Lithuanian big Motiejus Krivas commits to Arizona basketball

Lithuanian Motiejus Krivas told ESPN on Tuesday he has committed to the Arizona Wildcats, giving head coach Tommy Lloyd’s roster its fourth 7-footer.

Krivas, who is 7-foot-2 and 256 pounds, joins a frontcourt that includes starter Oumar Ballo and rising freshmen Henri Veesaar and Dylan Anderson.

For the second-tier Zagiris pro team last season, Krivas averaged 13.7 points, 9.8 rebounds and 1.6 blocks in 26 minutes per game.

“Their desire to have me on the team stood out the most,” the 18-year-old told ESPN’s Jonathan Givony. “I felt that they really want me, and I think their style of play suits me the best.”

Krivas joins a small class that includes four-star wing K.J. Lewis and Alabama point guard transfer Jaden Bradley.

Arizona is filling holes after losing starting point guard Kerr Kriisa to West Virginia via transfer, forward Azuolas Tubelis to the NBA Draft and starting guard Courtney Ramey to graduation.

Lloyd remains heavily involved in recruiting internationally with Ballo, Veesaar and Filip Borovianin on the roster. The head coach also recruited Swedish-born Pelle Larsson to Arizona after he spent his first college season at Utah.

Larsson submitted his name in the NBA Draft and was invited to the NBA G League Elite Camp as part of the draft preparation, but he notably is not listed on a team roster for that pre-draft event.

Larsson could slot in as a potential starter along with guard Kylan Boswell, Bradley and Ballo, with another frontcourt slot seemingly up for grabs.

“I like the fact that the team is full of international players,” Krivas said. “It will definitely make my transition on and off the court much faster. It wasn’t an easy decision, but after weighing the pros and cons, I concluded that going there was the best possible decision at the moment and for my career going forward.”

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