MOK Marsonia (Muški Odbojkaški Klub Marsonia) finished in the middle of the pack this season, placing sixth out of ten teams in Croatia’s Supersport Superliga. However, their Saint Lucian star, Tevin St Jean, led the league in individual awards. He also hopes to help develop the next generation of professional players from the Caribbean.
Marsonia finished the season with an 8-10 record, tying with OKM Centrometal for fifth place but ending up sixth due to set points. Their last game was a 3-0 loss to MOK Mursa-Osijek on March 25. St Jean, who comes from Soufriere, recorded 11 blocks in that match. He ended the season with 173 blocks, including 66 winning blocks, leading the league. He was second in attack percentage at 55% and ranked 14th in total points with 227. He was named the league’s best middle blocker and also grew as a leader.
“In breaking down this season, I would say in the start, it was, I think, kind of difficult,” said St Jean. “The first four or five games it was a bit weird, because I couldn’t really unlock and show my true potential in the start of the season. I had some difficulties with the setter and him knowing how to play me.
“And then I think after that and that conversation that we had, and then also with the fact that the administration fired a couple guys, a lot of responsibility was placed on my shoulders to show up big for the team and to score. Not only just block, but I had to score. I had to serve. I had to be that energy and vocal person on the court, and that for me was something I never really had to do throughout my career.
“I have had moments where I had to be a captain. And I’ve had almost something similar, but nothing like the responsibility that I had this year. Nothing came close to this. And for the first time, I actually felt like a veteran. I felt very much respected for my skills, and the coach, even the players, were respecting me and understanding my strengths. This season I genuinely saw what I’m capable of doing, and how strong my mind is.”
Lining up for his 10th club and his first stint in Croatia, the 30-year-old middle suffered a setback late in the season. This was a new challenge for the 10-year veteran, who previously played in Azerbaijan, Romania, Greece and Portugal.
“I got injured a day before a game a couple weeks ago and still played the Sunday. By the grace of God, I still was able to get MVP that game, and I think I had a career high in points,” he revealed. “So for me it’s just fascinating sometimes how the mind works, and this year it was truly a mind test for me.
“The last year on a whole, I felt like I was just going through it all. Even back home, and with family and a whole bunch of other stuff. But this year, and coming here, it just pretty much cemented a lot of things for me, and put me in a space where now I truly understand a lot of things within the game. My mind has slowed the game down a lot, and I guess that comes with experience. So that really shaped my season.”
St Jean concedes that the team fell short of its preseason goals. In October, Marsonia aimed for a top-four finish and a chance to compete in Europe. But the Caribbean blocker says that even though he thinks they let some winnable games slip, he was pleased with the experience overall.
“I always try to calm myself, and that’s why I genuinely appreciate my support team, especially my mom, for grounding me every single time, and letting me know just stay humble, stay respectful, but understand that you are you, you are Tevin, and there is no other Tevin,” he explained.
St Jean is one of only three professional players from Saint Lucia. The first was Julian Bissette, who is now in his 12th year as a professional, having appeared for 12 different teams in four countries. Bissette played a big role in St Jean’s emergence as a pro, and now the younger man wants to give back.
“I want to help, and I want to have the Caribbean be looked at professionally,” he said. “Some of us aren’t fortunate to go to school, and sometimes when we do go to school, we don’t go to a good programme, where we’re improving, and it’s good enough to get on that pro scene, because the pro scene is actually getting tougher and tougher every year.
“And seeing all this talent and the amount of people who reached out to me throughout the season, asking me for help with gym stuff, with all these different things, I want to collaborate, do something with government, a ministry, Eastern Caribbean volleyball. I want to do something where we could bring all these athletes together and maybe hold a camp.”
He reveals that he started working towards that goal last year, and is hopeful that with support from the public and private sectors, as well as the local and regional governing bodies for the sport, he can make his dream come true.
“We have so much talent,” St Jean said. “All that raw talent, so many athletes in the volleyball scene just losing hope and dreams. The sport is dying because athletes just feel like there’s no route out, and there’s just so much potential. And I feel like it’s just been it’s just being wasted. If I have to be a pioneer or somebody to start it, but I can’t do it alone because I need help from government, establishments, businesses coming together, sponsoring something where we could get all these people in one room, and get professional coaches and players to come down.”
After a strong first season in Croatia, St Jean looks set to succeed wherever he plays next. He also wants to inspire younger players by creating opportunities and building a path for regional athletes to develop their skills and pursue careers in volleyball.
