Cosic legacy lives on

It’s been years since Kresimir Cosic, the former Cougar All-American, died but his legacy lives on if not with retirement of his jersey in Provo, in his native country and other pockets of the hoop world around the globe.

Bobby Kortsen, an international basketball guru who has spent time in Provo, reports that in a recent basketball tournament in Italy, he ran into teams from Croatia and Serbia. In 2007 he visited with a coach from Zadar, Cosic’s home town. The coach gave Kortsen a book published in Croatia about Cosic.

In the book there is an account of a fundraiser in Segreb for attorney fees for war crime trails. A pair of Cosic’s basketball shoes were auctioned off. Of all the sports items available the shoes raised the most money, 13,791 euros. The total for all items at the auction was 200,000 euros.

A generation of BYU fans my remember Cosic and another new generation never knew him or saw him play and wonder what the fuss is about.

Who out there in cyberspace can enlighten those who do not know much about Cosic and what he accomplished? I once had his 6-11 frame in my ’63 VW and he immediately went for the radio. He couldn’t get enough of American rock music. I was 17 at the time, just giving him a ride.

Share time.