Croatian Basketball Hall of Fame
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Kresimir Cosic |
Kresimir Cosic
211-C
(November 26, 1948 - March 25, 1995) was a professional basketball
player.
He was born in Zagreb and raised in Zadar. He was the first foreign
player to earn All-America honors by United Press International,
garnering them in 1972 and 1973. He played for Brigham Young
University from 1971 to 1973. After his college career, he rejected
several professional offers and returned home to Croatia.
Ćosić played in four Olympic Games: 1968, 1972, 1976, and 1980 in
Moscow when he led his team to the gold medal. He previously led
Yugoslavia to a pair of World Championship gold medals in 1970 and
1978.
Following his playing days, he turned to coaching, and led the
former Yugoslav team to a silver medal in the 1988 Olympics in
Seoul. Ćosić became only the third international player ever elected
to the world's Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield,
Massachusetts, the birthplace of basketball.
In the years following basketball he worked in the USA as a Croatian
diplomat at the Embassy in Washington, D.C.
Brigham Young University (1971-73)
College Playing Highlights:
First foreign player to earn All-America honors in both 1972 and
1973 by United Press International, Converse,
Street & Smiths and the Helms Foundation
All-District Seven (1972, 1973)
All-Western Athletic Conference (WAC) First Team (1971, 1972, 1973)
Upon graduation, held six WAC records
Named to the WAC All-Decade Team (1974)
Played in prestigious East-West college All-Star Game (1973)
Drafted by the NBA's Los Angeles Lakers and the ABA's Carolina
Cougars (1973)
Led BYU in scoring as a junior (22.3 ppg) and senior (20.2 ppg)
Second all-time rebounder (919, 11.6 rpg) and among top 10 scorers
(1,512 points)
Led BYU to the NCAA Regional Finals (1971, 1972)
Led BYU to a pair of WAC titles (1971, 1972)
International Playing:
KK Zadar (1964-69, 1973-75)
KK Cibona (1980-83)
International Playing Highlights:
Played in four Olympic Games (1968, 1972, 1976, 1980)
Led Cibona to a gold medal (1980), and Zadar to silver medals (1968,
1976)
Led Cibona to a pair of World Championship gold medals (1970, 1978)
and three European titles
Earned First Team All-European honors seven times
Played for two-time Italian champions Virtus Bologna (1979, 1980)
Led Virtus Bologna to a third place in European Cup of Champions
(1980)
International Coaching:
Coached the former Yugoslavian team to a 7th place in the 1985
Europeans, 3rd in the 1986 Worlds and 3rd in the 1987 Europeans.
Bio:
A hero on and off the court in his native homeland of Croatia,
Kresimir Cosic's decision to attend Brigham Young University paved
the way for international basketball players to come to America to
hone their basketball skills at the collegiate level. Cosic, a
6-foot-11 center who was equally effective playing near the basket
and on the perimeter, enrolled at BYU in 1970 after leading the
former Yugoslavia to an Olympic silver medal in 1968. He is the
first foreign player to earn All-America honors. The versatile big
man led BYU to the NCAA Tournament Regional Finals and two Western
Athletic Conference (WAC) titles in 1971 and 1972. Cosic led the
Cougars in scoring (22.3 ppg) and rebounding (13.0 rpg) in his
junior year and again in scoring in his senior year (20.2 ppg). In
his a three-year collegiate career, Cosic compiled 1,512 points
(19.1 ppg) and grabbed the second most rebounds in BYU history (919
rebounds, 11.6 rpg). His combination of shooting skills and
aggressive rebounding made him an All-America selection following
his junior season and a WAC First Team All-Star in each of his three
years.
After his outstanding college career, Cosic rejected several pro
offers, and instead returned home to Croatia, where his career
continued to catapult. He played in four Olympic Games (1968, 1972,
1976 and 1980) and guided his team to the Gold Medal in 1980. Cosic
led the former Yugoslavia to a pair of World Championship gold
medals in 1970 and 1978. A seven-time First-Team All European
selection, Cosic was a member of the former Yugoslavian team that
won three European titles. Following his playing days, Cosic turned
his talents to coaching, and led the former Yugoslavian team to a
silver medal in the 1988 Olympics in Seoul. A member of the BYU Hall
of Fame, Cosic's years of hard work and commitment to his native
land were rewarded with the presentation of the Freedom Award. The
Award was presented to recognize Cosic's outstanding contributions
to the principles of democracy and freedom. In the years following
basketball, Cosic worked in the Croatian Embassy in Washington, D.C.
On May 25, 1995, after a year-long battle with a form of cancer
known as non-Hodgkins lymphoma, Cosic passed away. He was 46.
Nicola Plecas
Nikola Plecas |
born January 10, 1948 in Bruvno, SR Croatia, Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia squad - 1970 FIBA World Championship Champions - Gold medal
Yugoslavia squad - 1974 FIBA World Championship Finalists - Silver medal
1968 Olympic Silver Medalists Men's Basketball – Yugoslavia
Danko Cvjeticanin
Danko Cvjeticanin |
Cibona Zagreb
After ending his career as a player, he was scouting in Europe for
the NBA teams.
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