By Cesare Milanti / info@eurohoops.net
After spending three years in the NCAA with the Arizona Wildcats, particularly shining in the 2022-23 campaign with 19.8 points and 9.1 rebounds per game, the 21-year-old Lithuanian power forward Azuolas Tubelis is back in his home country.
Growing up in Rytas Vilnius’ youth system, he’s now back with the Lithuanian club, which plays in the Basketball Champions League. However, he will spend the season on loan to Neptunas Klaipeda, facing the red-and-black team in the LKL in a matter of days, on November 11.
He went undrafted in the 2023 NBA Draft but managed to join the Philadelphia 76ers for the Summer League. Azuolas Tubelis then signed a two-way contract with Philadelphia’s G-League affiliate, the Delaware Blue Coats, but was waived on October 25.
“We are proud that we managed to bring Azuolas [Tubelis] back to the family. He’s very young, he’s had a couple of great seasons in Arizona and he has all the data to become a top-level basketball player. We want him to play as many minutes as possible this season and get back into the rhythm of European basketball. Therefore, after consulting with the team, we decided to loan him to Neptunas”, the team’s sports director and assistant coach Georgios Dedas commented on his return.
In the official press release to communicate his return to Lithuania, Rytas Vilnius – which is currently winless in the 2023-24 Basketball Champions League Regular Season – welcomed a new silver sponsor in Hanner, one of the largest Lithuanian real estate development companies.
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PHOTO CREDIT: 2021 FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup