University of Pittsburgh Athletics
Panthers Ink Donatas Zavackas to Men's Basketball Scholarship
5/19/1999 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
PITTSBURGH - University of Pittsburgh head basketball coach Ben Howland announced Donatas Zavackas (Klaipeda, Lithuania/St. Vincent-St. Mary, Akron, Ohio) has signed a national letter-of-intent to attend the University of Pittsburgh next season.
"We are extremely happy that Donatas has decided to come to Pittsburgh" Howland said. "He brings good size and athletic ability. He has the potential to be a very good player because of his versatility. He can post smaller players up and be effective on the inside, while having the ability to take bigger players on the perimeter and shoot the 3-point shot."
Zavackas, a 6-8, 225-pound forward, is currently attending St. Vincent-St. Mary High School in Akron, Ohio. However, he did not play this past season as he was ruled ineligible by the Ohio High School Athletic Association due to his transfer from another school.
As a junior, Zavackas played at St. Benedict's Prep in Newark, New Jersey. He scored 17 points to led the Gray Bees to the A Division state title in 1998, defeating Lawrenceville, 69- 65. St. Benedict's ended the season with a 29-4 record and ranked seventh in the Star-Ledger Boys' Basketball Top 20. Zavackas was named honorable mention All-New Jersey by USA Today in 1998.
In his native Lithuania, Zavackas played on the Junior National team twice where he averaged 27 points and 12 rebounds last season and 18 points in his first season. This summer, he will play on the Under-20 Lithuainan National Team.
Zavackas is thought to be only the fourth player from overseas to sign scholarship papers with the Panther basketball program, joining Sotiris Aggelou (Greece), Tico Cooper (Aruba) and Dominik Dumancic (Yugoslavia).
