Men's Basketball | 7/24/2019 8:30:00 PM
MIAMI SHORES, Fla. -- Barry University men's basketball coach
Butch Estes announced the signing of Tomas Mikyska from the Czech Republic on Wednesday.Â
"We are very fortunate to find a player with the versatility of Tomas," Estes said. "We were very aggressive in our recruitment of Tomas after he de-committed from a Top-10 DII program. We were on the phone non-stop and were very aggressive in his recruitment. Even as a freshman, he will be given the opportunity to compete for playing time like all of our players," Estes added. "The academy that he is coming from is known for helping Europeans adjust to the pace and style of play in the states."
Mikyska, is a 6-foot-7, 215-pound forward from the Czech Republic who played last year at Get Better Academy (GBA)* averaging 13.0 PPG while shooting a team high 69 percent and pulling down a team-leading 8 RPG. The incoming freshman was one-of-two players to have played in all 27 games for a team that finished 24-3 and won the U-19 championship of the first men's league in the Czech Republic. Unlike the U.S. with high school teams offering sports, the Czech Republic largely consists of amateur athletes playing for academies or private organizations. Mikyska has also been on the Czech Republic's U-16 and U-18 national team roster.
"For someone like me on the other side of the world to have the opportunity to come to the United States and play basketball, it means everything to me," Mikyska said. "It has been a long journey and I could not have achieved it without my family who supported me the entire way. I have such a great desire to get better and I couldn't be happier to be a part of such a great basketball program in a beautiful location with a respected academic reputation like Barry University does."
*GBA is a private international basketball academy in Central Europe, which through effective training programs specializes in maximizing the basketball potential of its players. Their mission is to individually develop players and based on their goals provide them with opportunities to either sign a professional contract or receive a full scholarship to an American University.
TOMAS PARTICIPATING IN THE BELGRADE SLAM DUNK CONTEST
