The Maryland men's basketball team has made significant inroads in recruiting the Baltimore-Washington area since Mark Turgeon took over five years ago. The Terps have also made a strong connection to a program about 3,500 miles away.
For the second time in the past three years, Turgeon has signed a player from the Canarias Basketball Academy, located off the coast of Spain. Unlike rising junior center Michal Cekovsky, who is from Slovakia, 6-foot-9 forward Joshua Tomaic is actually from the Canary Islands.
Tomaic, who turned 18 in April, officially signed his national letter of intent with the Terps on Wednesday and joined four other incoming freshmen in a 2016 recruiting class that recently jumped into the top 10 nationally, according to a composite compiled by 247Sports.com.
"Joshua is a skilled and versatile forward with the ability to score inside and outside, while also possessing great feel and basketball IQ," Turgeon said in a statement released through Maryland's athletic department. "His great length helps him to be a good rebounder and effective defender."
Tomaic (pronounced toe-MY-itch), who has a 7-1 wingspan, averaged 19 points and 12 rebounds for the academy's U-18 team that finished fifth in Spain's national championships. He is the first player from the Canary Islands to sign with a top 25 Division I program in the United States.
"I'm excited to be going to the University of Maryland," Tomaic said in the statement. "I've followed college basketball for a long time, and I know Maryland is one of the best academic and athletic programs in America. I've seen video of how crazy their fans are at games, and I'm looking forward to playing at the Xfinity Center. Many international players have had success there and I know they are going to help me develop into the student, person, and player I want to become."
The Terps, who reached their scholarship limit of 13 with Tomaic's signing, will have four players from outside the U.S. on their roster. Along with Tomaic and Cekovsky, Maryland also has 6-9 redshirt sophomore forward Ivan Bender of Bosnia & Herzegovina and incoming freshman forward Justin Jackson of Canada.
Given Tomaic's age and relative inexperience, as well as the fact that the Terps have added Jackson, a 6-7 four-star forward, and 6-8 graduate transfer L.G. Gill to a frontcourt rotation that lost all three of its starters, there's a chance that Tomaic could be redshirted for a season as he acclimates himself to the American college game and to college itself.
On his Twitter page, Tomaic describes himself as a "small town kid with big city dreams."
A highlight tape of Tomaic shows his ability to put the ball on the floor as well as pull up outside the 3-point line.
Canarias Basketball Academy coach Sergio Salesa said in a story about Tomaic on the Spanish basketball website Kia en Zona.com, "His evolution during the last six months has been explosive. He has grown [as a player] a lot, so much so that schools that had passed [through] in the first months of the season and returned to visit us after Christmas did not believe he was the same boy they had seen during the preseason."
Said Turgeon, "Joshua's rapid development while at CBA is no surprise, as they are known for their excellent player development program. He has excelled there due to his extraordinary work ethic and high character. He's especially intriguing due to being young in relation to his recruiting class. We think he has a high ceiling in basketball, and we are eager to help him reach his potential. It's great for us to be able to welcome Joshua and his mom, Lili, to the Maryland basketball program."