Greg Gard has landed a new international recruit for the Wisconsin Badgers, big man Aleksas Bieliauskas, from Lithuania. This came as a surprise to everyone who pays attention to Wisconsin recruiting as it came out of nowhere. It was pretty close to the vest, and yet it looks like the perfect forward for Greg Gard's big-man development that he is notorious for.
NEWS: Lithuanian big man Aleksas Bieliauskas has committed to Wisconsin, agents Deimantas Baziukas and Deirunas Visockas told ESPN.
— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) April 24, 2025
The 6'9", 19-year-old averaged 12.1 points and 6.8 rebounds per game in the NKL for Zalgiris 2 this season, shooting 39% for 3. pic.twitter.com/CPA5FExS8S
Aleksas Bieliauskas from Lithuania has committed to the Wisconsin Badgers
Aleksas Bieliauskas is a 19-year-old 6'9" forward who plays an impressive stretch. He can shoot from every level of the floor and boasts an impressive 39% three-point shooting percentage. He has played for the Lithuania national teams in both FIBA and Adidas U18 Next Generation competitions. He is still somewhat raw, but someone that Greg Gard has been known to turn into a legitimate problem in the Big Ten. He's done it with Steven Crowl and Nolan Winter.
While international recruiting can sometimes fly a bit under the radar due to its relative obscurity and language barriers between recruits and journalists, this one came as a surprise to everyone. It may have been somewhat intentional, considering that recruiting for Serbian star Mihailo Petrovic was snatched away from the Badgers by Illinois. The Fighting Illini were able to give a better starting opportunity and presumably more money.
That being said, Bieliauskas provides important depth for the Badger backcourt, as it was a bit depleted with the graduation of Steven Crowl and the transfer of Xavier Amos. While Gard was able to add Portland big man Austin Rapp, there was still an essential need for one more big man to help either in the rotation or in the team's depth.
It will be interesting to see how Bieliauskas fits into the team and whether he will play right away or spend a year like Ricardo Greppi, developing and getting used to the American game. However, with the reports being that Kansas was the other team at play, he may be a bit more ready than initially reported.