Dovydas Buika signs with Cougars

PROVO, Utah – BYU men’s basketball announced the addition of Dovydas Buika to the 2026-27 roster on Wednesday.

"We’re super excited to welcome Dovydas to the BYU family," head coach Kevin Young said. "He brings a lot of versatility to our back court with the ability to play multiple positions. He has played for a great club in his home country of Lithuania and has learned how to play the game the right way because of it. He’s got great positional size and a competitive edge to him that will fit in well with our group. We look forward to getting him on campus and getting to work."

The 6-foot-7 guard joins the Cougars after playing for Jonava Hipocredit of the Lithuanian Basketball League (Lietuvos krepšinio lyga) in 2025-26. He averaged 3.4 points, 1.8 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game in 21 appearances. He scored a season-high 14 points against Lietkabelis going 4-of-5 from the field and 6-of-7 from the free throw line.

He made his professional debut for Žalgiris Kaunas in 2024-25 appearing in 13 games including a start for the LKL Champions. The native of Vilnius, Lithuania made his EuroLeague debut against ALBA Berlin finishing with an assist and a steal.

Buika led Žalgiris Kaunas to the NextGen EuroLeague title in 2025 averaging 12.5 points, 4.3 rebounds and 4.3 assists at the finals in Abu Dhabi. After scoring 24 points in the opener against INSEP, he had 12 points, eight rebound and four assists in the championship game, a 89-81 win over Emporia Armani Milan.

He helped Žalgiris earn a wild card to the finals after finishing first in Group A in Ulm, Germany where he averaged 20.2 points, 5.2 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.8 steals per game en route to being named to the All-Tournament Team. He had 26 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists against Barcelona after scoring 20 or more points in two of Zalgiris’ first three games in Germany.

“We have been tracking Dovydas him for a few years and coming from Zalgiris, there are few clubs in Europe when a guy comes out of that system you know they are ready for high-level basketball and Zalgiris are one of those places,” associated head coach Tim Fanning added. “He was a team captain of some very successful teams there. We love his versatility. He can play multiple guard spots. Character wise, he’s a great fit at BYU.”

Buika comes to Provo having represented Lithuania on the international stage including averaging 12.0 points and 5.9 rebounds per game and shooting 45.8 percent from the field at last summer’s FIBA U18 EuroBasket. He scored in double figures in the first four games of the tournament including a 26-point performance against Latvia in the Round of 16 going 5-of-11 from 3-point range.

He averaged 14.3 points while shooting 42.4 percent from the field and 84.6 percent from the free throw line at the 2024 FIBA U17 World Cup. He also averaged the fourth-most assists per game, 4.8, in a tournament that featured former Cougar and No. 1 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft AJ Dybantsa. His 17-point, six rebound and six assists led Lithuania to a 76-70 win over China in the Round of 16.

Buika was the youngest player on the Lithuania squad that won the 2022 FIBA U16 EuroBaskest averaging 7.6 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game. His best game of the tournament came in the Round of 16 where he finished with 21 points going 9-of-12 from the field including 3-of-5 from behind the arc. He also had six rebounds, six steals and three assists a 97-48 win.