Wisconsin basketball landed a commitment from Lithuanian forward Aleksas Bieliauskas on Thursday.
The 19-year-old joins the program with its incoming class of 2025, which also includes top in-state guard Zach Kinziger, center Will Garlock and New Zealand guard Hayden Jones. The Badgers’ concerted overseas recruiting effort continues to pay dividends with Bieliauskas’ addition, an initiative that can be connected to Kirk Penney’s emerging role on Greg Gard’s coaching staff.
Bieliauskas averaged 12.1 points and 6.8 rebounds on 58.8% shooting and 39.3% from 3 for Zalgiris II in Lithuania NKL, the country’s second-tier basketball minor league. The forward’s frame, shooting ability and playing experience make him an intriguing add for the Badgers as they look to reload their roster entering 2025-26.
Notably, 247Sports’ Evan Flood reports that Kansas was another top contender for Bieliauskas’ commitment.
The international signee is Wisconsin’s seventh addition of the offseason — three transfers, two in-state high school prospects and now two international players. With those additions, here is the Badgers’ updated projected lineup and rotation.
Wisconsin Updated 2025-26 Starting Lineup Projection
Guard: John Blackwell (Junior)*
Guard: Nick Boyd (Senior — San Diego State transfer)
Wing: Andrew Rohde (Senior — Virginia transfer)
Forward: Austin Rapp (Sophomore — Portland transfer)
Forward: Nolan Winter (Junior)
Wisconsin’s starting five appears set after the sport’s transfer movement. Boyd, Rohde and Rapp were each top targets entering the cycle. All three add versatile scoring and shooting to the lineup, continuing a trend seen over the past two seasons, specifically in 2024-25. Blackwell and Winter are back from that group to lead the Badgers’ backcourt and frontcourt, respectively.
*(Note: Blackwell declared for the NBA draft on April 3 while maintaining his collegiate eligibility. He remains in the projected lineup, barring an unforeseen rise up draft boards)
Wisconsin’s Projected 2025-26 Bench/Reserves
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Guard Jack Robison (Sophomore)
Center Riccardo Greppi (Sophomore)
Forward Aleksas Bieliauska (Freshman)
Guard Hayden Jones (Freshman)
Guard Zach Kinziger (Freshman)
Center Will Garlock (Freshman)
Xavier Amos’ departure is the one key loss from this reserve unit. Janicki projects as the team’s sixth man, with several other intriguing depth guard prospects in Robison, Kinziger and Jones following. Bieliauska should see minutes immediately at reserve forward, although it is challenging to predict how international production translates to the college level.
Wisconsin is likely to add another few transfers to round out the roster. The team is still in need of frontcourt depth, specifically a player with significant college experience.
For more on the team’s transfer moves, bookmark our 2025 Wisconsin basketball transfer tracker.
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