Saric already offering Euroleague glimpses of greatness

REGENSBURG (David Hein's Eye on the Future) - The name Dario Saric is no secret for those following international youth basketball.

The native of Sibenik helped Croatia to the gold medal at the U16 European Championship in 2010 – the nation’s second cadet after 1995 title and only fourth youth gold following U18 crowns in 1996 and 2002.

Saric's KK Zagreb team then took the NIJT title at the Euroleague Final Four as he registered a triple-double in the final.

This past summer, the 17-year-old averaged a double-double (18.1 points and 10.1 rebounds) to go along with 3.4 assists at the FIBA U19 World Championship - against competition two years older than him.

In the first game of the tournament, Saric threw down 22 points and 11 rebounds as Croatia knocked off eventual champions Lithuania.

He also had 17 points, eight rebounds and four steals in a victory over the USA later in the tournament.

Saric then missed the U18 European Championship due to a back problem before shining at the FIBA Europe U18 All-Star Game in Lithuania.

But for those basketball fans who don’t follow youth competitions during the summer, they are already catching a glimpse of the future as Saric is playing a big role for Zagreb in the Euroleague this season.

Zagreb coach Vladomir Androic, who replaced Ivan Buric just over a week before the start of the Euroleague campaign, wasn’t sure exactly just how to use his über-talent in the team’s opener at Brose Baskets Bamberg with Saric collecting six rebounds and a steal with three turnovers in 10 minutes.

But Androic increased the teenager's responsibilities in the following two games – against none other than reigning Euroleague champions Panathinaikos and heavy 2011-12 favorites CSKA Moscow.
 
In both games, Saric undoubtedly proved that he deserves the minutes. Taking a detailed look at him in those contests – both blowout losses for Zagreb – there are plenty of examples of why he belongs in the Euroleague despite his tender age.

In the early stages against Panathinaikos, he got to the foul line by driving past Euroleague champion Romain Sato. He then tried unsuccessfully to draw a charge against 6-foot-11 Aleks Maric.

Of course, this is Pana so Saric was victimised by their pick-and-roll and he couldn’t get his inside basket over three-time Euroleague champ Mike Batiste.

But the 6-foot-10 Saric moves very well without the ball and finds open spaces well. He is also a great passer with the ability to handle the ball extremely well for a player his size.

A couple of times on offense his teammates missed him when he was open.

On defense, he relentlessly gets back in transition – too often as the only player doing so for Zagreb in their first two games. He also did not shy away from taking on the assignment of guarding Euroleague superstar Dimitris Diamantidis.

But Saric is a youngster. After turning the ball, he left his man wide open behind the three-point line as he looked to help on defense from the weak side. And he was swiped by Diamantidis for a breakaway dunk.
 
Still the passion was there – he dived on the floor for a loose ball in front of the Panathinaikos bench despite his team being down 46-22.

Saric was taken out midway through the third quarter and did not play in the fourth, ending with misleadingly subpar numbers (three points, five rebounds and five turnovers) in 19 minutes.

That game seemed to give him plenty more confidence for Wednesday’s clash with CSKA Moscow.

With NBA superstar Andrei Kirilenko guarding him, Saric missed his first shot and committed a turnover early on. But he settled down quickly, finding Mario Kasun with a beautiful no-look pass and then hitting a three-ball from the top of the circle with the shot clock winding down.

Again, it is also a learning experience for the youngster. He drove past Kirilenko but the crafty veteran knew his defensive help was there and Viktor Khryapa stepped in to draw the charge.

Kirilenko then hit a long NBA three-pointer from the right wing and later leaned into an off-balance Saric to get to the foul line – teaching the teenager how to work the refs.

Saric, however, remained resilient, cutting backdoor on the CSKA defense and dishing to Kasun, but the big man was unable to convert the assist.

He later blocked Kirilenko’s shot in the lane and with even more confidence drove right past the one-time NBA All-Star, finding a wide open Kasun who proceeded to miss the jumper.

Despite his team being down by more than 25 points in the third quarter, Saric was once again alone in transition defense but feared not going up and tried to block Khryapa in a 2-on-1 breakaway.

Again, Saric was pulled after 26 minutes for the rest of the game with untelling numbers (three points, five rebounds, one assist, one block and three turnovers) in 19 minutes of action.

Those looking at his numbers after three games may think Saric has not really played well.

But the 17-year-old is already one of the team’s best players. And it remains scary to think how good he will be.

But it’s also a joy considering how many more years we all get to watch him.

David Hein

FIBA