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Mantas Kocanas played his freshman year at FAU and has been a fixture in Lithuania’s youth national team scene.
Lithuanian Big Man Spent Freshman Season At FAU
BERKELEY – Lithuanian big man Mantas Kocanas has signed to play for the California men’s basketball program in the 2025-26 season. Kocanas, a 6-foot-11, 235-pound center from Karciupis, Lithuania, played his freshman season at Florida Atlantic in 2024-25.
Kocanas competed in the Owls’ first two games of last season before suffering a season-ending injury. He will arrive in Berkeley later this summer following a stint with Lithuania’s youth national team.
“Mantas is a very talented big man who is going to elevate our frontcourt in a variety of ways,” Cal head coach Mark Madsen said. “He plays very effectively with angles, has soft touch around the rim and moves well around the paint on both ends of the floor. He can step out and knock down the three. His freshman year at FAU was cut short due to injury but he has a proven track record of success within Lithuania’s youth national system. We’re excited to have him as a Golden Bear.”
Kocanas has been a fixture in Lithuania’s youth national team pipeline. He was a member of the Lithuanian national team that finished fourth in the 2022 FIBA Under-17 Basketball World Cup and later averaged 9.6 points on 65% shooting and 4.9 rebounds across seven games played for Lithuania in the FIBA U-18 World Cup.
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