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The Sports Xchange

OVERVIEW

Along with China's Yi Jianlian and Brazil's Tiago Splitter, Tomic had NBA scouts buzzing that the 2007 crop of International big men was the best they had ever seen. Despite being built in the lines of a center, Tomic has the quickness and range to play away from the basket and prefers the duties of a point forward the best, as he really takes pride in his passing skills.

Having signed a seven-year professional contract with his present club in 2006, Tomic decided to bypass the 2007 draft proceedings, returning to KK Zagreb for one more season. There is still some talk that there could be a potential issue with buying out his deal, which could prevent him from testing his basketball skills in the United States.

Born in Dubrovnik during his country's uprising, his mother left the region with Ante, as the family moved to Split. After the war, they returned home and Tomic began to catch an interest in basketball during the second grade. He attended the School of Basketball in Dubrovnik, but lost interest in the sport when he started attending high school.

Thanks to the persistence of his father, Tomic relented and returned to the sport and was signed shortly thereafter by the Dubrovnik team. Wishing to face better competition, he sat out a year before joining the KK Zagreb team in 2004-05. Getting acclimated to playing in the senior circuit, he saw only six games of action that year, logging 13 points, seven rebounds and two blocked shots in 40 minutes of action.

Tomic continued to grow before the 2005-06 season and earned a starting job at center. In 435 minutes of playing time, he scored 119 points (5.2 ppg), grabbed 100 rebounds (4.3 rpg), handed out 22 assists, had six steals and blocked 22 shots. During the summer, he played with the Croatian U-20 National Team.

Back at KK Zagreb for the 2006-07 campaign, Tomic played center, power forward and small forward. He even saw action at point guard. In 24 games, He shot 60.4 percent from the field (116-of-192) and 63.3 percent from the free throw line (50-of-79), as he averaged 11.8 points per game. Forty-nine of his 133 rebounds came off the offensive boards (5.1 rpg), as he also was credited with 18 assists, 15 steals and 20 blocked shots. He was charged with 60 personal fouls and 50 turnovers.

Tomic displayed more of a finesse game in 2007-08 rather than develop a power attack. He became a better scoring option in the paint, improving his shot selection from the field to 60.8 percent (144-of-237), as he also shot .735 from the free throw line (50-of-68) and scored a career-high 341 points (13.1 ppg). He grabbed 186 rebounds (7.2 rpg), including 52 from the offensive glass, but managed to block only 15 shots. He was charged with 73 personal fouls, but showed much better ball handling skills, collecting 44 assists (1.7 apg) with 30 steals while averaging 26.3 minutes of action per game.

ANALYSIS

Positives: Tall, rangy athlete with a long wingspan, very good ball-handling skills and excellent footwork around the basket ... Likes to play out on the wing, where his mid-range jumper has become his bread and butter shot ... Nimble player with an array of moves getting the ball to the basket from the low post ... Runs the court well and does a nice job of ball distribution, showing the ability to score with either hand ... Decent rebounder who will slip under and around an opponent rather than crash the boards ... Has a polished offensive game with a variety of moves to the basket ... Loves to feed the ball to the open outlet and takes pride in his passing skills and court vision ... Keeps the ball low firing out his passes and has a nice one-bounce shot to cutters when playing in the high post ... Shows good form, setting his feet before uncorking a mid-range static jumper ... Has the large, natural hands around the basket to execute the put-backs off the offensive glass, but for a player of his size, you would hope to see him attack the rim and dunk more often ... Comfortable in an up-tempo attack due to his quickness running the court, and despite his size is generally his team's first player back on defense ... Moves well horizontally, looking for a crease to make his shot ... Has very good basketball IQ, rarely making the foolish foul and keeping any mistakes to a minimum ... Fields the ball well and surprises the defense with his ability to fire the ball in from 16-18 feet out, uncommon for a player his size ... Has improved his shooting mechanics from mid-range, as the ball comes off his hands smoothly and with a high release point ... When in the paint, he executes an efficient back-to-the-basket spin to get his hook shot off with either hand ... His fluid mechanics are the reason he shows so much confidence when stepping outside to get off his mid-range shot ... With his experience at guard, he puts the ball on the floor low, showing nice mobility pushing the ball down the court ... Has enough quickness to beat even small forwards and shooting guards off the dribble and has developed into one of the better high post passers on the European circuit, having originally played as a point guard before a growth spurt ... Shows excellent footwork and an array of moves operating out of the low post ... Has very good touch and solid mechanics executing his inside game ... Is a rare breed among big men, as he is comfortable facing the basket or with his back toward it ... His coordination and quickness make him an inviting performer for an up-tempo attack ... When he operates in the low post, his foot speed, balance and ability to use both hands to the basket are evident ... Shows very good reverse moves and pump fakes to force the forward to come out of the paint and defend him on the perimeter ... Type of front court player who can put the ball on the floor like a guard and work his way down the court ... Well coordinated when setting up for the lay-up and shows good field smarts when asked to distribute the ball, doing a nice job of passing when facing the basket and locating open outlets in the low post.

Negatives: Body needs to further develop, as he must add more bulk, muscle tone and strength ... Some teams might shy away from him if he still has issues obtaining a buyout from his present team (has five years remaining on his contract with KK Zagreb) ... Lacks the power to push out the big men in the paint and struggles to attain rebounds at either end of the court due to his marginal strength ... Has questionable leaping ability, as he doesn't always get good elevation going for the rebound and despite standing 7-1, it is rare to see him dunk the ball ... Prefers to play along the perimeter like a small forward rather than play with his back to the basket for action in the post ... Has good passing skills, but for some reason, he will distribute the ball when working an interior position, but not as much when parked on the perimeter ... The opponent rarely forces double-team activity on him, as he is not strong enough when driving to the ball to demand such attention ... Despite his limber frame, he struggles at times to get free vs. the more physical defender ... Lacks the lower body strength to prevent the opponent from pushing him out when playing the low block ... Seems very passive when asked to pester the man with the ball and does not get the elevation needed to block shots, especially on those coming from the weak side ... Must do a better job of establishing position under the basket, as he will generally concede to the opponent when playing down low ... Must also improve his vertical leaping ability, as it is rare to see his feet come off the ground, causing him to miss numerous opportunities for the rebound ... Has to use his body better in attempts to box his man out (too hesitant to position himself under the rim), as he struggles too much to establish position in the post to take his game to the NBA right now ... Needs to play with more aggression and attack the paint more, as it is rare to see him dunk or generate much contact on his drive to the basket (does not get to the free throw line much due to his inability to entice fouls) ... Looks a bit stiff moving laterally and must do a better job with his knee bend, as he is slow to recover from a rotation.

Compares To: ZYDRUNAS ILGAUSKAS-Cleveland ... With his mobility and skills running the court, Tomic has a lot of the same game as Ilgauskas, but he is sorely lacking in the strength and bulk department. Some scouts compare him to Pau Gasol (Lakers), but there just isn't the same elevation and leaping ability in Tomic's game. He seems to be a bit reluctant to test his skills in the paint and spends a lot of time at the perimeter. It is certain that he needs to drastically bulk up and there are still questions if he can buy out the remaining five years on his contract to play in the United States. With that potential buyout in his KK Zagreb contract looming, look for a team with multiple picks in the late first round or second round to use one of them with an eye on the future.

CAREER NOTES:

In 79 games with KK Zagreb, Tomic started 72 contests ... Hit on 311-of-535 field goals (58.1 percent) and 130-of-198 free throws (73.5 percent), making just 1-of-3 three-point attempts for a total of 755 points, an average of 9.6 points per game ... .Averaged 22.2 minutes per game, hauling down 416 rebounds (5.3 rpg), including 124 off the offensive glass ... Produced 84 assists (1.1 apg) with 54 steals (0.7 bpg), 59 blocked shots (0.7 bpg), 200 personal fouls (2.5 fpg) and had 146 turnovers (1.8 tpg).

2007-08 SEASON

Named a FIBA (Federation Internationale de Basketball Amateur) All-Star ... Started all 26 games at KK Zagreb, logging a career-high 685 minutes of action (26.3 mpg) ... Scored 341 points (13.1 ppg), as he shot 60.8 percent from the field (144-of-237) and a career-high 73.5 percent from the free throw line (50-of-68), as he also had one three-point shot ... Grabbed 186 rebounds (7.2 rpg), with 52 off the offensive glass and blocked 15 shots while doling out a career-high 44 assists (1.7 apg) ... Also had 30 steals, as he was charged with 73 personal fouls and had 52 turnovers ... Scored in double figures in 22 contests and had five double-double performances.

2007-08 GAME ANALYSIS

Scored 15 points on 5-of-7 shooting and grabbed six rebounds vs. FMP ... Added 20 points as he shot 81.8 percent from the floor (9-of-11) and had four boards vs. Slovan ... Hauled down eight rebounds and totaled 10 points vs. Helois ... Put in 12 points while snaring nine rebounds, including four from the offensive glass, vs. Zadar ... Was 7-of-11 from the field for 14 points and had eight rebounds, three assists and two steals vs. Zvezda ... Followed with a season-high 26 points, making 71.4 percent of his field goals (10-of-14) and all six free throws, as he also registered five rebounds and three assists vs. Cibona ... Added 18 points on 9-of-10 shooting, doling out another three assists and came up with five boards vs. Buducnost ... Added 16 points and five rebounds vs. Olimpija and 17 points with 12 boards, including seven on the offensive side, vs. Split ... Grabbed nine rebounds and registered 10 points vs. Vojvodin ... Had ten boards and 14 points on 6-of-8 shooting in the team's second meeting vs. Slovan ... Made 7-of-10 field goals, scoring 16 points with two assists and five boards vs. Zadar ... Credited with 12 rebounds and 12 points vs. Hemofarm ... Poured in 20 points on 9-of-13 field goals, posting 10 rebounds and two assists vs. Zvezda ... Added 24 points on 11-of-16 shooting, pulling down seven boards in the Buducnost clash ... Finished the season with 16 points, nine rebounds, three steals and four assists vs. Siroki.

2006-07 SEASON

Logged 435 minutes of action in 24 games ... Shot .604 from the floor (116-of-192) and .633 from the free throw line (50-of-79) for 282 points (11.8 ppg) ... Forty-nine of his 123 rebounds (5.1 rpg) came from the offensive boards ... Added 18 assists, 15 steals and 20 blocked shots ... Charged with 60 personal fouls to go with 50 turnovers ... Scored in double figures 14 times and produced three double-double performances.

2006-07 GAME ANALYSIS

Scored 16 points and had five offensive rebounds vs. Split ... Followed with 17 points, seven rebounds and two steals vs. FMP ... Totaled 21 points on 9-of-13 from the floor, as he totaled five boards and two assists vs. Slovan ... Registered 20 points and five boards vs. Siroski and collected 23 points on 10-of-13 shooting to go with five rebounds and two assists vs. Hemofarm ... Grabbed seven boards while dishing out two assists and scoring 16 points vs. Helios ... In the second meeting vs. Split, scored 19 points and had three steals along with eight rebounds ... Hit on 9-of-13 from the loor, producing 21 points while grabbing 12 rebounds vs. Cibona.

2005-06 SEASON

Played in 23 games, averaging 5.2 points (119) and 4.3 rebounds (100) per game ... Hit on 45-of-94 field goals (.479) and 29-of-49 free throws (.592) ... Handed out 22 assists and had six steals while also blocking 22 shots.

2004-05 SEASON

Saw action in six games for 41 total minutes ... Averaged 2.2 points per game on 6-of-12 field goals ... Grabbed seven rebounds and blocked two shots ... Also had three steals.

INJURY REPORT

INJURY REPORT

PERSONAL

Born 2/17/87 in Dubrovnik, Croatia.