Tom Vodanovich

Thomas James Vodanovich (born 28 July 1994)[1] is a New Zealand professional basketball player for the Manawatu Jets of the New Zealand National Basketball League (NZNBL). He played college basketball in the United States for the James Madison Dukes between 2013 and 2017 before having a two-year stint with the New Zealand Breakers in the Australian NBL.

Tom Vodanovich
No. 7 – Manawatu Jets
PositionPower forward
LeagueNZNBL
Personal information
Born (1994-07-28) 28 July 1994
Wellington, New Zealand
NationalityNew Zealand
Listed height201 cm (6 ft 7 in)
Listed weight104 kg (229 lb)
Career information
High schoolSt Patrick's College
(Wellington, New Zealand)
CollegeJames Madison (2013–2017)
NBA draft2017 / Undrafted
Playing career2012–present
Career history
2012Wellington Saints
2018–2019Southland Sharks
2018–2020New Zealand Breakers
2020–presentManawatu Jets
Career highlights and awards

Early life

Vodanovich was born in Wellington and attended St Patrick's College.[2][3] In 2012, he made his debut in the New Zealand NBL when he played 37 seconds for the Wellington Saints against the Southland Sharks on 22 March.[4]

In January 2013, Vodanovich moved to the United States to attend prep school at SPIRE Institute in Geneva, Ohio.[5] He played for the basketball programme through to the spring break[5] and averaged 18.5 points, 12 rebounds and two blocks per game.[3]

College career

In April 2013, Vodanovich committed to attending James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia.[6]

As a freshman with the Dukes in 2013–14, Vodanovich averaged 21.1 minutes per game to go with 4.1 points and 4.1 rebounds. He recorded two games of scoring in double-figures and four games of eight or more rebounds. He became the first freshman to lead JMU in points in a season opener since 2008 with 11 against Virginia.[3]

As a sophomore in 2014–15, Vodanovich played 29 games with 21 starts and averaged 22.8 minutes per game to go with 5.4 points and 4.0 rebounds. He reached double-digit scoring five times and grabbed at least six rebounds eight times. He scored a career-high 18 points in win over Drexel on 18 February 2015.[3]

As a junior in 2015–16, Vodanovich started all 31 games he appeared in and averaged career highs of 6.2 points and 4.4 rebounds in 24.7 minutes per game.[7] He scored a season-high 17 points against UNCW on 13 February 2016.[3]

As a senior in 2016–17, Vodanovich played 29 games with 18 starts and averaged 6.2 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 20.4 minutes per game.[7] He recorded a career-high 13 rebounds in a win against Longwood on 3 December 2016.[3] He went on to match his career high for points with 18 in a loss against Western Michigan a week later.[3]

Vodanovich graduated from James Madison with a degree in Sports and Recreation Management.[8]

Professional career

In December 2017, Vodanovich signed with the Southland Sharks for the 2018 New Zealand NBL season.[9] He helped the Sharks reach the NBL final, where they defeated the Wellington Saints 98–96 to win the championship.[10] In 20 games, he averaged 7.2 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game.[4]

In August 2018, Vodanovich joined the New Zealand Breakers as a development player for the 2018–19 NBL season.[11][12] He made one appearance for the Breakers during the season.[13]

Vodanovich returned to the Sharks in 2019[14] and averaged 12.2 points, 6.0 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game, including recording 23 points and seven rebounds in the Sharks' semi-final loss to the Saints.[15]

In July 2019, Vodanovich signed a one-year deal with the Breakers to join the full-time squad for the 2019–20 NBL season.[15][16] He appeared in 23 games and averaged 1.9 points and 1.1 assists per game.[13]

Vodanovich was initially set to re-join the Sharks in 2020,[17] but due to the coronavirus pandemic, the planned 2020 season was initially suspended and then modified into a small-scale, quick-fire format. As a result, the Sharks declined to enter the rejigged competition.[18] Vodanovich was subsequently acquired by the Manawatu Jets[19] and went on to claim the New Zealand NBL Most Valuable Player Award as well as All-Star Five honours.[20] He then went on to lead the Jets to the NBL final,[21][22] where they lost 79–77 to the Otago Nuggets despite Vodanovich's game-high 24 points.[23][24]

National team career

In 2012, Vodanovich played for the Junior Tall Blacks at the FIBA Oceania Under-18 Championship and the Albert Schweitzer Tournament.[1][25] He made his debut for the Tall Blacks in 2018.[26]

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References
  1. "Thomas James Vodanovich". fiba.com. Archived from the original on 8 September 2015.
  2. "Tom Vodanovich". sharksbasketball.co.nz. Archived from the original on 27 July 2020.
  3. "Tom Vodanovich". jmusports.com. Archived from the original on 27 July 2020.
  4. "Player statistics for Tom Vodanovich". NZNBL. Archived from the original on 27 July 2020.
  5. Barton, Tim (21 November 2012). "Vodanovich preps for US scholarship". Stuff.co.nz. Archived from the original on 27 July 2020.
  6. "Vodanovich off to college". Basketball.org.nz. 5 April 2013. Archived from the original on 22 January 2015.
  7. "Tom Vodanovich College Stats". sports-reference.com. Archived from the original on 27 July 2020.
  8. Perry, James (6 December 2018). "Tom Vodanovich enjoying his basketball ride". teaomaori.news. Archived from the original on 27 July 2020.
  9. "Southland Sharks sign another player for 2018 National Basketball League campaign". Stuff.co.nz. 4 December 2017. Archived from the original on 27 July 2020.
  10. Anderson, Niall (5 August 2018). "Basketball: Southland Sharks beat Wellington Saints in superb final to win NBL title". nzherald.co.nz. Archived from the original on 5 August 2018.
  11. "NZ Breakers Confirm Development Players". NBL.com.au. 23 August 2018. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  12. "BREAKERS CONFIRM DEVELOPMENT PLAYERS FOR UPCOMING ANBL SEASON". laceylowdown.com. 23 August 2018. Archived from the original on 27 July 2020.
  13. "Tom Vodanovich". RealGM.com. Archived from the original on 27 July 2020.
  14. "AUDIO - Vodanovich back for second season". sharksbasketball.co.nz. 10 November 2018. Archived from the original on 27 July 2020.
  15. "Tom Vodanovich's Life-Changing Birthday Gift from Dillon Boucher". nzbreakers.basketball. 4 August 2019. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  16. "Breakers Sign Scotty Hopson, Change Coaching Structure". NBL.com.au. 31 July 2019. Retrieved 27 July 2020. As a signal to the Breakers commitment to developing New Zealand talent, Shamir has also presented a contract to Tall Blacks and Southland Sharks Power Forward Tom Vodanovich who celebrated his 25th birthday on Monday.
  17. "Tom Vodanovich re-signs with Southland Sharks for 2020 season". Stuff.co.nz. 6 December 2019. Archived from the original on 27 July 2020.
  18. "2020 Update - Sharks confirm NBL plans". sharksbasketball.co.nz. 16 May 2020. Archived from the original on 16 May 2020.
  19. Egan, Brendon (11 June 2020). "Otago Nuggets select Jordan Ngatai first in NBL Showdown draft". Stuff.co.nz. Archived from the original on 11 June 2020.
  20. "TOM VODANOVICH WINS SKYCITY MVP AT SAL'S NBL AWARDS DINNER". nznbl.basketball. 26 July 2020. Archived from the original on 27 July 2020.
  21. "JETS BLAST THEIR WAY INTO GRAND FINAL AS AIRS RUN OUT OF PUFF". nznbl.basketball. 30 July 2020. Archived from the original on 30 July 2020.
  22. Hinton, Marc (30 July 2020). "Sal's NBL Showdown: Otago Nuggets' golden run continues; Manawatu Jets also into final". Stuff.co.nz. Archived from the original on 30 July 2020.
  23. "NUGGETS STRIKE GOLD IN SAL'S NBL SHOWDOWN". nznbl.basketball. 1 August 2020. Archived from the original on 1 August 2020.
  24. Hinton, Marc (1 August 2020). "Sal's NBL Showdown: Otago Nuggets grab first title as they shade Manawatu Jets in thriller". Stuff.co.nz. Archived from the original on 1 August 2020.
  25. Barton, Tim (30 May 2012). "Vodanovich on eve of soaring bball career". Stuff.co.nz. Archived from the original on 27 July 2020.
  26. "Tom Vodanovich". nz.basketball. Archived from the original on 27 July 2020.
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