While Scotland's best basketball talents such as Robert Archibald seek fame and fortune in the USA, humanitarian reasons have brought an outstanding European player to Scotland.

Slavica Zelenovic is a Bosnian refugee who came to Glasgow from Sarajevo because her daughter Jadranka was desperately ill and could not be treated at home.

Slavica played 49 times for Yugoslavia between 1973 and 1979 but thought her basketball career was over long before the civil war started and the old Yugoslavia federation broke up. But on her arrival in Glasgow, and while she waited for her daughter to recover, she was persuaded to come along and help the Glasgow Sports Division women's team.

Happily after seven operations in three years at the Western General, 18-year-old Jadranka, who has chronic ulceritis colitis, is well enough to resume a normal life and is studying health care at Anniesland

College, where her mother is studying English.

Jadranka prefers football and gymnastics and has even become a Rangers fan, although she is sad her favourite player Gordan Petric has moved to Crystal Palace. She is particularly looking forward to Scotland's home football match against Bosnia on March 27.

After a basketball career lasting 18 years, Slavica had been out of the game for over a decade but soon showed that, if a little slower, she had lost none of her skills.

At 6ft 3in and with an old-fashioned hook shot which would do credit to the former NBA player Kareem Abdul Jabaar, she can be deadly close to the basket.

So effective has she been that she was top scorer in Glasgow's recent upset win over the champions Polonia Phoenix. All at the age of 46. ''She simply defied her age,'' said Glasgow coach Shirley Birch.

Polonia's defeat was the Edinburgh team's first for nearly three seasons and could be the first sign that the balance of power is at last beginning to shift after years of East dominance.

Also in the Glasgow side, and a key player in their win over Polonia, is Geraldine Innes, formerly O'Rourke, the city's full-time development officer and Irish international who has targeted the women's side of the game in her plans for this season.

''The potential in the city is huge,'' she says and there are encouraging signs that, with Glasgow Gators also operating a women's team and new teams Springburn Knights and Dumbarton Suns playing in the Strathclyde League, things are beginning to stir round the hoops.

Glasgow Sports Division men's team, despite their shock defeat at Falkirk last week, remain favourites to lift both Scottish League and Cup this season and should win easily at home at Easterhouse tomorrow to Boroughmuir.

Top-of-the-table St Mirren may have something to say about the destination of the trophies and the cause of both West clubs has been helped by the new Edinburgh Rocks professional team.

Rocks have weakened both their major East rivals, the champions Midlothian Bulls and Edinburgh Burger Kings, by signing up key players, Iain Maclean (Bulls) and Ross Szifris and Derek Frame (Kings).

Rocks this week made their first personnel switch of the season after 11 games without a win. Shooting guard Dameon Page was shown the door, though many felt he had been unfairly pilloried for being ''lazy and selfish'' when the rest of the team were not exactly shining.

He was replaced by Sean Bell, a 27-year-old Virginian-born 6ft 5in point guard who has a British wife and does not take up one of the three work permit slots allocated to each Budweiser League team.

Bell was apparently named after Sean Connery and feels his arrival in Edinburgh was pre-ordained. Formerly with Chester Jets and last season with Team Sligo in the Irish League before picking up an injury, Bell is an ''out-and-out point'' guard, according to coach Jimmy Brandon, with strong leadership qualities. His arrival will allow Ted Berry to be used more as a shooting guard.

It will be ironic if Rocks win their first match away to

struggling Worthing Bears tonight for this is a game they should have won anyway.