Richmond Hill, Ga. - Vlad Cobzaru spent three years putting on the Augusta University basketball jersey. Even during his playing days, Cobzaru knew there would be more than basketball in his life. Coming to the United States from Romania, his plan was to eventually help those in need. Today, he's doing just that after receiving his Doctor of Dental Medicine Degree from the Dental College of Georgia. He then completed a year of advanced clinical training and is now seeing dental patients across the state of Georgia working for SGA Dental Partners.
 
"I travel to about six offices, and I do their sedation and surgical procedures," said Cobzaru. "One day I may be in Claxton, Georgia, another in Waynesboro, Savannah and I see referrals in several other places."
 
Deciding on where to settle down after doing his residency in Chattanooga, Tn., was a discussion he had with his wife Lauren, who's from Augusta. Staying somewhat near the Garden City was important to her and they decided on Richmond Hill, Ga. It is within driving distance of Augusta yet provided him with a great opportunity to start his professional career.
 
During his time wearing the Jaguar uniform, Cobzaru was twice named Peach Belt Conference All-Academic. He missed one season because of a knee injury but still played in more than 90 games. It was after his senior year he was accepted into DCG where he could give full attention to his true passion.
 
He did have another opportunity to play basketball back in Romania, but the timing didn't fit his overall goal.
 
"In the summer before starting (at DCG) I played for the national three-on-three team, which became an Olympic sport," he said. "They wanted me to come and play some games so we could qualify to play in the Olympics. Unfortunately, I just couldn't with the dental school and all that, it was a big commitment."
 
He does have great memories of suiting up with the Jags.
 
"Sometimes I look back and it just makes me smile thinking about all those times. There were times we had tough practices back-to-back, long practices, and it just gave you a different type of strength and ambition to go through stuff. And just general appreciation for the support and the people you were playing with," said Cobzaru.
 
Off the court, he has fond memories of his classes as well. He took advantage of the opportunities that were presented to him.
 
"I enjoyed just about everything, we were blessed to have some really knowledgeable professors," he said.
 
Thinking back to when he was a teenager, Cobzaru couldn't imagine he'd be where he is today. He had some chances to play basketball in Romania and in Europe professionally, but he said it wasn't the right fit since he wanted to do both basketball and academics. He knew the U.S. was the only place that could push him in both of those categories.
 
"I've been extremely lucky as well, not to dismiss all the hard work that went into it," said Cobzaru. "I had some opportunities that I was able to take advantage of to make it to where I am today. I do believe I'm still a work in progress, so I keep trucking ahead to see where it takes me."