Mumbai: Just as he backpedaled in defence, Ulhas KS took a sharp step forward to intercept a pass. He then charged up the court a few paces before delivering a pass to a teammate, who went on to score. In the space of just a few seconds, the 26-year-old from Kancheepuram, Tamil Nadu became the first-ever Indian to play in and make his mark in the top-flight Serbian National Basketball League, Division 1.

“All I have been through in my journey, all the performances and hard work, it has led to this,” Ulhas tells HT over the phone from Serbia, where he plays for Novi Pazar.

“When I found out I was getting a chance to play in one of the biggest leagues in Europe, I was very happy and excited. It was worth the wait.” It did take the Indian national player some time to adjust to the new environment. The language barrier was an issue, as was the fact that he is a vegetarian in a country where options are few and far between. Then there is the harsh European winter.

“It’s currently minus 13,” he adds with a laugh.

But Serbia is a country that loves its basketball – and its players. While it may have taken him some time to adjust to the climate and culture, Novi Pazar quickly warmed up to the player who wears the No. 24 jersey for the team.

“Everyone in the city seems to know me and know where I stay,’ he says. ‘I meet people when I’m out at a restaurant or a grocery store, and they offer to pay for my bill, or the shopkeeper gives me things for free. It’s a cold country with warm people.”

There is plenty of support for him from the fans and his teammates, but he had to earn his place on the team’s roster. He may be new to Serbia, a country whose men’s basketball team won bronze at the 2024 Paris Olympics, but he is not new to European basketball.

His basketball journey began when, in Class 4, he had to sign up for an extracurricular activity. The three sports he knew at the time – cricket, football, and volleyball – had no available spots, so his teacher suggested he try basketball.

“I remember asking her what it was,” he adds. “But after a few days, I made the team. In a few years, I realized that I was playing well, and my parents started to support me. The only condition was that I had to continue studying and do well in school. That was the deal.”

His academic pursuits led him to the University of Westchester in England, where, as captain in his second year, he guided the team to the domestic title.

“That was where I first started to learn the European style of play,” he says. “It made it easy for me to transition from there (to what I experienced in Serbia).”

The speed and physicality are at a much higher level in Serbia, but a key component of the style of play there, Ulhas explains, is that the game-style is team centric.

“It’s all about doing the job the team needs, whether it is defending for 48 minutes straight or going on to shoot,” he says.

“But here, the level of details provided to help prepare is at a much higher level. For example, if I’m guarding a right-handed player, then I’m told to push him to the left, or the other way around. Or if a shooter is weak, then I take two steps back. There are details made for each player to follow, and then the team role comes in as well.”

Off the court, he has started to gel well with his teammates. He recalls a car ride in which one of his teammates played a popular Punjabi song on his phone while the rest of the group started to dance. “They’ve now started to try and sing it as well,” he says.

On the court, however, he still has some way to go.

So far this season, the 6-foot-1 point guard has made two appearances in his team’s 15 matches, but there’s still a long way to go in the season.

He’s taken a few small steps so far, but he’s hoping to make greater leaps soon enough.