Some stories don’t start with a blueprint — they start with grit. With faith. With a suitcase and a dream bigger than the fear that comes with chasing it. This is the journey of Coach Sara Anastasieska, a warrior who traveled halfway across the world, battled injury after injury, earned TWO master’s degrees, played at some of the biggest programs in college basketball, and has now found her purpose pouring into the next generation as an assistant coach at Robert Morris University.

This episode of Sports Life Talk: You Got Next is your front-row seat to a life defined by resilience, rebirth, and refusing to fold.

Born in Macedonia, raised in Australia, Sara’s early life was about survival and belonging. She didn’t speak English. She didn’t know the culture. But she had two things:

Curiosity & courage.

That curiosity led her to pick up a basketball in sixth grade — by accident — and she never let it go. From boys’ teams to national teams, she climbed fast. She wore the Australian jersey proudly at the U17 & U18 international level — a dream that stamped her identity:

“If you never stop growing, you never stop going.”

Most players never touch ONE Power 5 gym. Sara lived in several. But the path wasn’t glamorous — it was a battlefield.

Three straight years injured.
Two spinal surgeries by age 21.
Rehab. Setbacks. Tears. Repeat.

But the comeback moment?
25 points vs. UConn.
On the biggest stage. Against the best.

Proof that you can break, heal, and still rise higher than before.

Sara always thought she’d be a player forever — until life redirected her. While rehabbing, she hit the books, earned TWO master’s degrees, and discovered a gift bigger than scoring:

Coaching. Teaching. Mentoring.

She became DBO at UC Santa Barbara, earned her stripes off the court, then made the jump to Assistant Coach at RMU — where she is helping build something special.

Robert Morris isn’t just a program — it’s a family. A culture. A mission.

Sara breaks it down:
✅ Fast pace
✅ Depth & versatility
✅ International flavor
✅ Weekly mental & life check-ins

They are building athletes AND humans.
And Coach Sara is a heartbeat in that mission.

🌱 A New Country, A New Language, A New Dream✈️ The NCAA Leap: UTSA ➜ Cal ➜ Duke ➜ Illinois🧠 Two Master’s Degrees, One Calling🏴‍☠️ The RMU Way: Fast, Deep, and Family-Built