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How 7-footer Uros Plavsic is handling waiting on NCAA eligibility decision


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Uros Plavsic goes about his each day at Tennessee in a similar fashion.

The transfer from Arizona State focuses on bettering himself and his teammates in practice. He pays attention to his academic responsibilities.

And he tries not to think about whether he will play for UT this season.

“I just want to play basketball,” Plavsic said. “We can just wait, but that is it.”

Plavsic and the Vols continue to wait to learn if the 7-foot center will get a waiver from the NCAA to be immediately eligible. UT coach Rick Barnes has been vocal in his belief that Plavsic should receive one, stating repeatedly that if anyone deserves a waiver, it is Plavsic.

On Friday, Plavsic said “things are so obvious” before another practice in which he prepared as if he will play this season.

“I have people around me that help me somehow forget about it until it happens,” Plavsic said.

Plavsic, a native of Serbia, left Arizona State in April in search of a fresh start. A lot of schools offered him that opportunity, but his eyes were on one immediately. 

He wanted to come to Tennessee and play for the Vols.

“As soon as coaches from Tennessee reached out to me, that was it,” Plavsic said. “Tennessee basketball was something that I dreamed about. … Tennessee is my state. I went to high school in Tennessee. My host family lives here and I wanted to be close to them. That is the most important reason I am here — all of these people around me.”

Plavsic came to the United States in 2017 and landed in Chattanooga. He played his final season of high school basketball at Hamilton Heights, where he was recruited lightly by Tennessee.

He committed to Cleveland State, then flipped to Arizona State and followed assistant coach Drazen Zlovaric, who also is from Serbia, to ASU. Plavsic redshirted last season, after which Zlovaric was no longer on the ASU staff — a reason Barnes thinks Plavsic has grounds for a waiver.

Plavsic opted to leave for a different opportunity.

“I feel like being close to my family is the most important thing that I needed in a fresh start,” Plavsic said. "I just wanted to change my environment and stuff like that.”

Tennessee provided everything he wanted, especially proximity to his host family. He loved the coaching staff and saw the number of players the Vols developed into NBA players. Being in the eastern time zone eases the communication with his family back in Serbia — a nine-hour time difference to Arizona, but only six to Tennessee. 

Most importantly, Plavsic felt that he could see himself playing at UT. He committed in May.

“I am so happy to play for this school and as soon as I got on campus, people made me feel like I had been here for years,” Plavsic said. "It is something about Tennessee — people here are so friendly. 

“Every day, I wake up so happy. I want to get better and I know I will do my best in practice.”

But there still is the unknown about this coming season that could make Plavsic happier yet. The Vols lost the majority of their post players from last season with Kyle Alexander’s graduation and Grant Williams’ early departure for the NBA.

Plavsic can fill a need on the roster and the Vols have prepared as though he will. Barnes said in September that Plavsic is “getting full reps like everybody else.”

“We need him,” Barnes said. “He has been a valuable part of what we’ve done this summer with our practices up to this point. We need him in that situation for certain.”

Whether the Vols will have him or not should be known soon. Barnes is hopeful a decision will come in the next couple weeks, well before UT opens its season with an exhibition on Oct. 30 against Eastern New Mexico State.

“We just wait,” Plavsic said. “That is it. Hopefully, everything is going to work out for me.”

Mike Wilson, Knoxville News Sentinel

https://www.knoxnews.com/story/sports/college/university-of-tennessee/mens-basketball/2019/10/11/tennessee-vols-basketball-uros-plavsic-transfer-waiver/3917369002/ 

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