MUMBAI: In a moment of backpedaling defensively, Ulhas KS took a sharp step forward to intercept the pass. He then took a few steps up the court before passing to a teammate, who scored. Within seconds, the 26-year-old from Kancheepuram in Tamil Nadu became the first Indian to play and make his mark in the top-flight Serbian National Basketball League, Division 1.
premium “Everything I’ve ever experienced, The journey, all the performances and hard work led to this result,” Uljas told HT over the phone from Serbia, where he plays for Novi Pazar.
“When I found out I got a chance to play in one of the biggest leagues in Europe, I was very happy and excited. It was worth the wait.” It took some time for the Indian international to adjust to his new surroundings. The language barrier was also an issue, as was the fact that he is a vegetarian in a country with few options. Then comes the harsh European winter.
“It’s minus 13 degrees right now,” he added with a laugh.
But Serbia is a country that loves basketball and its players. It may have taken some time to get used to the climate and culture, but Novy Pazar quickly warmed to the player wearing the team’s No. 24 jersey.
“Everyone in town seems to know me and know where I’m staying,” he says. “When I go out to restaurants or grocery stores and I meet people, they offer to pay my bills, or the shop owners give me things for free. There are warm people in cold countries. ”
Although he has a lot of support from fans and teammates, he needed to earn his spot on the team’s roster. It may be a first for Serbia, whose men’s basketball team won a bronze medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics, but it’s not the first time for European basketball.
His basketball journey started in class 4 when he had to register for extra-curricular activities. There were no openings in the three sports he knew at the time, cricket, football and volleyball, so his teacher suggested he try basketball.
“I remember asking her what it was,” he added. “But after a few days I made the team. After a few years I realized that I was playing well and my parents started supporting me. The only condition was to continue studying and I had to do well in school. That was the deal.”
His academic pursuits led him to Westchester University in England, where he led the team to a national title as captain in his second year.
“That’s where I first started learning the European style of play,” he says. “That made it easy for me to transition from there (to what I experienced in Serbia).”
Uljas explains that while Serbia’s speed and physicality are at a much higher level, a key element of their style of play is that the game style is team-centric.
“It’s all about doing the job the team needs, whether it’s defending for 48 minutes or continuing to make shots,” he said.
“But here, the level of detail provided to help you prepare is at a much higher level. For example, if I’m guarding a right-handed player, I’m told to push him to the left. The opposite is also possible. Or if the shooter is weak, I take two steps back. There are specifics for each player to follow, and then the team role comes in.”
Off the court, he’s starting to bond with his teammates. He remembers the car ride. That’s when one of his teammates played a popular Punjabi song on his mobile phone and the rest of the group started dancing. “Now they’re starting to try singing it too,” he says.
But on the court, he still has a ways to go.
So far this season, the 6-foot-1 point guard has appeared in two of the team’s 15 games, but the season still has a long way to go.
So far he has taken small steps, but he hopes to take even bigger leaps soon.
