Top international basketball prospect Azuolas Tubelis has committed to Arizona, he told ESPN on Wednesday.
He will be joined by his twin brother, Tautvilas, a former Lithuanian national team player.
"Their campus is amazing, they have great fans and they are among best universities in college basketball," Azuolas Tubelis said. "Arizona has had similar players, like Derrick Williams for example, who coach Sean Miller developed, and I believe that will help me. Their assistant coach, Jack Murphy, has followed me since the Basketball Without Borders camp in Chicago and built a strong relationship with us.
"I believe that league fits me well and I also get a chance to play together with my brother. This is a great opportunity for him, which I think he deserves. The transition to [the] U.S. will be easier for me with my brother, so I am very excited to be able to play together with him once again."
The Lithuanian-born Azuolas Tubelis, 18, is considered the top European prospect in the 2020 class committing to the college route. He has represented his national team each of the past three summers in FIBA tournaments, leading Lithuania in scoring and rebounding at both the U16 and U18 European Championships.
Although he saw minutes at the professional level in the EuroCup and Lithuanian first division, he spent most of his time with their junior team this season. He won MVP honors at ANGT Kaunas after averaging 20.5 points, 12.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2 steals per game in 28 minutes, shooting 67% from the field.
He also posted impressive numbers for someone his age in the Lithuanian second division, averaging 16.5 points and 6.1 rebounds in 28 minutes per game in the professional league, where he competed against men.
Azuolas was measured at 6-foot-9½ and 243 pounds at the NBA Basketball Without Borders Global Camp in February, where he was named to the All-Star team. He was identified by ESPN as one of the top NBA prospects in attendance thanks to his athleticism, ability to create offense pushing the ball off the defensive glass, and energetic style of play. His strength and versatility should allow him to play either frontcourt position for the Wildcats.
Tautvilas Tubelis, who is 6-foot-7, represented Lithuania at the FIBA U16 European Championship in 2018 and spent the past four seasons playing in the U15, U16, U17 and U18 leagues for Vilnius Basketball School.
Azuolas and Tautvilas Tubelis are the fifth and sixth international commitments signed by Sean Miller for the 2020 recruiting class, joining French big man Daniel Batcho, Estonian point guard Kerr Kriisa, Haitian-Canadian wing Ben Mathurin and Turkish forward Tibet Gorener.
Arizona has lost seven of its top eight players and 85% of its scoring from last season.
"I don't really expect anything at this point. I go there to help team win and do whatever coach needs me to do," Azuolas Tubelis told ESPN. "I believe that college basketball really fits my game, and I can get more exposure going to Arizona."