Radenko Dobras, one of the best players in USF men's basketball history, arrived sight unseen in 1988.
"They didn't know me and had never seen me,'' said Dobras, a 6-foot-7 point guard from Banja Luka, Yugoslavia. "I didn't know the University of South Florida. I didn't know Tampa. I didn't know anything. And I could barely speak any English.''
It was an unlikely beginning, but the signing of Dobras was the final piece of a puzzle that set in motion the finest era in Bulls history (1989-92) — a three-season record of 58-32, a Sun Belt Conference Tournament title, the first two NCAA Tournament bids in program history and an NIT appearance.