Thomas James Vodanovich (born 28 July 1994) is a New Zealand professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

player for the

Auckland Tuatara Auckland Tuatara may refer to: * Auckland Tuatara (baseball) * Auckland Tuatara (basketball) {{Disambiguation ...

of the New Zealand National Basketball League (NZNBL). He played

college basketball College basketball is basketball that is played by teams of Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. In the Higher education in the United States, United States, colleges and universities are governed by collegiate athle ...

in the United States for the

James Madison Dukes The James Madison Dukes are the college sports in the United States, intercollegiate athletics teams that represent James Madison University (JMU), in Harrisonburg, Virginia. The name "Dukes" is derived from Samuel Page Duke, the university's se ...

between 2013 and 2017 before having a two-year stint with the

New Zealand Breakers The New Zealand Breakers (also known as the Bank of New Zealand, BNZ Breakers for sponsorship reasons) are a New Zealand professional basketball team based in Auckland. The Breakers are the only non-Australian side currently competing in Austral ...

of the Australian National Basketball League (NBL). He joined the

Sydney Kings The Sydney Kings are an Australian men's professional basketball team competing in the National Basketball League (Australia), National Basketball League (NBL). The team is based in Sydney, New South Wales, and play their home games at Qudos Ba ...

in 2021 and won an NBL championship in 2022. He won a second NBL championship with the

Tasmania JackJumpers The Tasmania JackJumpers are an Australian professional basketball team based in Hobart, Tasmania, who entered the National Basketball League (NBL) in the 2021–22 season, and play their home games at MyState Bank Arena and the Silverdome. T ...

in 2024. In 2020, he was named the New Zealand NBL MVP playing for the

Manawatu Jets The Manawatu Jets are a New Zealand professional men's basketball team based in Palmerston North. The Jets compete in the National Basketball League (NBL) and play their home games at Central Energy Trust Arena. For sponsorship reasons, they ...

Early life

Vodanovich was born in

Wellington Wellington is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the third-largest city in New Zealand (second largest in the North Island ...

and attended St Patrick's College. In

2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...

, he made his debut in the New Zealand NBL when he played 37 seconds for the

Wellington Saints The Wellington Saints are a New Zealand professional men's basketball team based in Wellington. The Saints compete in the National Basketball League (NBL) and play their home games at TSB Bank Arena. For sponsorship reasons, they are known as ...

against the

Southland Sharks The Southland Sharks are a New Zealand professional men's basketball team based in Invercargill. The Sharks compete in the National Basketball League (NBL) and play their home games at Stadium Southland. For sponsorship reasons, they are know ...

on 22 March. In January 2013, Vodanovich moved to the United States to attend prep school at SPIRE Institute in

Geneva, Ohio Geneva is a city in northwestern Ashtabula County, Ohio, United States. The population was 5,924 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Cleveland metropolitan area, northeast of Cleveland. The area which would become Geneva was originally se ...

. He played for the basketball programme through to the spring break and averaged 18.5 points, 12 rebounds and two blocks per game.

College career

In April 2013, Vodanovich committed to attending

James Madison University James Madison University (JMU, Madison, or James Madison) is a public university, public research university in Harrisonburg, Virginia, United States. Founded in 1908, the institution was renamed in 1938 in honor of the fourth president of the ...

Harrisonburg, Virginia Harrisonburg is an independent city (United States), independent city in the Shenandoah Valley region of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. It is also the county seat of the surrounding Rockingham Cou ...

. As a freshman with the

Dukes Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of Royal family, royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and above sovereign princes. As royalty or nobi ...

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 Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

. 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. 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. He scored a season-high 17 points against UNCW on 13 February 2016. 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. He recorded a career-high 13 rebounds in a win against Longwood on 3 December 2016. He went on to match his career high for points with 18 in a loss against

Western Michigan West Michigan and Western Michigan are terms for a region in the U.S. state of Michigan's Lower Peninsula. Generally, it refers to the Grand Rapids- Muskegon-Holland area, and more broadly to most of the region along the Lower Peninsula's Lake ...

a week later. Vodanovich graduated from James Madison with a degree in Sports and Recreation Management.

Professional career

In December 2017, Vodanovich signed with the

for the

2018 New Zealand NBL season The 2018 NBL season was the 37th season of the National Basketball League. In 2018, the league welcomed back the Manawatu Jets after a two-season hiatus. The regular season commenced on Thursday 26 April in Napier with the Hawke's Bay Hawks ...

. He helped the Sharks reach the NBL final, where they defeated the

98–96 to win the

championship In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion. Championship systems Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship. Title match system In this sys ...

. In 20 games, he averaged 7.2 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game. In August 2018, Vodanovich joined the

as a development player for the 2018–19 NBL season. He made one appearance for the Breakers during the season. Vodanovich returned to the Sharks in

2019 This was the year in which the first known human case of COVID-19 was documented, preceding COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic which was declared by the World Health Organization the following year. Up to that point, 2019 had been described as ...

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. In July 2019, Vodanovich signed a one-year deal with the Breakers to join the full-time squad for the

2019–20 NBL season The 2019–20 NBL season was the 42nd season of the National Basketball League since its establishment in 1979. The Perth Wildcats became champions. They drew an average home attendance of 12,974, the highest in the 2019–20 NBL season. Team ...

. He appeared in 23 games and averaged 1.9 points and 1.1 assists per game. Vodanovich was initially set to re-join the Sharks in

2020 The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...

, but due to the

coronavirus pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

, 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. Vodanovich was subsequently acquired by the

and went on to claim the

New Zealand NBL Most Valuable Player Award The National Basketball League Most Valuable Player (MVP) is an annual National Basketball League (NBL) award given since the 2003 New Zealand NBL season to the best performing player of the regular season. At the end of each season, the player ...

as well as All-Star Five honours. He then went on to lead the Jets to the NBL final, where they lost 79–77 to the

Otago Nuggets The Otago Nuggets are a New Zealand professional men's basketball team based in Dunedin. The Nuggets compete in the National Basketball League (NBL) and play their home games at the Edgar Centre. For sponsorship reasons, they are known as the ...

despite Vodanovich's game-high 24 points. In 16 games, he averaged 22.4 points, 10.2 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.1 steals per game. On 18 September 2020, Vodanovich signed with BBC Telstar Hesper of the

Total League The Nationale 1 Hommes, officially named the Luxembourg Basketball League (LBBL), is the highest men's basketball league in Luxembourg. The league's governing body is Fédération Luxembourgeoise de Basketball (FLBB).Luxembourg Luxembourg, officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, is a landlocked country in Western Europe. It is bordered by Belgium to the west and north, Germany to the east, and France on the south. Its capital and most populous city, Luxembour ...

. He appeared in three games for Telstar before their season was cut short due to

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

. On 2 January 2021, Vodanovich signed with the

of the Australian NBL as an injury replacement for Xavier Cooks. In 36 games during the 2020–21 season, he averaged 5.0 points and 2.4 rebounds per game. He then joined the Auckland Huskies for the

2021 New Zealand NBL season The 2021 NBL season was the 40th season of the National Basketball League. As a result of the modified, COVID-affected 2020 season, three of the top four teams in 2019 (Wellington Saints, Hawke's Bay Hawks and Southland Sharks) did not compete. ...

. On 27 June 2021, Vodanovich re-signed with the Kings for the

2021–22 NBL season The 2021–22 NBL season was the 44th season of the National Basketball League since its establishment in 1979. A total of ten teams contested the 2021–22 season, which commenced on 3 December 2021. Australian broadcast rights to the season ...

. He helped the Kings win the NBL championship and then joined the Wellington Saints for the

2022 New Zealand NBL season The 2022 NBL season was the 41st season of the National Basketball League. For the second year in a row, the league fielded 10 teams, with the only changes being the rebrand of the Auckland Huskies to Auckland Tuatara and Taranaki Mountainairs t ...

. On 29 May 2022, Vodanovich signed a two-year deal with the New Zealand Breakers, returning to the franchise for a second stint. He helped the Breakers reach the grand final series in

2022–23 The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen ...

. Following the NBL season, he had a one-game stint with

Converge FiberXers The Converge FiberXers are a professional basketball team owned by Converge ICT. The team competes in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). The franchise began after acquiring the former Alaska Aces franchise on March 23, 2022. History ...

of the

Philippine Basketball Association The Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) is a men's professional basketball league in the Philippines, composed of twelve company-branded Franchising, franchise teams. Founded in 1975, it is the first professional basketball league in Asia ...

(PBA) and then re-joined the Wellington Saints for the

2023 New Zealand NBL season The 2023 NBL season was the 42nd season of the National Basketball League. For the third year in a row, the league fielded 10 teams. The regular season commenced on 6 April in Pukekohe, with the Franklin Bulls hosting the Hawke's Bay Hawks at F ...

. On 21 June 2023, Vodanovich was released from his contract by the Breakers. Vodanovich re-joined the Converge FiberXers as the team's import for the 2023–24 PBA Commissioner's Cup. He was released by the team on 5 December 2023 after averaging 20.8 points, 12.4 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.2 steals in five games. On 5 January 2024, Vodanovich signed with the

for the rest of the

2023–24 NBL season The 2023–24 NBL season was the 46th season of the National Basketball League since its establishment in 1979. A total of ten teams contested in the 2023–24 season. Australian broadcast rights to the season are held by ESPN in the third seas ...

. The JackJumpers went on to reach the grand final series, where they defeated

Melbourne United Melbourne United is an Australian professional basketball team based in Melbourne, Victoria. United compete in the National Basketball League (NBL) and play their home games at John Cain Arena. The team made their debut in the NBL in 1984 ...

3–2 to win the championship. Vodanovich missed game five of the series after returning to New Zealand for his wedding. Vodanovich joined the

Auckland Tuatara Auckland Tuatara may refer to: * Auckland Tuatara (baseball) * Auckland Tuatara (basketball) {{Disambiguation ...

for the

2024 New Zealand NBL season The 2024 NBL season was the 43rd season of the National Basketball League. The competition increased to 11 teams in 2024 with the Tauranga Whai joining the league for the first time. The 2024 season saw the return of a pre-season blitz for the ...

, returning to the franchise for a second stint. On 25 June 2024, Vodanovich signed with the

South East Melbourne Phoenix The South East Melbourne Phoenix are an Australian professional basketball team based in the south–eastern Melbourne suburb of Wantirna South, Victoria. The Phoenix entered the National Basketball League (NBL) in the 2019–20 season. The t ...

for the

2024–25 NBL season The 2024–25 NBL season was the 47th season of the National Basketball League since its establishment in 1979. A total of ten teams contested in the 2024–25 season. The league extended its partnership with ESPN Australia. All games are availa ...

. He re-joined the Tuatara for the

2025 New Zealand NBL season The 2025 NBL season is the 44th season of the National Basketball League. The competition increased to 12 teams in 2025 with the debut of the Indian Panthers, but later decreased to 11 teams in May following the withdrawal of the Panthers. The ...

National team career

In 2012, Vodanovich played for the Junior Tall Blacks at the

FIBA Oceania Under-18 Championship The FIBA U17 Oceania Cup, formerly the FIBA Under-17 Oceania Championship, is an international junior men's basketball tournament in the FIBA Oceania zone, inaugurated in 2002. The current champions are Australia men's national under-19 basketba ...

and the

Albert Schweitzer Tournament The DBB Albert Schweitzer Tournament (, abbreviated as AST), full name DBB Albert Schweitzer World Under-18 Tournament (), is an international basketball competition that is played between national teams of the Under-18 men's age category. It t ...

. He made his debut for the

Tall Blacks The New Zealand men's national basketball team () represents New Zealand in international basketball competitions. The team is governed by Basketball New Zealand. The team's official nickname is the Tall Blacks (). Over their history, New Zeal ...

in 2018. He joined the Tall Blacks for qualifiers in February 2024.

Personal life

Vodanovich and his wife Jade have a daughter.

References

External links

NBL profileJames Madison Dukes bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vodanovich, Tom 1994 births Living people Auckland Huskies players Auckland Tuatara basketball players Converge FiberXers players James Madison Dukes men's basketball players Manawatu Jets players New Zealand Breakers players New Zealand expatriate basketball people in the Philippines New Zealand expatriate basketball people in the United States New Zealand men's basketball players People educated at St Patrick's College, Wellington Philippine Basketball Association imports Power forwards South East Melbourne Phoenix players Southland Sharks players Basketball players from Wellington City Sydney Kings players Tasmania JackJumpers players Wellington Saints players 21st-century New Zealand sportsmen