Texas Longhorns Basketball May Have Found Its New Star

Longhorns basketball earned its first win of the season with one Texas player recording a double-double.

Nov 4, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Texas Longhorns center Matas Vokietaitis (8) goes to the basket against the Duke Blue Devils during the second half of the Dick Vitale’s Invitational game at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Cory Knowlton-Imagn Images | Cory Knowlton-Imagn Images

Texas basketball took its first win of the season in dominant fashion on Saturday, topping Lafayette 97-60.

In a balanced performance from the Longhorns, one of the school's newest transfers stood out.

Center Matas Vokietaitis finished Saturday's win with a double-double, scoring 14 points and reeling in eleven rebounds. A presence underneath for Texas, the Longhorns' new center could prove to be one of the team's new stars.

Vokietaitis Has Had a Unique Journey to Texas

Nov 8, 2025; Austin, Texas, USA; Lafayette Leopards forward Luke Bevilacqua (34) blocks Texas Longhorns center Matas Vokietaitis (8) during the second quarter at Moody Center. Mandatory Credit: Dustin Safranek-Imagn Images | Dustin Safranek-Imagn Images

A native of Lithuania, Vokietaitis first came to the US to play basketball for FAU. As a freshman with the Owls, Vokietaitis was named the American Athletic Conference freshman of the year after playing in all 34 games for the team last season.

In 34 games with FAU, Vokietaitis averaged 10.2 points and 5.5 rebounds per game and totaled 26 blocks on the season. The Owls transfer also played on the Lithuania U-20 team in the 2023 FIBA European Championship and 2022 U18 FIBA European Championship.

Now with the Longhorns, he is quickly picking up where he left off, making an impact early in the season for Texas.

In addition to his double-double against the Leopards on Saturday, the 7-foot, 255-pound center also recorded three blocks and two steals. In the season opener against Duke, Vokietaitis posted 15 points, alongside eight rebounds and a block.

His impressive play comes as a relief after injury concerns nearly made him miss the start of the season. Vokietaitis was dealing with an ankle sprain, forcing him to sit out practices prior to the season tip-off against Duke.

Able to recover in time to face the Blue Devils, the Lithuanian native played 23 minutes in the season opener. Looking like one of the key players for Texas this season, Vokietaitis' staying healthy will be critical for the Longhorns.

Vokietaitis is not the only transfer to join Texas this season, joining six other players with the Longhorns as well. One transfer Vokietaitis will find himself on the court with regularly is junior Dailyn Swain.

Swain has started off the season as one of the focal points of the offense, having played two seasons under head coach Sean Miller as a freshman and sophomore. He nearly had a double-double as well, scoring 10 against Lafayette, with nine rebounds.

Six total players scored in the double-digits against Lafayette in a well-rounded performance from Texas. Vokietaitis and the team now look forward to Wednesday when the Longhorns take on FDU at home.