By JOEY JOHNSTON
Tribune Staff Writer
(c) Tampa Bay Times. Originally published March 8, 1992.
TAMPA — Nearly four years ago, it began with a 20-hour journey. Belgrade, Yugoslavia, to New York. A layover, then a lengthy flight delay.
Radenko Dobras was traveling alone. When he finally arrived at Tampa International Airport, it was 3 a.m. The summer humidity seemed like a furnace. He didn’t know the language. He was exhausted.
And there to greet him was University of South Florida assistant basketball coach Ricky Broussard, a man Dobras had never met.
“A blind date all the way,” Dobras said. “He picked me out, though. I was the tallest person on the plane.”
Neither Dobras nor USF had an inkling of what lay ahead. But ever since Bulls coach Bobby Paschal offered a scholarship to Dobras – sight unseen – the program shifted to a higher gear.
Dobras is the catalyst of the 19-8 Bulls, winners of seven straight games and arguably the best team in USF’s 21-year basketball history.
The Bulls were headed nowhere at midseason during a 2-6 stretch. Strained ankle muscles forced Dobras out of four games and limited his effectiveness in four others.
Since his return, though, the Bulls have become one of the nation’s hottest teams. They should make a strong run at winning this week’s Metro Conference Tournament in Louisville, Ky., and are positioned for a possible berth to the 64-team NCAA Tournament.
Paschal said Dobras is the most valuable player he has coached – and that includes former NBA star Andrew Toney at Southwestern Louisiana.
“Radenko is a great player by himself, but he understands how to make all his teammates better,” Paschal said. “He’s unique. He sees the floor, creates opportunities for everyone. Mix that in with his explosive shooting ability, and that’s quite a package.”
Dobras, a 6-foot-7 point guard, presents nightmarish matchup problems for opponents. His value to USF can be quantified. He is the school’s second all-time scorer (1,898 points) and the assists leader (522).
He’ll either hit the basket or make certain a better-positioned teammate does.
“Dobras makes that team go,” Southern Mississippi forward Clarence Weatherspoon said. “He’s usually being guarded by a guy 3 or 4 inches smaller than him, so he can see over the defense. You try to stay in his face, but he hurts you so many ways. They have a nice offensive flow.”
It wasn’t always that way. The language barrier was severe when Dobras arrived. Teammates were confused when he called the plays.
“We couldn’t tell if he was saying “blue’ or “two,’ ” USF forward Fred Lewis said. “I think we finally changed blue to gold. When Radenko talked, it was like a bunch of consonants were coming out, but no vowels.
“He would always say, ‘What means?’ Like we’re shooting pool, and he’d say, ‘What means 8-ball?’ He learned pretty fast, but it was tough on him in the beginning. We were losing (7-21) and he sort of kept to himself. I think it took him a while to feel comfortable around us.”
Life became a series of adjustments. Dobras, now an Academic All-American, made a D in a first-year geography class because he couldn’t understand the professor.
“We didn’t have a textbook,” Dobras said. “How could I take notes? I understood about 20 percent of what was said.”
Dobras eventually fit in – on and off the court. His true personality can’t be measured through basketball, where he often appears stoic, dour, even mechanical.
“When we went to see ‘The Naked Gun’ at the movies, Radenko was laughing so loud, I was almost embarrassed to be with him,” said Tonia Thomas, his girlfriend of three years. “People perceive him as someone who never smiles or has fun. That’s so untrue. He loves to laugh and be around people.”
Get to know Dobras and you’ll see a different side. When he broke the career assists record of Tommy Tonelli, now a USF assistant coach, Dobras was unmerciful.
Grabbing the 1985 game ball that is displayed in Tonelli’s office, Dobras said, “We need to get rid of this because it is no longer the truth. How much can I get for this at Goodwill?”
Dobras’ game face finally vanished Feb. 24 at Tulane. The Fogelman Arena fans were brutal. The nicest comment toward Dobras was probably, “Go back to Yugoslavia, you jerk.”
So when Dobras’ two free throws iced the 81-76 USF victory with four seconds remaining, he turned to the fans, smiled, then blew kisses their way.
“I don’t know if I’d do it again, but it seemed right at the time,” Dobras said. “They were trying to hurt me [mentally]. I guess it was my way of telling them, ‘You lost.’
“I don’t normally hear anything on the court because I am concentrating. I am serious all the time. We want to go as far as we can with this team. We are all focused because we know this is our last chance.”
