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 Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

player for the Tokyo United of the

B.League The B.League is a men's professional basketball league in Japan. The league is operated by the Japan Professional Basketball League and was formed as a result of a merger between the National Basketball League that was operated by the FIBA-affi ...

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

Early life and high school

Gustys was born in

Kaunas Kaunas (; ) is the second-largest city in Lithuania after Vilnius, the fourth largest List of cities in the Baltic states by population, city in the Baltic States and an important centre of Lithuanian economic, academic, and cultural life. Kaun ...

, 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 former professional basketball player who played for 16 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). A power forward from Louisiana Tech University, Millsap was selected by the Utah Ja ...

and

Kenneth Faried Kenneth Bernard Faried Lewis ( ; born November 19, 1989) is an American professional basketball player for Pallacanestro Reggiana of the Italian Lega Basket Serie A (LBA). Known as "the Manimal" due to his hustle on the court, he attended Morehea ...

. 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 BC Šiauliai () is the professional basketball club of Šiauliai, Lithuania. The club competes in the Lithuanian Basketball League. It has won the 3rd place award (behind Lithuanian basketball giants BC Lietuvos Rytas, Lietuvos Rytas and BC Žalgi ...

. On 10 March 2020, Gustys achieved a

Lithuanian Basketball League Lithuanian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Lithuania, a country in the Baltic region in northern Europe ** Lithuanian language ** Lithuanians, a Baltic ethnic group, native to Lithuania and the immediate geographical region ** L ...

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. On 22 September 2023, Gustys signed a month-long contract with Covirán Granada of the

Liga ACB The Liga ACB, known as Liga Endesa for sponsorship reasons, is the top professional basketball division of the Spanish basketball league system. Administered by the Asociación de Clubs de Baloncesto (ACB), Liga ACB is contested by 18 teams, w ...

. He parted ways with the team on 30 October 2023, once the contract had ended. That same day, he signed with London Lions, which compete in the EuroCup. He left the club on 28 November 2023. On December 21, 2023, Gustys signed with Shonan United of the

. On June 19, 2024, Gustys signed with Tokyo United of the

References

External links

Hofstra Pride bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gustys, Rokas 1994 births Living people Basketball players from Kaunas BC Juventus players BC Neptūnas players BC Rytas players 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 21st-century Lithuanian sportsmen London Lions (basketball) players Palencia Baloncesto players Shonan United BC players Tokyo United Basketball Club players