Uros Plavsic tried to get to Tennessee from Serbia twice before the start of basketball season. His visa application was delayed each time.
Finally in October, the 7-foot-1 center arrived at Hamilton Heights Christian Academy in Chattanooga, just a couple weeks before practice started. At the time, Plavsic knew little English, and the coaching staff at his new school knew little about him.
"I knew the guy well that helped get him over here and trusted that was he was a really good player,'' Hamilton Heights coach Zach Ferrell said by telephone. "But that’s about what we knew: He was 7-1 with some really good skills.