TOBEY Mike

General
REPRESENTING SLOVENIA
He was part of the United States of America team that won gold at the 2013 U19 World Championship in the Czech Republic. He obtained a Slovenian passport in 2021 and represented the nation at the Men's Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Kaunas, Lithuania, where Slovenia secured a spot for Tokyo 2020. "I definitely didn't think that playing for Team USA would be a possibility. For me, it was always a dream to be part of the Olympics but I never thought it was realistic. Growing up in the States I didn't even really think I would even be in Europe and living here for so many years. It's something I didn't even think as a kid. So now [speaking in 2021], why not? Why wouldn't I be with another country's national team? I'm going with the flow. Enjoying the ride. The guys on the [Slovenian] team call me Miha more now, to be honest. Miha is my Slovenian name. [My parents] are going to hang the Slovenian flag outside the house [in the United States of America] during the whole Olympic tournament. Our neighbours are going to be confused but it's great." (eurohoops.net, 15 Jun 2021)

PLAYING OVERSEAS
In 2016 he signed for NBA side the Charlotte Hornets as a free agent, and spent the majority of the 2016/17 season with the Greensboro Swarm in the G League. In 2017 he moved to Spain and has since played with Canarias and Valencia. "The G League was great for the first year, and obviously I was lucky enough to get the opportunity to get the [NBA] call-ups. I just didn't think going forward that that would be the best option for me as a big guy, and ever since I came to Spain, I fell in love with it too. I could honestly see myself living over here, even after basketball. It's funny, because in the States I'm definitely not the most athletic guy, but over here, for a [centre] I'm very mobile. I've lost a little bit of weight since college, too. So mostly I play pick and roll and I shoot threes. So, basically everything I didn't do at the University of Virginia, that's what I do here. You won't see the pure one-on-one talent [in Europe], but it takes a really specific set of skills to play here." (virginiasports.com, 19 Mar 2021)