Dan Gadzuric is a National Basketball Association player who plays for the New Jersey Nets.
He is originally Den Haag, Holland. However, he attended high school in the United States at The Governor’s Academy in Byfield, Massachusetts. In his senior year of high school, he averaged 21 points per game, seven blocks and 17 rebounds per game, making him a prime candidate for colleges all over the United States.
He was instrumental in leading his team to State Class C championship. In addition to his high school basketball prowess, Gadzuric was a well-rounded athlete. He participated in both track and field and soccer, excelling in both.
College Career
After high school, Gadzuric decided to attend the University of California-Los Angeles where he majored in history. He played four years for the Bruins, and as a freshman he received Pac-10 All-Freshman honors.
He finished his college career with averages of 1.5 blocks, 10.5 points and 7.3 rebounds per game. He also achieved the second rank in UCLA history for blocks with a whopping 184 blocks. He was also eighth in rebounds and tied for eighth in field goal percentage with .594. As a senior, he was named Honorable Mention for the All-Pac-10 Team.
Entering the NBA
In 2002, Gadzuric was selected by the Milwaukee Bucks in the second round of the NBA draft, making him the 34th pick overall. In his rookie season, he averaged just 3.5 points per game and played in only 49 games, but he started in 30 of those games. This made him the first rookie since Ray Allen in 1996 to start for the Bucks.
He also became the first rookie to ever start on opening night for George Carl, the Bucks head coach. He also made his first career double-double and scored over ten points four times.Gadzuric’s second season with the Bucks showed some improvement.
He played in 75 games and achieved averages of 4 rebounds and 3.5 points per game. He also had a decent field goal percentage of 52.4. He also made two more double-doubles and blocked three or more shots in 17 games, showing his incredible defensive skill.
The next season presented with even more progress for Gadzuric. He started in all 81 games that he played in and averaged 7.3 points per game, his career high. He ranked 10th in the NBA for number of rebounds per game with an average of 8.3. He also led the team in rebounds in 40 games.
In the 2009-10 season, Gadzuric missed 11 games due to a strained left patellar tendon and was on the inactive list 28 times.