Progrums

Euro Pro Joins Plains: Auburn’s New Lithuanian Dynamo

Auburn’s offseason overhaul continues as Lithuanian guard Mantas Rubštavičius, a seasoned pro from stints in Lithuania, the NBL, EuroCup and EuroLeague, has pledged to join Steven Pearl’s 2026 roster. He’s the third international addition after French big Narcisse Ngoy and follows transfers like Big Ten Freshman of the Year Owen Freeman, 7-foot-1 Bukky Oboye, and Vanderbilt’s George Kimble. Despite losing talents such as Sebastian Williams-Adams, Filip Jović, and Emeka Oporum, Auburn retains stars like Tahaad Pettiford and Kevin Overton. Pearl’s blueprint blends overseas experience with homegrown promise in hopes of forging chemistry and mounting a deep NCAA Tournament run under the expanded format.

In the grand tradition of college basketball mercenaries, Auburn has just signed the international free-agent equivalent of a Swiss Army knife—only it’s more like a Lithuanian chainsaw. Mantas Rubštavičius arrives in Alabama after slicing and dicing defenses across three continents, so the Tigers are basically outfitting their bench with a global demolition squad. Sure, chemistry might be tricky when your point guard is still jet-lagged from the EuroLeague finals, but why settle for a smoothie when you can have an eight-course buffet of ringers? Coach Steven Pearl’s plan is simple: assemble so many imported parts that opposing teams will need Google Translate just to figure out who they’re guarding. If they jell, Auburn could cook up a March surprise. If not, well, at least the mascot will have someone exotic to chat with between timeouts.