Radenko Dobras

[Guest BasketBull.]

USF Basketball Gets Another Boost with Signing of Yugoslavian Guard

JOHN ROMANO. St. Petersburg Times. Sep 2, 1988

TAMPA - The South Florida basketball team needed all the help in the world to turn the program around after consecutive 20-loss seasons.

And the Bulls have gotten a world of help lately. South Florida announced Thursday the signing of 6-foot-6 guard Radenko Dobras of Yugoslavia. Earlier this year, the Bulls nabbed 6-11 center Tomer Shteinhaur of Israel.

In addition to the signing of Dobras, USF announced freshman guard Jay Smith of Tampa Bay Vo Tech will be ineligible for the upcoming season because he failed to meet Proposition 48 requirements on standardized testing.

The financial grant was available for Dobras (pronounced RUH-dank-o DOE-bra-s) because senior Rob Anderson did not have his scholarship renewed after failing to maintain the NCAA's required course load of 12 credit hours, according to USF coach Bobby Paschal.

Anderson reportedly dropped a class during the spring semester, jeopardizing his eligibility for the coming season. The 6-8 forward from Illinois would not have been eligible until January, Paschal said. His scholarship was not officially withdrawn, however, until USF coaches discovered Dobras.

Dobras, 20, has been a member of the Yugoslavian Junior National Team for the past three years and was among the 20 finalists for his country's Olympic team, according to South Florida's release. Neither Paschal nor any of his coaches have seen Dobras play.

Paschal's staff was informed of Dobras by Doug Hatch, an instructor in USF's college of education. Hatch is a friend of Paul Hallgrimson, a former NBA player who coaches and works with exchange students in Germany.

Hallgrimson recommended Dobras and USF assistant coach Rickey Broussard contacted the player in Yugoslavia by telephone.

Dobras, who speaks broken English, said he had been offered a scholarship at Kansas and was ready to accept it, according to Broussard. Fortunately for the Bulls, a neighbor of Dobras' in Yugoslavia is a student at Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne and suggested USF might be a better location.

``They told me to call back the next day so the neighbor could interpret for me,`` Broussard said. ``He talked to the parents about it and said it might be better for Radenko to be in Florida with somebody he knows.``

Dobras arrived in Tampa earlier this week and Paschal said his newest player has been busy getting enrolled at school. Dobras was not available for comment on Thursday but said in a prepared statement he was coming to USF to study computer science and further his basketball skills.

``I will be able to play basketball and study together,`` the statement read. ``It is very difficult to do both in my country.``

Paschal said he has been told Dobras can play either point guard or shooting guard, but the coach is reserving judgment until he sees his newest recruit in action when practice begins in October. Dobras will have four years of eligibility at USF.

Shteinhaur, 21, has three years because one season is lost for every year a player is over 20.

``There's no doubt the local area and the state of Florida in general is our primary area for recruiting,`` Paschal said. ``But we will follow up any lead we get, whether it's three miles down the road or all the way across the ocean.``

South Florida's roster has been completely renovated since the end of the 1987-88 season when the Bulls finished 6-22. Ten new players have been added to the roster of 18, although Smith and University of Tampa transfer Fred Lewis will not be eligible this year.

This is no Ordinary Bull: Dobras Too Much for UF

JOHN ROMANO. St. Petersburg Times Dec 16, 1991

Sometimes these basketball games are hard to figure. Take, for instance, South Florida's 73-71 victory over Florida on Sunday.

The Gators had more rebounds and more assists than the Bulls. That's good for the home team. The Gators had fewer turnovers and fewer personal fouls than the Bulls. That's good, too.

So where did Florida go wrong? The Gators had one less Dobras than USF. And that, as anybody should know, is very, very bad.

Radenko Dobras, South Florida's point guard extraordinaire, was perfect from three-point range (5-of-5), perfect from the free-throw line (2-of-2) and nearly perfect everywhere else.

Dobras, a 6-foot-7 senior, finished with 29 points - including nine of USF's final 12 - as the Bulls (5-1) beat the Gators (5-1) for the second consecutive season.

Florida had the ball with 11 seconds left, but Scott Stewart threw a half-shot/half-pass and, after a scramble for possession, Stacey Poole launched a desperation shot that went off the rim.

"Dobras had a heck of a game. He's certainly an outstanding player," UF coach Lon Kruger said. "In a lot of ways, we made him work awfully hard and he responded to that. The few times we did relax on him, he made us pay for it. But, for the most part, he just hit some tough shots."

Tough?

When USF was struggling to stay ahead at 16-15, Dobras scored seven consecutive points to open the biggest lead - six points - of the first half.

When the Bulls trailed 29-27, Dobras scored eight in a row, including a three-pointer at the buzzer, to put them up 35-33 at halftime.

And when the Gators were in position to win with leads of 62-61 and 69-68 in the final minutes, Dobras answered both times with shots that put the Bulls ahead.

"He had to handle the ball with intense pressure on him the entire game," USF coach Bobby Paschal said. "Not only did he have to do that, but he made some big shots at times through the game."

Given all that Dobras did Sunday - let's not forget his six assists - Florida still was one shot away from winning a game that seemed a mismatch at the start. South Florida, remember, is the team that has won 39 games the past two seasons. (UF has won 18.) South Florida is the team that has four seniors in the starting lineup.

(UF has none.)

The Gators used a defense that overcompensated inside to neutralize USF's Gary Alexander and Fred Lewis. On offense, UF hit a season-high six three-pointers to keep it close.

But when Dobras hit a leaning shot with 1:01 left for a 70-69 lead, the Gators had to hope the Bulls missed some free throws down the stretch.

After alternating possessions, Lewis obliged with 11 seconds left, hitting one of two attempts to make it 73-71.

The Gators came upcourt needing two points to tie and three to win, but Stewart seemed undecided about which route to take. He got to the three-point line and jumped for a shot, but then held up and the ball slid from his hands into a pile of players in the paint.

"I was sort of confused when I went up," said Stewart, who had eight points and seven assists. "I wasn't necessarily thinking of shooting. I saw Andrew (DeClercq) open underneath and I tried to get it to him. I should have stayed on my feet.

"I want to look at the (video)tape right away, because I'm not even sure what I did."

Ultimately, what the Gators did was gain some respect by playing solidly against a favored team.

And South Florida? The Bulls got respect, too. After losing to Florida for seven consecutive seasons, the Bulls have won two in a row.

"This game is very important, not only to me but to our entire student body," Alexander said. "We're one of the least-publicized schools in the state.

"It's always good to come here and get a win so when we go back home our student body can have something to be proud of."

Bulls Have a Winner in Dobras

HUBERT MIZELL. St. Petersburg Times. Dec 16, 1991

Four years ago, Radenko Dobras came to the University of South Florida with a green card, a jump shot and a basketball dream.

In a trans-Atlantic blind date, the skinny 6-foot-7 kid from Yugoslavia was fixed up with the USF Bulls. In the deal, Bobby Paschal became coach/chaperone to Dobras.

"We checked out Radenko but wound up taking him sight unseen," Paschal recalled. "Same risk for him, though, since Radenko had never heard of South Florida."

But, oh, what an affair . . .

"It's been a beautiful thing," Dobras said of his campus/hoops experience at the Tampa school. "Best choice I could've made."

Nearing his 24th birthday, Dobras is now a savvy senior, but with a heart divided. His homeland is strife-torn, and Yugoslavia never is out of Dobras' mind, but still he finds energy to play extraordinary basketball in USF sneakers.

Sunday was another gym gem.

Opposing the biggest-name school around Dobras' adopted neighborhood, the University of Florida, the lithe point guard from Banja Luka was especially smashing.

Dobras shot 15 times, making 11. That's only the beginning. Proving farsightedness, Dobras attempted five three-pointers, and they all cashed in. Twenty-nine points, six assists, plus a few defensive strokes that were memorable.

South Florida's team is better than the Gators, and far more experienced. But it took every ounce of Dobras' heroics to beat the Gators 73-71 in a delightful game chock-full of desire and drama.

UF threw its Sunday punch at him. Hosie Grimsley, the Gators' best defender, stalked Dobras with the perspiring intensity of a National Enquirer reporter going after a Kennedy.

"Hosie did an excellent job," Florida coach Lon Kruger said. "We made Dobras work for everything. But that guy's a handful. Dobras hit the tough shots. Hosie kept fighting, but Dobras always had the answer."

About a dozen years ago, Magic Johnson of Michigan State began proving to the world that a giant of a fellow can adroitly handle a basketball. It was an art previously reserved for little people. Radenko is no Magic on the court, but he moved the rock expertly despite having Grimsley constantly in his face.

"He came at me with everything," Dobras said of the 6-4 Grimsley, a junior from Lakeland. "Slapping and jumping and talking trash, trying anything to make it difficult."

Deep into the second half, with the Gators up 62-61, Dobras' competitive fire notably raged. He took a shot over the omnipresent Grimsley. It missed, but Dobras scrambled for the rebound, falling to the floor. He flicked the basketball to a teammate, then got a quick return pass and wound up hitting a three-pointer.

In the first half, Dobras nailed a three-pointer from the deep right corner, then steamed back on defense, and not five seconds later he was at the opposite end, drawing a charging foul from Florida's Craig Brown.

"Dobras is their catalyst," said Kruger, "but they've got all the makings, all the weapons you need. Defensively, you cannot cheat against them in any one area. That's what makes a good basketball team."

USF has a 5-1 record, and so do the Gators. But, come spring, the Bulls unquestionably should wind up with sweeter seasonal numbers.

For Florida, a 50-50 record would be a hand-clapping success. Kruger is filling the floor with neophytes, no seniors among them. The man is a splendid coach, and in time his Gators will contend in the Southeastern Conference. His time, however, is not quite now.

South Florida should be into a vintage season. Despite escalating a conference step, moving from the Sun Belt to the Louisville Cardinals and everyone else in the Metro, the Bulls appear stocked for a 20-win season.

Especially if Dobras keeps up his excellence of Sunday.

------------------------------

Btw, do you know who was the UF assisstant coach at the time?

Apr 13, 1990 RON KASPRISKE, JOHN ROMANO, BRIAN LANDMAN Sp.times

Lon Kruger hired two assistant coaches from his former Kansas State staff Thursday, leaving just one coaching position on the team unfilled.

Former Wildcats assistants Robert McCullum and Ron Stewart signed contracts with UF and already have begun recruiting.

[...]

McCullum, who joined Kruger at Kansas State last season, was an assistant coach at Southern Illinois for two years. McCullum also was an assistant coach at South Alabama in the early 1980s and played an integral role in the signing of former Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year Jeff Hodge.

Along with being able to bring two-thirds of his Kansas State staff to UF, Kruger's hiring of McCullum also filled a request by new UF president John Lombardi to hire a black coach.

``I'm excited to join Coach Kruger at Florida,`` McCullum said. ``I've spent most of my life in the heart of the Southeastern Conference, as I'm a native of Birmingham, Ala. I think my background will be a plus for me in terms of our recruiting relationships.`` [...]

[Guest bullman33]

WOW, didnt realize Dobras scholarship opened up because ron anderson dropped a class, making him ineligible.  Talk about a lucky break.  

[bulls-n-beer]

talk about the good old days of bells basketball.  Wouldnt it be nice if they were still here.

[Bullumni]

The good 'Ole days.  Brings a tear to my eye!!!

[dabull80]

The Dome was rocking and it was a great time for USF.

[bulls96go]

the dome will rock again!