Interview with Matt Bassuener,  QB, Louisville Fire, of the af2.

How do you balance athletics and academics?

Drink a lot of caffeine. I’m probably not the best person to ask. For me to make the balance work, I ended up sacrificing sleep quite a bit which I regret, because that couldn’t have been helping me be at my best for either.  Honestly though, I can’t imagine personally being able to do well in school without having to deal with that balance.  The two weeks after spring-ball ended, when there weren’t really any football requirements, were probably my least productive weeks of every year.  With what seemed like endless free-time it was difficult for me to get to task.  During football season there was always so much going on that every day had to be structured down to the minute.  I never had the option to put things off.

How did you learn about af2 and end up in Louisville?

I was not ready to be finished with football this year, but I also knew the NFL Draft didn’t look like it was in the cards for me, so I researched every possibility I knew of to keep playing the game.  I talked to teams overseas, did some AAFL tryouts, and talked to teams from just about every indoor and arena league.  I wanted to put myself in a position where if I performed well it would be likely I’d be able to advance to higher levels.  AF2 seemed like my best option, so I started marketing myself to teams and sending out films. When Louisville showed interest I was happy to sign, because it was one of the top on my list from the very beginning.