101 Greats of European Basketball

Vladimir Stankovic
Cedomir Perincic. The results were seven wins in seven
games and a gold medal. Delibasic had 114 points, Kicanovic
90, Perincic 68.
Kicha and Praja in Belgrade
When landing in Partizan, Kicanovic was greeted by
Ranko Zeravica, the former coach of the national team
and the best pupil of the famous Professor Aleksandar
Nikolic. One year earlier, in 1971, Zeravica had managed
to sign Drazen Dalipagic, who had played football until
he was 15. Dalipagic’s nickname, Praja, came from a local
defensive player of the football team in Velez. That’s
how, in the summer of 1972, the best duo on the court
that I have probably ever seen, Kicha and Praja, was
born. They were never close friends. There was always
some kind of rivalry issue between them. But as the two
smart men that they were, they connected instantly on
the court. Simply put, they needed each other.
Dalipagic was a strong forward, great shooter and
spectacular jumper. Kicanovic was a super-smart guard
who could play at point for the full 40 minutes. He was
unstoppable in one-on-one situations and had great
court vision and shooting. There was no Partizan game
without some spectacular alley-oops by Dalipagic from
Kicanovic’s assists. They were the two idols who helped
Partizan win their first Yugoslav League title in 1976.
But they helped the national team even more. When
Mirko Novosel took the reins of the team for the 1973
EuroBasket in Barcelona, Spain, he called up several
young players. Of course, Kicanovic was among them.
So were Dalipagic and Zoran “Moka” Slavnic, who made
his debut at 24 years old. With the added experience
of Cosic, Rato Tvrdic, Nikola Plecas and Damir Solman,
Yugoslavia won its first European title. The following
year, Yugoslavia was second at the World Cup in Puerto
Rico. Kicanovic was the best player and best scorer on
the team with 139 points (19.9 per game), including 34
against Canada and 26 against the USA.
Kicha was a complete player, technically perfect. But
what makes the difference between a great talent and a
great player is the character. Kicanovic was a born winner
and a fighter; he didn’t like to lose at anything. He
had strong character and was willing to fight for victory,
no matter the circumstances. He didn’t fear hostile
atmospheres, either. His winning character could be
seen at the EuroBasket 1975 final at the legendary Pionir
Arena in Belgrade. The game was against the USSR
and after 39 tight minutes, Yugoslavia led 86-84. The
ball reached Kicha, who drove past, if memory serves,
Aleksander Salnikov. He pulled up and with his perfect
shot decided the game with his 22nd point of the night.
At the 1976 Olympics in Montreal, Kicanovic won the
silver medal. In 1977 he made it a three-peat with Yugoslavia
by winning the EuroBasket final in Liege against
the USSR. That game featured a famous “volleyball”
passing scene between Kicha and Slavnic, in which they
tapped the ball back and forth to each other a few times
without either actually catching or holding it, to fool the
defense. In the 1978 World Cup in Manila, he and Dalipagic
led Yugoslavia to another title. Praja finished with
an average of 22.2 points and Kicha with 18.2.
At the club level, after winning its first Yugoslav
League title in 1976, Partizan also took its first European
trophy on March 21, 1978, after an unforgettable Korac
Cup final in Banja Luka against Bosna Sarajevo. The game
ended 117-110 after overtime. The end of regulation time
showed a 101-101 score. It was an offensive festival,
with 48 points by Dalipagic, 33 by Kicanovic and 21 by
Misko Maric. For Bosna, Mirza Delibasic had 33 points,
Zarko Varajic 22, Ratko Radovanovic 20 and Svetislav
164
165