S1640 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE March 2, 2006 this special unit of Peace Corp volun- see his wife, the person he loved so ‘‘This was before the 3-point shot, and you teers were also deployed to Sri Lanka much. weren’t allowed to dunk the ball,’’ remem- and Thailand to assist with rebuilding Mr. President, I have only mentioned bered guard Belmont Anderson, now a podia- just a few highlights from the life of trist in Las Vegas. ‘‘He had a Larry Bird tsunami-devastated areas. range with his outside shot. When he’d take Today, I am proud to honor 27 Rhode this great man. I ask unanimous con- it, the coaches would yell, ‘no, no, no . Islanders currently serving in the sent to have printed in the RECORD a good shot, Kresh.’ They frowned on taking Peace Corps. I wish them the very best touching article from the Deseret the long shot because you weren’t rewarded in all their endeavors and I thank them Morning News that summarizes why so for it. Imagine what he’d have done if the 3- for their service to our country in this many of us in Utah are looking forward point shot was in back then or if he was al- important time in history. Their to finally seeing his jersey hang from lowed to dunk.’’ Cosic was famous for leading the fast names are as follows: the Marriott Center’s rafters this break, making a pinpoint pass or doing a Catherine M. Alexander, Courtney E. weekend. jackknife lay-up, tucking in his knees, going Briar, Anthony J. Cabral, Mayerlin Caridad There being no objection, the mate- airborne, looking like a camel in flight. He Mejia, Rebecca L. Champlin, Caroline C. Cut- rial was ordered to be printed in the once took off against UCLA’s Sidney Wicks, ting, Jennifer S. Doo, Shayne E. Doyle, RECORD, as follows: and the Bruin big man looked perplexed— Catherine Farrell, Amanda H. Fogle- [From the Deseret Morning News] he’d never seen a 6–11 guy playing point Donmoyer, Heron E. Greenesmith, Geoffrey guard. L. Jones, Jesse B. Joseph, Anna D. LATE COUGAR COSIC’S TALENT, FUN COULDN’T ‘‘He loved to dribble the ball up court,’’ Karolyshyn, Maria K. Kasparian, Chris- BE CONTAINED Potter said. ‘‘I remember one day in scrim- topher A. Kelley, Caroline N. Klein, Marie A. (By Dick Harmon) mage he took off with the ball leading the Kobayashi, Mark A. Lange, Andrew J. Kresimir Cosic could barely fit into my ’63 break, and our point guard, Bernie Fryer, Moulton, Leana A. Nordstrom, David M. Volkswagen that day. But who’d have ran up behind him and stole the ball. He was Reynolds, Ralph W. Riccio, Christi M. Tur- guessed this world, as well, could hardly con- upset. They were on the same team.’’ ner, Evan R. Usler, Deborah L. Vittner, and tain him and, at the age of 46, gave him back Said Anderson: ‘‘If you were cutting for Erica K. Zaiser. to God. the basket and he had the ball, you had to be alert because Cosic could hit you with a f I was just 17, puttering around in my Bug when I saw the 6-foot-11 Cosic walking down pass, and if you weren’t ready, it would hit KRESMIR COSIC the sidewalk of a street in Provo on his way you in the head,’’ to basketball practice. I stopped and asked if Cosic was a master of behind-the-back and Mr. HATCH. Mr. President, I would between-the-leg deliveries, Potter added. ‘‘I like to take a moment to recognize one he wanted a ride. He said he did and he crammed himself into the car. It was like remember one game in the Smith Field- of the greatest foreign athletes to play putting a praying mantis in a thimble. house, Moni Sarkalahti cut for the basket in my home State of Utah—Kresmir The first thing Cosic did was reach over and Cosic passed the ball between his own Cosic. and turn on the radio. He broke out in a big legs, between the legs of the center guarding My dear friend from Yugoslavia fell smile, turned his face to mine and said: ‘‘I him, and hit Moni in the hands for a lay-in.’’ Former BYU assistant coach Pete Witbeck love the music.’’ victim to cancer in 1995, but this Sat- called Cosic the best center in the college urday, Brigham Young University will In a nutshell, that epitomized all you need to know about Cosic, the Yugoslavian. He game, better than Bill Walton. officially retire Kresmir’s No. 11 jersey Joe Watts, now executive director of the loved life. He loved basketball, and he loved Utah Golf Association, was a sportswriter during a ceremony at BYU’s final home playing to the largest crowds in the college covering Cosic’s final home game in Provo game this season. It is a fitting tribute game when they hatched out the Marriott when he penned: ‘‘The thought leaves me to a four-time Olympian and two-time Center back in 1972. with an empty feeling, a loneliness, a sad- To Cosic, music played when he had a bas- all-American already enshrined in the ness, like I’ll be losing a friend. Something ketball in ‘‘his hands. He may have been one Basketball Hall of Fame. really good will be leaving my life. Kresimir of the most entertaining players who ever Kresmir—or Kresh, as I called him— Cosic has brought me, and many others, lived. Certainly he was the most gifted pass- is a legend at BYU, but he will most some of our most enjoyable moments in bas- ing center to play the game. As they say in likely be remembered for opening the ketball. He is without any question the Europe, Cosic was Magic Johnson before greatest passing center I have ever seen in door for foreign athletes in American Magic Johnson. the game. That alone has been thrilling.’’ colleges and the NBA. He truly had a On Saturday, folks at BYU will officially global influence—Drazen Petrovic, UTEP’s Don Haskins, on whom Hollywood retire Cosic’s No. 11 jersey during a cere- based the movie ‘‘Glory Road,’’ called Cosic Toni Kukoc, Dino Radja, and Vlade mony at the final home game this season, the best center in the Olympics. It was a Divac are just a few players who owe against New Mexico. There is a generation of Cosic long bomb at UTEP that handed their success in America to their BYU fans who never saw Cosic play. They Haskins his first defeat on the Miner home former coach from Yugoslavia. got robbed. court since joining the WAC, a five-year per- ‘‘When we toured Europe a couple of sum- When I visited Yugoslavia one time, fect league home record. mers ago, everywhere we went, they knew Cosic could have had a solid NBA career. Kresh heard that I would be in Zagreb BYU basketball because of Cosic,’’ BYU and drove up from Zadar so he could in- He would have sold tickets and helped TV coach Dave Rose said. ratings. Instead, he chose to return home to troduce me to one of his former play- Cosic’s resume reads like he invented bas- Yugoslavia and help develop others and play ers, who was a leader of The Church of ketball. In Europe, and in his native Yugo- for the Yugoslavian Olympic team. He later Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in slavia, he just about did. A four-time Olym- became the Croatian ambassador to the the area. He arrived in a VW bug, and pian and two-time all-American, Cosic is en- United States. to see Kresh unwind out of that little shrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame in ‘‘That tells you a lot about Cosic when Springfield, Mass. compared to players today who won’t even car was a humorous experience. Cosic died in May 1995 of lymphatic cancer. I considered Kresh to be a tremen- play in the Olympics,’’ Anderson said. ‘‘Cosic The week before he passed, he was distraught cared about the game, his country, more dous friend. When he became the dep- when he talked to his former coach, Glenn than money and fame.’’ uty ambassador for his country, he Potter, because he felt he’d defeated the can- Potter remembers Cosic’s late return from went out of his way to see me, and I cer, but in the process, he’d contracted hepa- playing in the Olympics before his senior was more than pleased to be an advisor titis and was going to get a liver transplant. year. He missed several deadlines to return and help him. He tirelessly walked the ‘‘The next thing I knew, he died,’’ Potter to Provo. Potter called Cosic twice and said. halls on Capitol Hill, trying to dispel asked when he’d come back. Cosic’s passion for the game overwhelmed ‘‘Coach, I’ll be there,’’ Cosic said twice. misunderstandings about Croatia and his approach to play. Cosic took more pleas- Finally, when he showed up in Provo, Pot- Bosnia and the Serbian war waging in ure in passing the ball and setting up team- ter asked Cosic why he’d been delayed so his native land. mates than shooting. Still he could be heard long, for nearly a month. Cosic told him The last time I saw Kresh was at yelling ‘‘Opa, Opa’’ (I’m open, I’m open).