It was a zany scheme, a plan created by a BYU assistant basketball coach to get one of the world's best players at a time when the game wasn't so global.

Kresimir Cosic gave a big hug to Pete Witbeck when he sneaked in from Italy in 1970, two years after the process started. Witbeck knows the 6-foot-11 Yugoslavian had a few doubts about staying.

But he did stay, and the zenith of that beautiful friendship is tonight. A halftime ceremony at BYU's final home game will retire the No. 11 of Cosic. He died in 1995 from cancer, but his 46-year-old legacy will live on forever as his jersey joins Danny Ainge's No. 22 in the Marriott Center rafters.

"He was one of a kind," Witbeck said. "He'd run around the court, smiling. He could jump through the gym. Kresimir just had a very special spirit about him."

Those who knew Cosic are careful not to criticize BYU, but wonder why this ceremony didn't happen sooner. The school's excuse is that no jerseys were honored until 2003. It chose to first honor Ainge, who went on to NBA greatness after being the national player of the year in 1981.
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Cosic, who played at BYU from 1970-73, turned down American professional basketball, passing up riches to promote the LDS Church he had joined. He also became an ambassador of his country to America, and established the sport back home as a player and coach. He played in four Olympics, winning a gold in 1980, after being the first foreigner to win All-America honors. He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1996.

"A giant of a man," former teammate Doug Richards described.

And, at first, an odd fit at BYU. Communism may have looked better than the school's unique, restrictive rules.

Witbeck remembers the rain-soaked 4 a.m. drive home from Salt Lake City. The coach brought along a BYU tennis aide from the school who happened to be from the same town as Cosic.

Through the interpreter, Cosic had the laws laid out. First, the long hair had to go. Then the more serious issues.

"No smoking," Witbeck said. Cosic said that wouldn't be a problem, although he was believed to appreciate a cigar.

"No drinking," came next. No sweat, the player said, as long as a couple of post-game cold beers waited in the cold locker.

"So he could re-hydrate," Witbeck recalled, laughing.

The third one, approached sheepishly — no sex — had Cosic looking at the translator. The star athlete was confused.

Said Witbeck: "He asked what we do at BYU for fun."

For kicks, the kids watched Cosic at the Marriott Center.

The 22,700-seat arena — a monster in its infancy, and even now — was packed to the brim almost every winter night the Cougars took the floor.

It's said that Stan Watts, the legendary coach, built the Marriott Center. But it was Cosic who filled it, using a brilliant style of skill and flamboyance.

He hit long-distance hook shots, even though the 3-pointer was still unheard of.

He passed between his legs, yelled "Opa!" to tell teammates he was open. He sometimes ticked them off by acting like a guard, dribbling the ball on his own from end to end, and making a basket.

Witbeck wanted him at first sight, the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City. Then, BYU was ahead of its time in international recruiting. The coach had a former BYU athlete, who played for Finland, pass along a business card.

Cosic, who had expressed interest in going to America, kept in contact despite his lack of English skills. A friend did the writing.

"We just knew that if we got him, it was going to be great," Witbeck said.

Playing in a tournament in Naples, Italy, Cosic took advantage of an "official visit" to BYU and didn't return to Communism.

Cosic threatened to leave Provo after the first year (freshmen couldn't play because of NCAA rules). The team convinced him to stay for the next three.