ZAGREB (Basketball Champions League) – He will turn only 20 in January, but Ante Toni Zizic is already making the headlines. The 19-year-old center of Group D contenders Cibona Zagreb had a massive game against MZT Skopje Aerodrom in the ABA League at the weekend, scoring 37 points while also grabbing 20 rebounds.

For at least a game, Zizic looked like his childhood hero.

“For me, Dino Radja was always a role model. He was Croatia’s most powerful center, he was the kind of player that could do it all on the court. I have never met him, I was just a kid when Dino returned to Split (in 2003) and played with my brother Andrija. But I still have his jersey from his playing days at Panathinaikos,” Zizic said last year in an interview for the FIBA Europe Cup website.

The younger of the Zizic brothers started his career at KK Split, just as Dino Radja had done. Dino later had a brief stint with Cibona, Ante’s current club. And the future holds even more links between the two, as Zizic was drafted by Radja’s former NBA club, the Boston Celtics, in the 2016 NBA Draft.

"We got used to the main players on a team being 24, 25… But that doesn’t mean Ante cannot lead Cibona just because he is 19." - Dino Radja

“They are a fantastic club, and they seem to have a thing for players from Croatia. It wasn't just me, Stojko (Vrankovic) was also there, and a number of other players. There is no need to rush for Ante, I believe he made a smart choice by staying in Europe for another season. He needs to become NBA ready, otherwise it would be really hard for him to earn his playing time overseas”, said Radja.

The former double European champion with Jugoplastika and double FIBA EuroBasket winner handed a piece of advice to the youngster.

“I don’t like it when people give advice over the media, but Ante has to realize that he needs to keep working hard every day. Players can forget about hard work when they sign their first big contract or earn their first pay-check, but that’s not how it goes in this world. It is not about the contract and the money. Just keep working hard, and bigger things will come”, Radja added.

Dino is back with the Croatian national team, working as a president of an advisory board for the Croatian basketball federation. The 49-year-old sounded surprised when he learned that he was Ante’s basketball hero.

“That’s a big compliment for me. I hope we will finally meet over the summer, as Ante will become an important piece in our four-year Olympic cycle of the national team. I don’t think he is too young to be the leader on the court, why would he be? We got used to the main players of the team being 24, 25… But that doesn’t mean Ante cannot lead Cibona just because he is 19”, Radja explained.

Ante’s brother Andrija Zizic played alongside Radja, but Dino sees no relation between the Zizic brothers on the court. Ante is a dunking type of a big man, and Andrija always had the soft shooting touch to burn the opponents from mid-range.

“They are completely different! Even though they are both centers, their playing styles are completely different”, said Radja. “Ante has a lot of qualities that I like in big guys, a lot of habits under the basket that are hard to find in today’s game. I watched him play a lot last season, he’s definitely a talented guy.

Dino’s words should give Zizic some extra motivation as Cibona prepare to draw the curtain on their Basketball Champions League campaign. On Tuesday, the Croats will face Group D rivals Iberostar Tenerife at Drazen Petrovic Basketball Center in Zagreb.