Kresimir Cosic's NCAA Years 1970-1973 скачать в хорошем качестве

Kresimir Cosic's NCAA Years 1970-1973

Kresimir Cosic arrived on 1970 BYU’s campus without knowing the language, the school’s affiliation to a church, the honor code or its unique culture. Yet, he survived and starred. “I could tell he was very, very unique,very special, not only on the basketball court, but he had one of those personalities that was just engaging, just enveloping. That was my first reaction.” Former BYU guard Doug Richards explains how Kresimir Cosic established his unorthodox, European style in NCAA play and how coaches and teammates often scratched their heads. He was a guard playing in a center’s body. Doug Richards says his late teammate Kresimir Cosic was coachable, but unpredictable as a lightning storm as he galloped into BYU lore. In Cosic, BYU had a center who played like a guard. Cosic pioneered the prototype Euro basketball player who worked angles, played the whole court, mastered different shots and worked fundamentals into the ground. He was the first European to be named an All-American, the first European to be drafted in the NBA. He led the way as an idol for NBA stars Drazen Petrovic and Toni Kukoc. But back at BYU, fans saw the heart of the player. He thought he could do everything. Sometimes he did. Back in the day, Stan Watts fired up the fast break. Quick outlet passes, guards blistering down the court for a three-on-one or two-on-one with a trailer. Cosic liked to start and finish the break. It ticked off guard Bernie Fryer, who’d curse at times when Cosic grabbed a rebound and led the break. “It bugged Bernie and Belmont Anderson and they often told him, but I didn’t mind it so much,” said Richards. “But it may have cost us an NCAA Tournament game against UCLA in 1972 when we lost to Long Beach State. Cosic probably led the break too much in that loss.” But Cosic thought he could get it done. “If we’d have won that game, we’d have played the Bruins in the Marriott Center and made the Sweet 16. It was back when there were only 32 teams and UCLA had won a string of championships. I would have guarded Henry Bibby and Cosic would have had Bill Walton on him and I’m sure he’d have taken Walton outside and made him guard him away from the basket,” said Richards. Cosic would sometimes spin out of that play, drive to the hoop and stretching out his frame after bringing his knees to his chest, make an underhand layin at full speed. At 6-foot-11 and about 200 pounds, he caused a problem for other centers. He could dribble around them inside the key and stretch out for underhand layins or outside hooks with either hand, or take his defender outside and plop in a 20-foot jump shot. He was a deadly passer. “At times he would do his own thing because he would want to, like, get the rebound and then lead the fast break. And at BYU we were taught that the big guys got the rebound, and they fired it out to the guards, and the other guard came in and got it, and then we’d go down to get a fast break. “He’d do that himself sometimes. He was so unorthodox that he would still take some outside shots, where most coaches would throw their hands up. Or, he’d make some no-look passes, which were so unconventional. From that standpoint, he was unique and he was a challenge to coach Stan Watts, who was a saint. Coach Watts had patience, so did coach Potter. Dan Paxton, a former BYU student, remembers the legend. “One great memory I had from Cosic was on Dec. 22, 1971,” said Paxton. “I was in the Army and came home for Christmas and went to the BYU vs. USU game in the Spectrum in Logan. You know how loud the Aggies fans can be so this is an amazing event. Cosic took a long rebound and drove the ball the length of the court, took the ball around his back, faked a pass to the right and then threw a behind-the-back bounce pass to a streaking player on the left for a layup. The USU fans went silent, they had just witnessed greatness, unlike anything they had seen in Logan. He was the most amazing point guard at 6-11.” In a game at UTEP against the legendary Don “Bear” Haskins, UTEP had never lost a league game at home. Down one point with 20 seconds left the Cougars had a chance for a win with 20 seconds left and called time out. “Coach Potter called timeout and he took out a chalkboard and began writing up a play with lines and arrows all over. When he got done, you couldn’t tell what it was. As we broke the huddle and headed for the floor, Cosic leaned down and whispered to me, ‘Just pass me the ball.’” He did, and Cosic made the game-winner, a dribble-drive jumper from the top of the key. Cosic was drafted by the Portland Trail Blazers in 1972 with the first pick in the 10th round, but returned to BYU as a senior. That summer, the Los Angeles Lakers drafted him in the fifth round, and Carolina of the ABA also drafted him. Knowing he might return to Zadar to play European ball, the Lakers did not sign Cosic. And left America to play for his hometown of Zadar for $200 a month.