The talented guard spent most of the 2007 season sitting on the bench with little more than a few junk minutes to show for the hundreds of hours spent training and running drills against the starting five.
But that was three years ago. There will not be much chance for a sit-down this year, as the 24-year-old is returning to captain the franchise in its comeback season.
The Nuggets have re-entered the National Basketball League after a year out in 2009 and To'omata is under no illusions as to how tough the competition will be.
But the 1.87m-tall point guard, who had a stint with the Nelson Giants in 2008 and the Christchurch Cougars in 2009, is ready to do what it takes to help get Otago re-established.
"It is going to be a big challenge," he said. "But I like challenges and the guys do too.
"They like being pushed and you're not going to learn much from getting over a small hurdle.
"The games are going to be tough but there is nothing new about that.
"When I played for the Cougars we had a great line-up but every game was still tough.
"It is going to be one big dogfight."
While at the Giants and Cougars, To'omata was understudy to two of the best point guards in the league in Michael Fitchett and Paul Henare respectively.
"I knew that going to Nelson would be a huge learning curve for me," To'omata said.
"When I spoke to the coach, Chris Tupu, he said playing time would be limited.
"But if I wanted to make the next level I had to start getting my basketball IQ up and this is where it will start.
"And it did start there.
"I learnt how to train properly and learnt the game a lot better.
"I just couldn't get enough of it, and with the Cougars it was just how to implement everything I learnt."
To'omata's first season with the Nuggets was in 2005 under coach Bernd Kupka.
The season did not go too well for To'omata, or the Nuggets, so the young guard decided to try his luck at rugby.
He returned home to Southland and played in the centres.
He thought he would round out his sporting life playing the oval-ball code but returned to play for the Nuggets partway through the 2008 season and got a break with the Giants the following season.
While To'omata is new to captaincy, he feels comfortable with the role's demands and expects plenty of assistance from the likes of experienced guard Matt Gillan and American imports Antoine Tisby and Tyler Amaya.
But the rest of the camp has the green look of a development squad.
"We're not here to bide time and in three years' time be good," he said.
"We are going to play every game to win and if we don't have that attitude then what is the point in playing or being back in the league."
The Nuggets open their campaign against the highly rated North Harbour side in Auckland on Saturday.
