By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
In a natural step for Mantas Juzenas following impressive growth across the reserve teams of Zalgiris and the junior national teams of Lithuania, the 17-year-old forward inked a long-term contract with the team based in Kaunas.
Zalgiris officially signed Juzenas to a professional contract on Thursday.
“Playing for Zalgiris Kaunas has been my dream since childhood. My father and I used to go to the Kaunas Sports Hall. Signing a contract with Kaunas means a lot to me,” he commented.
Over the last two years, he played for Zalgiris in the Euroleague Basketball Next Generation Tournament. Last season, after averaging 18.2 points and 11.2 rebounds per contest, he was placed in the All-Tournament Team of the ANGT Qualifiers in Dubai.
Working his way up to the senior squad, Juzenas was promoted from the youth team to Zalgiris-3 two years ago. In 2023-24, he jumped to Zalgiris-2, producing 9.1 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 1.6 assists per contest over 16 appearances in the 7bet-NKL championship.
Representing Lithuania, he put up 2.8 points and 4.3 rebounds per contest en route to a gold medal in the 2022 FIBA U16 European Championship. In the 2023 FIBA U18 European Championship, he went for 9.6 points per game with his country ranking 11th in the final standings.
Projected among the key players of Lithuania for the 2024 FIBA U18 European Championship, the next challenge is a few weeks away. The tournament will be held in Tampere from July 27 to August 4.
Photo Credit: FIBA.BASKETBALL