Men's Basketball Adds Croatian Forward

MIAMI SHORES, Fla. -- Barry University men's basketball program announced the signing of 6-foot-7, 220-pound forward Filip Toric.

Toric, who hails from Zagreb, Croatia, spent last season at Southwestern Oklahoma State, an NCAA Division II school where he averaged 7.8 points and 4.9 rebounds per game, while starting in 12 of 29 contests. Toric shot 44.9 percent from the field and 32.9 percent from three-point range, and was third on the team in assists with 64. He averaged 26 minutes per game.

"Filip brings in a very well-rounded skill set, as well as a great deal of success from his previous schools," Buccaneers assistant coach Ryan Saunders said. "Last year, he was a key contributor on a very solid team that made it to the NCAA Regional final. We can definitely use his maturity and experience to our advantage. Our goal each year is to get to the NCAA Tournament. He's already had a taste of what it's like to go deep into the NCAA Tournament, and hopefully our guys will feed off of that."

Toric, a business management major, spent the first two years of his collegiate career at State Fair Community College in Missouri, where both his freshman and sophomore teams posted 20-win seasons. He averaged 5.6 points and 4.8 boards, helping SFCC advance to the region championship game.

He played for his country's national team, and his high school squad competed for a national championship.

"He gives us another guy with some size who can play multiple positions, and who can stretch the floor with his shooting ability," Saunders said. "He is also a very good passer, so that should fit in perfectly with our style of play."