Maric’s basketball journey will continue in Belgium

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Marin Maric throws down a dunk in DePaul’s preseason exhibition game. (Photo courtesy of DePaul Athletics)

Former DePaul Blue Demon basketball player Marin Maric will continue his basketball world tour.

Born in Split, Croatia, Maric journeyed to the United States to spend one season playing ball at prep powerhouse La Lumiere in La Porte, Ind. He then played three productive seasons at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, Ill. (plus a redshirt season where he played six games before breaking his foot) before venturing out to the big city to finish off his college career in Chicago with the DePaul Blue Demons. After a brief stop in Istanbul to begin his professional basketball career, Maric will now call yet another country his new home.

Maric has now signed to play for B.C. Oostende of the Belgium Professional Basketball League (PBL) the team announced on Tuesday. The club has won seven straight league championships dating back to the 2011-2012 season.

After finishing up his career at DePaul last May, Maric signed with Demir Insaat Buyukcekmece of the Turkish Basketball Super League (top tier league in Turkey). He signed late in the season and recorded a combined 10 points (4-for-8 from the field) and four rebounds in the two games where he saw playing time.

In his lone season at DePaul, Maric averaged 13.6 points per game on 55.4 percent from the field and grabbed 6.6 rebounds per game. He led the Blue Demons in player efficiency ratings (20.9) and true shooting percentages (63.0) among players who made appearances in at least five games last season. The Blue Demons were 1-2 this past season in games he missed due to injuries.

A force inside with his sturdy 6-foot-11-inch, 240-pound frame, Maric often dominated offensively with a medley of post moves in the paint and a flowery touch on his mid-range jumper. He scored over 20 points on six occasions this season with a season-high total of 25 points on Jan. 6 against St. John’s.