Nationality Serbian 1977–1983 Bosna Height 2.08 m 1983–1986 Stade Francais Weight 107 kg | Listed weight 107 kg (236 lb) Name Ratko Radovanovic Pro career 1977–1990 Role Basketball Player | |
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Listed height 2.08 m (6 ft 10 in) | ||
Ratko Radovanović (born 16 October 1956) is a Serbian former basketball player who competed for SFR Yugoslavia at the 1980 Summer Olympics and at the 1984 Summer Olympics.
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Early life
Born in the town of Nevesinje within the Herzegovina region, Radovanović, still an infant, was brought by his parents to Nikšić, PR Montenegro where he grew up.
A tall and lanky kid, Radovanović took up basketball in Nikšić on an informal, recreational basis in 1969. In May 1970 Yugoslav national team won the World Championship being held at home, resulting in an explosion of popularity for the sport throughout the country — a trend Radovanović followed as he started training a lot more seriously. It wasn't long before he got noticed by Vukašin "Vule" Vukalović, the Bosna sports society general secretary, who recommended the youngster to KK Bosna head coach Bogdan Tanjević.
KK Bosna
Radovanović arrived to Sarajevo in October 1972, having just turned 16 years of age. Though officially part of the KK Bosna youth system, first team head coach Tanjević would give him an odd first team runout already during the 1972-73 season, the club's first ever in the Yugoslav top-tier league.
Throughout the 1973-74 season, seventeen-year-old Radovanović recorded 17 first team appearances in the Yugoslav First League, scoring a total of 43 points (2.5ppg).
Now eighteen years of age, he continued improving during the 1974-75 season by permanently getting moved to the first team. His scoring average over the season reached 5.8ppg.
Youth
Radovanović got picked for the Yugoslav cadet (under-16) national team at the European Championship for Cadets held in Italy in July 1973, making a modest contribution to Yugoslavia's bronze medal effort with 2.2ppg.
The following summer he made the Yugoslav junior squad at the European Championship for Juniors in France, this time playing a much larger role on a team coached by Tanjević, his club head coach at Bosna. Radovanović contributed with 13.8ppg as the Yugoslav team — featuring Branko Skroče, Mihovil Nakić, Andro Knego, and Rajko Žižić among others — won gold.
Senior
In July 1975, Radovanović, still only eighteen-years-old, made his full squad Yugoslav national team debut in a game versus Canada at Hala Pinki as part of the International Cup.