MALIBU – Arriving in Southern California with three years of eligibility, Dovydas Butka will join the Pepperdine men's basketball program this fall head coach Ed Schilling announced on Friday.
 
Dovydas Butka | 6'9 | Guard/Forward | Panevezys, Lithuania
 
Butka comes to Malibu after four seasons in the Lithuanian basketball leagues, playing in the top two leagues in the country- the LKL and NKL– for the Zalgiris Basketball Club (a team that assistant coach Tyus Edney also played on and led to a EuroLeague championship title during the 1998-99 season). Butka also played for the main Zalgiris squad in Europe's top basketball league- the EuroLeague.
 
"Dovydas is a very versatile 6-foot-9 inch forward that has shown great skill as well as tremendous toughness," Coach Schilling said. "His extensive international experience will certainly help with his transition into WCC competition. We are thrilled that Dovydas has chosen Pepperdine as the next step in his athletic and academic career!"
 
During his time playing with the U19 and U20 teams, Butka earned 10.1 points per contest on a .444 field goal shooting clip as well as 5.9 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game. In 2022, the two-way player helped Lithuania to a second-place finish in the U20 European Championship and was the Lithuanian Students League MVP. With Zalgiris II (the club's youth team), Butka earned the 2023 NKL Championship title.
 
"I chose Pepperdine University because of its strong athletics and academics programs, great coaching staff, and a beautiful campus location," Butka said. "I am looking forward to competing at a high level while also furthering my education as I believe it will help me to improve as a player and contribute to the team's success. I am excited to immerse myself in a new culture, meet new people and work hard to achieve my goals both on and off the court."
 
Butka joins fellow signees Moe Odum, Javon Cooley, Jayden Russotti, Stefan Todorovic, Alonso Faure and Aaron Clark on Schilling's inaugural Waves hoops squad.
 
STAY CONNECTED
Keep up with all things Pepperdine hoops by following the team on X and Instagram and find more about Waves Athletics via @PepperdineWaves on all platforms.