May 21, 2013
Kresimir Cosic (1964-83)
Ana Cosic
Teams: Zadar (CRO), Brigham Young University (USA), Olimpija Ljubljana (SLO), Virtus Bologna (ITA), Cibona (CRO)
Kresimir Cosic
Summary: A pioneer by any means, center Kresimir Cosic is considered one of the most talented big men ever in Europe. Cosic was the first foreign player to earn all-America honors as a university star in the NCAA. He then became a Euroleague star playing for Zadar in the late 1960s and the mid-1970s. Cosic later helped Cibona win the 1982 Saporta Cup title and to finish fourth in the 1980 Euroleague with Virtus. With the Yugoslav national team, Cosic was a rare triple gold medalist as Olympics, World and European champion. He later coached Yugoslavia to the 1988 Olympics silver medal before passing away in 1995 at age 46.
Kresimir Cosic
WHAT THEY SAY...
Ana Cosic: "The fact that my father is being honoured in this year's Final Four is a great thing for my family, and we all wished that he could be here to pick up the award, especially because some of the players that he played against or that he coached are here, too. He instead a lot for European basketball and receiving an award like this reminds us on how great he was. Even after his death, my father is remembered and loved. He was a basketball pioneer, played in the United States and brought new ideas to Europe. He was very brave, wasn't scared to get out of the box and that is one of the reasons why he is so remembered."
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