Inside Timo Malovec’s rise: Miami freshman thriving after transition from European pro ball

The professional nature of college basketball is something that Miami Hurricanes freshman forward Timo Malovec is used to.

As a 17-year-old native of Slovakia, Malovec moved from his home country to Serbia in pursuit of greater professional basketball opportunities. No flash. No garnering social media engagement. He simply made the best decision for his future. Malovec treated his move to Miami this offseason the same way.

“I mean, I finished high school [and] went straight into professional life, so I took [joining Miami] as a new professional club for me, basically,” Malovec told CaneSport. “This is my job.”

Days after receiving an offer and talking on the phone with head coach Jai Lucas and associate coach Erik Pastrana, Malovec signed with the Hurricanes. He previously knew of the school and of course the city, but Malovec did not visit Miami until he arrived on campus to enroll in school during the summer. 

His decision to play for the Canes boiled down to the development he’d receive from Lucas and his staff.

“When I got the offer [from Miami], it was the first thing that popped up, was the development part,” Malovec said. “It was probably the biggest goal for me to develop as a player individually because my role in Europe was somewhat limited. I just wanted to expand as a player. I wanted to get a bigger role, which I got here.”

As for how he adjusted to life in the United States?

“It’s just a different city, different language. I knew English, so I wasn’t really afraid,” Malovec said. “I knew that the weather’s gonna be amazing, so I didn’t have to pack a jacket; that was one thing I was really happy about, like I knew I was gonna be able to walk in slides and shorts all year. It wasn’t really a big difference for me. It’s just a new city, new people, new culture. You adjust.”

Transitioning from basketball at the international level to the college ranks wasn’t as seamless for Malovec. In fact, his first practice at Miami made him feel sick.

“I almost puked my first practice. I remember, I was done after 15 minutes,” Malovec said. “The drills are shorter, but it’s more intense. The breaks are shorter, where you have to sprint to get your water. Overall, the practice time is shorter. It’s more intense. Physicality is on a higher level with the speed of the game, so it took me some time to adjust to the game.”

The pace of practice isn’t the only major difference between international and college basketball. Compared to the players overseas, college athletes play a style of basketball that is more reliant on individual abilities than team cohesion. Malovec noted that the playbooks he had to study in Serbia included up to 80 different plays – far more than in the U.S., where coaches often let their players read and react to how defenses are guarding them.

It took time for Malovec to get adjusted to a more free-flowing version of the sport he has played since he was six years old, but his confidence has grown throughout the season.

“I went from structure, structure, structure, where you know where you stand every second, and what your movement is to more of a basketball where everyone moves freely and you just flow off of each other … I was kind of struggling with that,” he said. “I couldn’t really find my plays [during the] first few games, but I think I got it, and it’s gonna get better.”

As the Hurricanes have dealt with injuries, Malovec’s playing time has increased over the last two games, and he’s taken advantage of the opportunity. Malovec scored a season-high 16 points in 31 minutes in Miami’s most recent game against Southern Miss. He jolted Miami’s offense with his perimeter shooting, as he drained four of his 10 attempts from deep.

Miami, winners of five of its last six games, will continue leaning on Malovec’s three-point shooting ability as the team heads into ACC play with NCAA Tournament aspirations.