Lithuania Forward Petras Padegimas Sets BYU Visit

BYU is hosting one its top 2023 targets on campus for an official visit. Lithuanian forward Petras Padegimas tells me that he arrived in Provo Tuesday night and is currently in the midst of his official visit. He plans to take a visit to Dayton after BYU. I’m not aware of other visits at this time.

The 6-foot-8, 215 pound forward signed with UCF last November, but requested a release from his National Letter of Intent in late May. Below is what UCF said about Petras in their November press release after he signed.

“The UCF men’s basketball team added a third signee to the 2023-24 signing class, inking Petras Padegimas, a 6’8 forward from Lithuania.

Padegimas tallied 11 points per game and averaged six boards on the Lithuanian National Team in his junior year and earned a fourth-place finish in the U17 world cup. He earned a youth league championship and MVP honor in his sophomore season, a year in which he averaged a double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds.”

Petras really came onto the recruiting scene last summer due to his performance in the U17 FIBA World Cup. During the tournament, Petras averaged 10.3 points, 6.3 boards, and 1.4 assists on 43% shooting from the field and 35% from three. His athleticism, ability to put the ball on the floor, and catch-and-shoot skill put him on the radar of college and pro scouts.

Petras came to the US just before his senior year where he played this season at basketball powerhouse DME Academy in Dayton Beach, Florida. He was named First-Team All-District.

Petras can play the 3 or 4 spot, but I expect him to play mainly the 4 if he were to come to BYU. He has the ability to hit outside shots and can finish above the rim off the dribble. Petras has rebounded well in his high school and internatoinal career, but he’ll need to get stronger to become a consistent rebounder and defender at the Big 12 level. BYU only has 4 scholarship players that are true front court players, so Petras would add additional depth up front and could compete for minutes year one. I see Petras as someone that can compete for minutes right away and eventually turn into a starter in his career.

BYU has one available scholarship they are looking to fill. Wing Ibrahim Sacko was someone I wrote about last week who has BYU in his final four. He recently revised his final four to include BYU, Oregon, Georgia Tech, and Xavier. BYU has been working to get him on a visit, although some eligibility concerns could be a potential holdup.

You can watch highlights from Petras below. The second clip is a game-winner he hit that caught national attention.