FAU Men’s Basketball: Owls snag 7’0 international recruit

FAU Men’s Basketball made their first roster move in 9 days on Sunday morning, as the Owls went back overseas, landing a commit from 7 ‘1 Lithuanian center Matas Vokietaitis. The 19 year old played for Zalgiris Kaunas in the Lithuanian basketball league, mainly for their second affiliate team, where he averaged 12.5 points 8.6 rebounds and 0.8 Assists across 41 games this past season, while also making 1 appearance for their main team.

Zalgiris Kaunas is a top pro basketball organization in Lithuania, and it has produced 30+ euro league players, 2 NBA players, and relevant to FAU, Owls commit Mantas Kocanas an 18-year-old, 6 ’11 center also from Lithuania has been suiting up for the club’s youth team.

Vokietaitis comes in with 65 games of total experience across 3 years in their program, while also suiting up for the Lithuanian National team in FIBA competition. That experience, combined with his natural ability will make him a candidate to play day 1 for the Owls.

He’s also a 19-year-old freshman, and combining the ability to contribute on the court, alongside working on building out his frame off the court, makes him someone with serious potential. His paint presence and mobility down low is strong for a freshman and in terms of comparisons, he has the potential to play a Vlad Goldin role down low for the Owls.

FAU fans may be able to see Vokietaitis in action over the summer in U20 international action for Team Lithuania, last year he competed in the FIBA U20 European Championship and played 17 minutes across 6 games, with a high of 5 points, 2 rebounds and a steal against Croatia in the group phase.

Vokietaitis and Kocanas are currently the only typical centers on the roster for the Owls and are setting up to be a headache for opposing front courts across the nation, as their athleticism and size will give them a serious advantage over slower and less coordinated defenders.

With currently 2 scholarships remaining the Owls will be looking to target a backup point guard and possibly another big man. Although both Lithuanian recruits come in with the ability to play immediately, they both lack D1 experience, and adding another big man to the front court with NCAA experience could set the Owls up for a really solid unit between those 2, Tre Carroll, and a potential recruit. Expect to see some moves in the coming weeks for FAU, as the Owls will look to fill their roster before June 1st and set everything in stone before diving into summer practice.