Rokas Gustys (born 22 August 1994) is a Lithuanian professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

player for BC Neptūnas of the

Lithuanian Basketball League Lithuanian may refer to: * Lithuanians * Lithuanian language * The country of Lithuania * Grand Duchy of Lithuania * Culture of Lithuania * Lithuanian cuisine * Lithuanian Jews as often called "Lithuanians" (''Lita'im'' or ''Litvaks'') by other Jew ...

(LKL). Gustys has competed with the Lithuanian junior national teams on multiple occasions.

Early life and high school

Gustys was born in Kaunas, Lithuania where he went to school and played basketball until 2012. In the summer of 2012 he went to the US to study and play basketball at Oak Hill Academy where he helped lead to a 41-4 record and a number four ranking in the USA Today Sports Super 25 during the 2013-14 season, averaging 12 points and a team-high nine rebounds per game for the Warriors as a senior.

College career

Gustys had a very successful career at Hofstra University, he finished his career ranked first all-time in Hofstra’s NCAA Division I history with 1,305 rebounds. His rebounding total is second all-time in Colonial Athletic Association history to Hall of Famer

David Robinson David Maurice Robinson (born August 6, 1965) is an American former professional basketball player who played for the San Antonio Spurs in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1989 to 2003, and minority owner of the Spurs. Nicknamed ...

. Only the third player since 1996 to rank in the top five in the nation in rebounding in three straight seasons, joining

Paul Millsap Paul Millsap (born February 10, 1985) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A power forward from Louisiana Tech University, Millsap was selected by t ...

and Kenneth Faried. He totaled 1,184 career points to rank 25th all-time in program history. Gustys had 48 career double-doubles, averaged 9.9 points and 10.9 rebounds per game over his four seasons. As a senior, Gustys averaged 10.5 points and 12.0 rebounds per game.

Professional career

Gustys made his professional debut with BC Palencia signing a one year contract. In 2019 he came back to Lithuania, signing with BC Šiauliai. On 10 March 2020, Gustys achieved a

record for most offensive rebounds (13). Overall, he had an impressive season, averaging 11,3 points, 6,5 rebounds, becoming one of the best center's in the 2019/20 LKL season. On 10 July 2020, Rytas Vilnius announced a contract signing with Rokas Gustys, until 2023.

References

External links

Hofstra Pride bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gustys, Rokas 1994 births Living people BC Šiauliai players Centers (basketball) Hofstra Pride men's basketball players Lithuanian expatriate basketball people in Spain Lithuanian expatriate basketball people in the United States Lithuanian men's basketball players Palencia Baloncesto players BC Juventus players Basketball players from Kaunas Hofstra University alumni