How a 7-foot center from Serbia ended up at Arizona State

Uros Plavsic tried to get to Tennessee from Serbia twice before the start of the 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 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."

A former Cleveland State commit, Plavsic this week signed with Arizona State, pushing coach Bobby Hurley's 2018 class to No. 8 in 247 Sports composite rankings. The big man joins a talented class that includes fellow four-star prospects Luguentz Dort, Elias Valtonen and Taeshon Cherry.

Of the group, Plavsic is the least known.

Finding his place

He was rusty to start, Ferrell said. Plavsic had missed Hamilton Height's preseason work, which set him behind. Then there was the adjustment to the American game, which is quicker and more athletic. At the same time, Ferrell wasn't sure how to use both Plavsic and Jason Jitoboh, a 6-9 junior center from Nigeria. (Jitoboh has reported offers from Arkansas, Florida, Tennessee, Auburn and Wake Forest.)

The situation wasn't unusual for Hamilton Heights. The school last season had players from six countries on its roster. Kentucky guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is a product of Hamilton Heights, as is Virginia Tech's Nickeil Alexander-Walker. Both are Canadians, leading players on their respective teams.

To start, Ferrell brought the 240-pound Plavsic off the bench and the big man showed positive flashes. In his eighth game, Plavsic – who's more of a stretch four than a traditional post player – had 16 points and eight rebounds against Oak Hill Academy. Two weeks later, he did something even more impressive.

"We were in Memphis (playing Bartlett)," Ferrell said. "We’re down, and he gets switched off onto their point guard, who is really quick. And they’re out almost to half court, about to hold the ball to win the game. And Uros comes all the way out to half court, one-on-one, and ends up stealing the ball from their point guard. At that moment, it was like, 'Holy cow!' "

About halfway through the season, Ferrell moved Plavsic into the starting lineup, playing him alongside Jitoboh. Hamilton Heights never lost again, closing the season with 12 straight wins. Plavsic averaged 13.5 points and 9.4 rebounds over the stretch, shooting 57.3 percent from the field.

In a 96-78 February win at Franklin Prep, the big man had 27 points, 13 rebounds and three assists. He made all 11 of his shots from inside the arc.

"I’m old school," Franklin Prep coach Franklin Mattison said Friday. "I’m all about the fundamentals, and he has a lot for that size. He can do a lot. He can post up down low. He can pop out and shoot it. He can go in and grab a rebound. I really like the kid. I really do. We had a pretty decent team, and actually, to be honest, if it wasn’t for him, we probably could’ve gotten a little closer. He’s the reason they won."

ASU makes a move

Ferrell said college recruiters inquired about Plavsic throughout the season, but the big man had arrived in Tennessee pretty much with his mind set on attending Cleveland State. He had a close relationship with assistant coach Drazen Zlovaric, who had grown up in Serbia and played on the country's national teams.

But last month everything changed.

Zlovaric left Cleveland State reportedly to pursue other coaching opportunities. On March 30, Plavsic posted on his Twitter account that he was opening his recruitment. Two weeks later, Hurley paid a visit to Hamilton Heights. Plavsic then visited Tempe and signed with the Sun Devils, giving them much-needed size.

(It's worth noting that Hurley has an opening on his staff, but it's not known if Zlovaric is a possibility.)

Had Plavsic played longer in the States, Ferrell said he probably would've been a top 50 national recruit. He said the big man still has areas to develop, especially in the low post and on defense, but he thinks Plavsic should do well at the Pac-12 level, and maybe beyond.

"He’s legit 7-1," Ferrell said. "He can shoot the 3. He has great ball skills and he has the mental makeup to become really, really good. He can be coached by anyone and he is crazy hungry to get better. Like, that’s all he cares about right now."

GOING UP: ASU basketball adds 7-footer, lifting recruiting class to 8th in nation

BLUE CHIP: Top forward Taeshon Cherry signs with Arizona State basketball

PHOTOS: ASU basketball postseason 2018

Contact Doug Haller at 602-444-4949 or at doug.haller@arizonarepublic.com. Follow him at Twitter.com/DougHaller.