Career: Cibona Zagreb (youth team), Zabok (Croatia-A-2, 2001-02), Sanac Karlovac (Croatia-A-2, 2002-03), Cibona Zagreb (Croatia, 2003-06), Milwaukee Bucks (USA-NBA, 2006-07). Selected in the second round of the 2006 NBA draft (#59), by the San Antonio Spurs. Rights traded to Milwaukee

---

For some basketball fans, the name Markota came out of nowhere a year or so ago, but that's only because the Sarajevo native was struggling with some serious family issues which led him to change his last name from Omerhodzic to his mothers surname Markota.  Markota could be a big part of the future of Croatian basketball but after a solid 2005-06 season in Cibona, he went to Milwaukee probably a bit too soon and didn’t get a chance to show his skills.  He wanted to play so much that the Bucks sent him to the NBDL where he played in just 10 games and averaged 10.6 points and 4.8 rebounds in 30 minutes per game.  After his first NBA/NBDL season he is physically stronger at 118 kg but has lost confidence. Despite his height, Markota is an excellent long range shooter. He has good footwork, a terrific first step and a huge vertical leap (about 90 cm!). He is also a very good rebounder.  His weakest point tends to be his mental toughness and attitude. Markota was born in Sarajevo but quickly moved to Sweden because of the war and only returned to Croatia when he was 14. He was the top-scorer (18.3 ppg) and rebounder (10.8 rpg) at the 2005 U20 European Championship in Russia.