Fans of the University of South Alabama men's basketball program have watched Georgi Boyanov blossom from a role player that saw less than 10 minutes per game his freshman season, to one that's the second-leading scorer and top rebounder over the last two seasons. Behind the scenes, however, Boyanov was earning a high grade point average as he was learning to speak English, while being married and having a young son. He spoke about his personal growth and what it's like to be separated from his family for months at a time.

What comes to mind when you think back on your four years here?
The first thing that comes to mind are probably my improvements, in basketball and in the classroom. When I came here, my English was not even OK, it was not very good, but after 3 ½ years I got a good degree and I graduated with a high GPA, so I improved a lot there. In basketball, it took time, but it was consistent progress.

What has been your best moment?
My favorite time has been my senior year. Most of the guys on the team have been together for two or three years and our relationship is as close as it's been since I've been here. The bond that got us close for this season was the European trip. That helped everybody on the team to get to know each other because we went somewhere that nobody has been before, probably. We found a way to interact with each other.

How much have you grown personally during your time?
Maturity comes sometimes with years, sometimes with experience. I think maturity comes with hard work and achievements. I didn't try very hard when I was in high school, but this is one viewpoint that I changed. I believe education will bring me to a good place one day. That's why I did a lot of hard work in getting smarter, studying a lot and achieve the goal I had, which was to graduate with a 3.5 GPA. As a person, this is something that helped me to grow, and because I'm away from my family, it's not easy to be away for that long of a time; I go home in the summer time. My mental toughness got way better since I got here.

How have you dealt with being away from your family for so long?
When I feel bad or sad that I'm away, three to five months or whatever, my wife lifts me every time. It's always mutual – it's not only one way. She's helped me when I've been in a hole, and if she was not there for me, I don't know what would happen. Her strength has helped me to be stronger.

What about being away from your parents?
The difference is when I was 13 years old I left my home (to go to a sports school), so I'm used to not being around my family. I had that experience already, but my wife was the next level of that experience when you're separated from your family. It was easier for my parents and me to handle that.

What was the hardest part about living in foreign country, especially when you first came over?
It's far away from home, so you don't know many people, the language, culture and food are different, so you have to adjust pretty quickly because it's not high school – it's college – so the critical thinking, the homework and way of living is more mature. You have to do the right thing 99 percent of the time to be on track.

Has anyone in your family been able to come over and see you play?
Nobody has come to the States, but on the European trip, my mother-in-law came to watch the games in Spain. The time difference means we're playing at 3 or 4 a.m. (in Bulgaria), they still wait up and watch the games. They're always aware of what's going on with the team.

What is it like being married but living on separate continents?
Our relationship, we know how to set up things timewise. When I wake up, I have a gap of 30 or 40 minutes so I call and talk to her because she watches our baby. Then I go to class and practice, then I have another gap of 30 or 40 minutes, I call again right before they go to bed. We talk again at 10 or 11 p.m. here, and it's 6 or 7 a.m. back home. Every possible free time we have, we try to talk and not lose the bond we have. You have to have personal and professional life separated, and the personal life comes first, always.

How have you handled being a father, but being so far away?
Last year I went home four weeks early because the due date was around May and I didn't want to miss it. It's interesting because we share the same birthday. I stayed there around 2 ½ months, came back, went on the European trip, then I went back again and spent as much time with them as I could. After I came back in August, every day I try to be with them. Even though he's that little, he recognizes who I am. He's always smiling and making a lot of noises. He's a very smart kid, but I'll give that to his mama.

Will your son be learning English or Bulgarian at home?
She sings him English songs a lot because she knows English; she graduated in the U.K. He got a lot of English books and Bulgarian too, of course. Bulgarian comes first, but English is also important, to help him use his brain more.

Were you able to connect with anyone back home during summer European trip?
In Serbia, I had two of my old teammates come. They drove over from Bulgaria to Serbia and watched the game, then I went back home with them. My parents were in the U.K. – they work there and weren't able to come over at that time because they were busy with work.

Has it been helpful having Nikola Marijan here?
Yes, but I hope it was more helpful for him because I had already spent time here. It's nice because I understand and speak his language, and he understands mine as well. The culture is pretty similar between the two countries, and it's good to have somebody who has the same background and can help you if you have some problems.

Why was it important to you to finish your degree in 3 ½ years?
First of all, when I came here, I had the goal to have a 3.0 GPA. That was my first goal. After about a year or year-and-a-half, in the time I spent in the classroom and study hall to get extra work, I saw I had the opportunity to get even more, like a 3.5. That became a new goal. Every summer, we stayed here and worked out, so I was in pretty good shape graduating early, and my adviser told me I could graduate in December or May – it was my choice. He said it would be hard to graduate in December because you'd have to take 18 hours. I'd never taken 18 hours, it was always 15 or 16. I felt like it was another test in life that I need to try and see how it goes. The main reason I tried to graduate early is because of basketball. Right now I only take online classes and less credit hours, so I can be fully focused on basketball practice, and get some extra workouts to help my game and help the team.

What are your career plans after you leave South Alabama?
After the season I'll finish the semester in the classroom, then I'll go back home, see my choices for playing professionally – see what country and what team (I can play for) – then play for the next 10-12 years. After that, I will use my degree. When I'm playing professionally I'll finish my master's degree as well, and focus after basketball on politics, because that's my degree.

The 2017 Sun Belt Conference Men's and Women's Basketball Championships are scheduled for a week of March Madness in the Big Easy.  New Orleans will once again be home to the two championships that will take place at Lakefront Arena from March 7-12 and ticket books can now be purchased from your school's ticket office.  For more information, visit the Sun Belt Conference's championship central websites - Men's Championship – Women's Championship – and be sure to follow the #FunBelt on social media - @SunBelt.

For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com, and follow the Jaguars at www.twitter.com/USAJaguarSports. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).

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