Florida basketball signs Lithuanian big man to 2026-27 roster
By Ethan Stone
Published:
Florida basketball’s 2026-27 frontcourt keeps getting better and better.
The Gators on Monday announced the signing of Lithuanian big man Arturas Butajevas, who will join Alex Condon, Thomas Haugh and potentially Rueben Chinyelu on next year’s squad.
Butjevas is a promising depth piece for the Gators. He very nearly averaged a double-double with Lithuanian’s 2025 FIBA U18 EuroBasket national program, scoring 13.9 points with 9.2 rebounds per game. He also averaged 15.6 points and 7.6 rebounds per game last season with Spain’s Unicaja Malaga U22 team, sitting at just under 60% from the field.
“We are very excited to have Arturas join our program,” Gators head coach Todd Golden said in a statement on Monday. “He is a physical and athletic frontcourt player that has already proven to be highly capable during both international and youth competition. He is a hard worker who will fit seamlessly within our program upon arrival. We are looking forward to him arriving and starting workouts with our team this summer.”
The Gators’ frontcourt, especially with but perhaps even without Rueben Chinyelu, will be mentioned among the best in the country heading into next season. After an anticlimactic ending to this past season, Florida is going all-in on another title under Golden.
Ethan Stone is a Tennessee graduate and loves all things college football and college basketball. Firm believer in fouling while up 3.
