Texas adds international PG Mantas Laurencikas to 2026-27 roster
Sean Miller has once again tapped into the international market, picking up the commitment of Lithuanian point guard Mantas Laurencikas.
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Laurencikas is a 6’4″, 190-pound lead guard who has played in the European circuit since 2022, playing as a 15-year-old on the Lithuanian U18 basketball team Zalgiris Kaunas. By the end of the year, he had made it into the reserve team for the club as a 16-year-old, and won the U-16 European Championship representing his country.
He would move up to the U18 team at 17 years old and made it to his club’s first team in April of 2025.
By now, he’d caught the attention of the rest of Europe, signing a contract to play with the Monaco U21 team for the 2025-26 season while competing on the U20 Lithuanian national team. He even got looks on the Monaco first team.
In that 2025-26 campaign, Laurencikas averaged 13 points, 5 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 1.5 steals with 46.5/34.7/77.7 shooting splits playing in the French U21 league.
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Now, he joins fellow Lithuanian Matas Vokietaitis on the Texas roster, as Sean Miller nabs another international prospect.
Last cycle, Miller grabbed German F Declan Duru from Real Madrid and British C Lewis Obiorah from Barking Abbey Basketball Academy, alongside Vokietaitis from FAU. While Duru has since moved on, the two international centers remain on the team.
Laurencikas will turn 20 tomorrow.
Laurencikas marks the 14th and second-to-last roster spot for Texas, and the third lead guard on the team alongside Colorado transfer Isaiah Johnson and St. Mary’s combo guard transfer Mikey Lewis.
The roster at a glance
Confirmed coming back (3)
- C Matas Vokietaitis: 15.6 ppg, 7.1 rpg, 0.6 apg
- G Anthon McDermott: 0.9 ppg, 0.6 rpg, 0.3 apg
- F John Clark
- C Lewis Obiorah
Eligible to return (2)
- F Dailyn Swain: 17.3 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 3.6 apg – Declared for NBA draft
Added via the portal (5)
- F David Punch, TCU: 14.1 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 2.0 apg
- G Isaiah Johnson, Colorado: 16.9 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 3.0 apg
- G Amari Evans, Tennessee: 4.1 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 0.8 apg
- F Elyjah Freeman, Auburn: 9.2 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 1.2 apg
- G Mikey Lewis, St. Mary’s (CA): 13.9 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 2.1 apg
Added internationally (1)
- G Mantas Laurencikas, Monaco U 21: 13 PPG, 5 RPG, 4.4 APG
The 2026 class (4)
- W Austin Goosby: No. 58 per Rivals
- F Bo Ogden: No. 45 per Rivals
- G Joe Sterling: No. 138 per Rivals
- C Coleman Elkins: Unranked
Out of eligibility (6)
- G Tramon Mark: 14.0 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 1.8 apg
- G Jordan Pope: 13.1 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 1.9 apg
- G Chendall Weaver: 5.8 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 1.1 apg
- F Lassina Traore: 3.4 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 0.6 apg
- F Cole Bott (Walk-on): 0.5 ppg, 0.2 rpg, 0.2 apg
- G Brandon Taylor (Walk-on): 0.8 ppg, 0.5 rpg, 0.0 apg
Entered portal (4)
- G Camden Heide: 5.9 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 0.7 apg
- G Simeon Wilcher: 5.6 ppg, 1.8 rpg, 1.7 apg
- F Nic Codie: 4.1 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 0.8 apg
- F Declan Duru: 1.3 ppg, 1.2 rpg, 0.0 apg
