-43 passes for 331 yards and five touchdowns.
Coming out of high school, Bassuener wanted the chance to go abroad, something he knew he wouldn’t be able to do once he started playing Division I football. Just as he had done in Finland during high school, he made football a key part of his study abroad experience in Mexico.
“The similarity was that you were dealing with kids that didn’t speak your language, but the language stayed consistent,” said Bassuener. “The play’s called — trips right 62 scat steamers — it doesn’t mean anything in English, it doesn’t mean anything in Spanish, it doesn’t mean anything in Finnish. It just means something in football.”
Though he hasn’t yet secured the starting role for the rest of the season, Bassuener considers himself fortunate.
“Football has been that consistent thing. It’s always been something that’s worked out well for me and was a positive aspect. When you just take away from the game, you think about the game, but being in Mexico and Finland and having that group of guys that if I didn’t play football, I wouldn’t have all those,” said Bassuener. “That was something that bonded me with those kids. I was in a different culture, but we have that football bond.”
Finnish the job
» When Matt Bassuener went to high school in Finland, his host family was that of Michael Quarshie, who went on to play at Columbia University and is currently a defensive tackle for the Oakland Raiders. He’s the NFL’s only Finnish-born player.
» “Professional? That was just a pipe dream,” said Bassuener of the talent of his former high school roommate. “He just wanted to come to the U.S. and play college football. He was a monster in Finland.”
