Gilchrist - Dobras

[MechanicalBull]

For those of you old enough to remember,  Doesn't the Gilchrist story remind you Radenko's?

Of all the players who gave the final between South Florida  and Houston  in the Tampa Tribune  Holiday Invitational such an international flavorâ€â€Venezuela, Colombia , Brazil  and Yugoslavia  were representedâ€â€the most interesting was Radenko Dobras, a 6'7" sophomore guard who got to USF by way of Banja Luka, Yugoslavia . With his long-range shooting eye and deft passing, Dobras calls to mind the late Pistol Pete Maravich  of LSU.

During a 1987 tour of Europe with the Yugoslavian Junior National team, Dobras impressed U.S. coach Larry Brown so much that Brown, then at Kansas , offered him a scholarship. Dobras was receptive because he would have more time for his studies in the U.S. than in Yugoslavia , where the emphasis on basketball is so intense that practices often last five hoursâ€â€after which Dobras would sharpen his touch by taking as many as 500 shots.

Dobras was ready to accept Brown's offer until Brown left Kansas for San Antonio of the NBA . A South Florida professor, Doug Hatch, heard from a friend in Europe that Dobras might consider another school. Hatch passed the tip on to the Bulls ' basketball staff, which sold Dobras on the idea of a warmer climate. It also didn't hurt that one of his childhood friends attends Florida Institute of Technology, 127 miles away in Melbourne .

Coach Bobby Paschal discovered early that Dobras is a tireless worker. "A perfect example was when we were doing sit-ups during one of our workouts," says Paschal. "He did 818 without a break. I had never seen anything like that."

http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1069304/index.htm

Both players were destined to go to another school, but luckily ended up at USF, thanks to an insider.  Hopefully Gus will have a similar career with 3 post season appearances. Time will tell!

[NormalBull]

;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D

Normal

[Velcro]

Great job Normal ;D

[ChiTownBull]

Nice work Normal!!!!

so what made you leave USF for Normal if you don't mind me asking?

Seems like USF would be a dream job for an Alum.

[USFFan]

Nice work Normal!!!!

so what made you leave USF for Normal if you don't mind me asking?

Seems like USF would be a dream job for an Alum.

I can't speak for Normal, but I've seen others go this route and end up miserable.  It's hard to be accepted as a peer when the bulk of the faculty still view you as a student...

USFFan

[NormalBull]

NS:  USF will not hire its own grads for professorial positions which is typical for most Research I universities.  That is considered academic incest.  They occasionally make exceptions for grads with unique attributes (no need to go into what these might be), but in my case I had to move on.  I applied at the University of Tampa, but the pay was ridiculously low and there were few benefits compared to state institutions.  So, I had to hit the road.  After teaching at Georgia Southwestern, I needed to move to a place with better school options for my kids.  ISU was the best place.  We really love it in Bloomington/Normal.

Normal

[SRQ]

Gilchrist won't be here long enough to equal Dobras' accomplishments.  But a single NCAA trip would be nice.

[ChiTownBull]

NS:  USF will not hire its own grads for professorial positions which is typical for most Research I universities.  That is considered academic incest.  They occasionally make exceptions for grads with unique attributes (no need to go into what these might be), but in my case I had to move on.  I applied at the University of Tampa, but the pay was ridiculously low and there were few benefits compared to state institutions.  So, I had to hit the road.  After teaching at Georgia Southwestern, I needed to move to a place with better school options for my kids.  ISU was the best place.  We really love it in Bloomington/Normal.

Normal

Gotcha....makes sense.

That's kind of the reason I went to U of Tampa for my MBA after getting my undergrad from USF

[MechanicalBull]

;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D

Normal

Did I miss something???

[MechanicalBull]

Gilchrist won't be here long enough to equal Dobras' accomplishments.  But a single NCAA trip would be nice.

Do you think he'll leave early for the draft? Or does he only have 3 years of eligibility?