Matas Deniusas Joins Skyhawk Program
6/26/2025 2:17:00 PM | Men's Basketball
MARTIN, Tenn. – Second-year University of Tennessee at Martin head men's basketball coach Jeremy Shulman has announced the signing of freshman Matas Deniusas from Vilnius, Lithuania.
"We are thrilled to welcome Matas to the Skyhawk family," Shulman said. "Matas is a tall, long, skilled, versatile forward who follows in a long line of productive forwards I've coached over the last few years. His skill and versatility make him a perfect fit in our system."
Deniusas competed in the 2024 FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup event held in Turkey, averaging 6.7 points and 4.0 rebounds over the course of the seven-game tournament. He saved his best performance for last with 16 points on a perfect 5-for-5 shooting in the fifth-place game against Puerto Rico, helping Lithuania to victory. He previously added nine points and a tournament-best seven rebounds in the group phase against the same Puerto Rico squad while swatting away a pair of blocks to go with seven points and five rebounds in the tournament opener against the Philippines.
During the 2024-25 season, Deniusas suited up for the BC Rytas Vilnius II organization in the NKL National Basketball League and the Youth Basketball Champions League. Overall, he saw playing time in 41 contests, helping the team to a postseason berth after averaging 7.0 points per game. He scored in double figures eight times, tossing in a season-best 21 points against Alytaus Alytus on March 1. He also had 19 points and a season-high nine rebounds on Jan. 4 against Delikatesas while producing 17 points in his playoff finale at Suduva on March 10. For the season, he shot 36.8 percent (21-of-57) from three-point land and swished 84.6 percent (44-for-52) of his free throw tries.
Deniusas especially thrived in the Youth Basketball Champions play, averaging 19.8 points, 10.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.6 steals and 2.2 blocks per game in the U18 league.
A 6-8, 220-pound forward, Deniusas spent the 2023-24 season with the same BC Rytas Vilnius II squad, averaging 9.2 points and 4.6 rebounds while shooting 54.5 percent from the floor over five games at the age of 16.
Deniusas also boasts extensive experience at the club level, averaging 10.5 points, 7.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists in a pair of outings in the inaugural FIBA Next Gen Hoops Invitational earlier this month. He helped his team to a first-place finish, defeating The Grind Session program out of the United States over the two-day tournament held in Lithuania. He also played in the Youth Basketball Champions League event in each of the past two seasons, posting 10.5 points and 8.3 rebounds over four games in the 2025 event. He helped his squad to a first-place finish in April after securing a double-double (14 points, 10 rebounds) in the finals against BC Telenet Oostende. He tallied 9.2 points and 4.6 rebounds in five games at the 2024 tournament.
Deniusas is the eighth newcomer to the 2025-26 UT Martin roster, joining a class that includes freshman Ama Sow (Dakar, Senegal), freshman James Bass (Banjul, Gambia), freshman Ty Price (Morgantown, Ky.), freshman Damien King (Anderson, Ind.), redshirt sophomore Dragos Lungu (Cluj-Napoca, Romania), senior Luca Colceag (Bucharest, Romania) and freshman Filip Petkovski (Kranj, Slovenia).
"We are thrilled to welcome Matas to the Skyhawk family," Shulman said. "Matas is a tall, long, skilled, versatile forward who follows in a long line of productive forwards I've coached over the last few years. His skill and versatility make him a perfect fit in our system."
Deniusas competed in the 2024 FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup event held in Turkey, averaging 6.7 points and 4.0 rebounds over the course of the seven-game tournament. He saved his best performance for last with 16 points on a perfect 5-for-5 shooting in the fifth-place game against Puerto Rico, helping Lithuania to victory. He previously added nine points and a tournament-best seven rebounds in the group phase against the same Puerto Rico squad while swatting away a pair of blocks to go with seven points and five rebounds in the tournament opener against the Philippines.
During the 2024-25 season, Deniusas suited up for the BC Rytas Vilnius II organization in the NKL National Basketball League and the Youth Basketball Champions League. Overall, he saw playing time in 41 contests, helping the team to a postseason berth after averaging 7.0 points per game. He scored in double figures eight times, tossing in a season-best 21 points against Alytaus Alytus on March 1. He also had 19 points and a season-high nine rebounds on Jan. 4 against Delikatesas while producing 17 points in his playoff finale at Suduva on March 10. For the season, he shot 36.8 percent (21-of-57) from three-point land and swished 84.6 percent (44-for-52) of his free throw tries.
Deniusas especially thrived in the Youth Basketball Champions play, averaging 19.8 points, 10.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.6 steals and 2.2 blocks per game in the U18 league.
A 6-8, 220-pound forward, Deniusas spent the 2023-24 season with the same BC Rytas Vilnius II squad, averaging 9.2 points and 4.6 rebounds while shooting 54.5 percent from the floor over five games at the age of 16.
Deniusas also boasts extensive experience at the club level, averaging 10.5 points, 7.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists in a pair of outings in the inaugural FIBA Next Gen Hoops Invitational earlier this month. He helped his team to a first-place finish, defeating The Grind Session program out of the United States over the two-day tournament held in Lithuania. He also played in the Youth Basketball Champions League event in each of the past two seasons, posting 10.5 points and 8.3 rebounds over four games in the 2025 event. He helped his squad to a first-place finish in April after securing a double-double (14 points, 10 rebounds) in the finals against BC Telenet Oostende. He tallied 9.2 points and 4.6 rebounds in five games at the 2024 tournament.
Deniusas is the eighth newcomer to the 2025-26 UT Martin roster, joining a class that includes freshman Ama Sow (Dakar, Senegal), freshman James Bass (Banjul, Gambia), freshman Ty Price (Morgantown, Ky.), freshman Damien King (Anderson, Ind.), redshirt sophomore Dragos Lungu (Cluj-Napoca, Romania), senior Luca Colceag (Bucharest, Romania) and freshman Filip Petkovski (Kranj, Slovenia).
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