The game of basketball has been globalized more than ever before. The National Basketball Association (NBA) has reported that there are 125 international players on opening-night rosters for the 2024-2025 season, including the last six Most Valuable Players of the league.
During the 2019-2020 season, 14.7% of National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I men’s basketball players were international students, according to a report from the Associated Press.
Florida Atlantic University’s first-year head coach John Jakus got his start overseas in Europe before he carved out an impressive collegiate basketball career at Baylor and Gonzaga University. In a sit-down interview with the University Press in April, he discussed how that experience shaped how he approaches the sport.
“I think some of the smartest coaches in the world are in Europe,” said Jakus. “I think, personally, that they do it first in Europe, and then the NBA steals it, and then college copies it.”
Jakus stated that because of his time coaching in Europe, he always felt like he was “ahead of the curve” when he came to coach collegiately in regards to how offense was being played in the sport.
Basketball knowledge wasn’t the only benefit from his time overseas. The connections from the basketball world in Europe helped Jakus’ and his staff net his first FAU recruits.
“Relationships that I had 10, 15 years ago are now helping us in the recruiting world,” said Jakus. “So in the next couple days we’ll have a kid from Africa, a kid from Spain and then another kid from Germany.”
Fast forward to the 2024-2025 season and the Florida Atlantic men’s basketball roster will have seven out of 15 players originating from outside the United States. Those “kids” ended up being guard Amar Amkou and forwards Baba Miller and Max Lagenfeld.
Today we take a look at the five out of those seven international players that will be starting their freshman campaigns in collegiate basketball. Although Miller and guard Niccolo Moretti reigned from Spain and Italy respectively, they are no rookies to the collegiate game as NCAA transfers. Find out more about the NCAA transfers FAU scored in the portal in this article.
Max Lagenfeld – Forward; Ulm, Germany; Urspringschule
Lagenfeld is listed as a 6 feet 6 inch, 195-pound forward who had his best season of organized basketball playing for the Orange Academy ULM in Germany. According to Euro Basket, Orange Academy is a club in the Pro-B, or third tier, of professional club basketball in Bundesliga, the premier professional sports league of Germany.
For his 2023-2024 campaign with Orange Academy, Lagenfeld averaged 24.3 points and 5.6 rebounds a game on 50% shooting from the field and 41% from three on an average of 30.4 minutes a game. He comes to FAU as an experienced 21-year old who’s played five seasons of professional basketball in Germany, dating back to the 2019-2020 season.
Going through some tape, Lagenfeld displays great ability to score the basketball in a multitude of ways. He looks comfortable making space for difficult shots off-the-dribble, but where he really impresses is with his off-ball movement. In these highlights, he looks most dangerous when his defender has to chase him around a maze of screens in set plays.
In his best season for Orange Academy, he shot more three-pointers than he did two-pointers, making both at an efficient level. Whether it’s with the ball in his hand or in catch-and-shoot situations, Lagenfeld has the chops to be a great shooter at the collegiate level.
Although he seems to be at his best off the ball, he has the handle to run an offense in moderation. He did average more turnovers than he did assists (3.3 to 2.5), so it’s a strong possibility that he’s utilized more off the ball as a wing player then as a point guard. Being a freshman, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him develop into a point forward down the line.
Matas Vokietaitis – Center; Marijampole, Lithuania; Kauno Varpas Gymnasium
Vokietaitis is listed as a 7-foot, 245-pound center who had his best season of organized basketball playing for Zalgiris Kaunas II in Lithuania. Zalgiris is a historic Euroleague club based in Kaunas, Lithuania that was once the home to Hall of Famer and NBA legend Arvydas Sabonis, father of current Sacramento Kings’ center Domantas Sabonis.
For his 2023-2024 campaign with the second division of Zalgiris, Vokietaitis led his team in both scoring and rebounding with 12.8 ppg and 8.7 rpg. The 19-year old center comes to FAU with two years of experience playing professional basketball in Lithuania.
Going through some tape, Vokietaitis looks his strongest as a roller. He shows great patience when he sets his screens and rolls with his partner. He has strong hands on the catch and even stronger finishes around the rim. With guards like Leland Walker, Ken Evans Jr. and Moretti on the roster, Vokietaitis should be served up easy opportunities to score all season.
With a seven foot frame and positive wingspan, he should be a great deterrence at the rim at his worst and a monster shot blocker at his best. He’s a true big man who will never attempt a three-pointer unless forced and make a living on the block.
The only concern for Vokietaitis, as is with every seven foot center, is how he will defend in space and defense against pick-and-roll. Time will tell if Vokietaitis can develop into a center that can be thrown the ball in the deep post and walk away with two-points every time.
Mantas Kocanas – Center; Karciupis, Lithuania; Varpo Gymnasium
Kocanas is listed as a 6 feet 11 inch, 235-pound center who spent time with Zalgiris Kaunas under 18 (U18) division. However, doing some digging, his best campaign was representing Lithuania in the U18 European Championship, where Kocanas competed against other European countries.
In seven games for Lithuania, Kocanas averaged 9.6 points on an efficient 65% field goal percentage, along with 4.9 rebounds a game and just under a block a game.
Despite having a very similar name to his Lithuanian counterpart Matas Vokietaitis, they play different brands of the center position. Going through some tape, he has great shooting form for a player of his stature. In his best game for U18 Lithuania, he scored 20 points on 8-of-11 shooting, going 4-of-5 from the free-throw line.
Although an extremely small sample size, he seems to take a soft touch versus brute force approach to his scoring around the rim. In a conversation with assistant coach Todd Abernethy at FAU media day, he told me that he sees Kocanas developing into a stretch big, which will set him apart from Vokietaitis.
Amar Amkou – Guard; Thies, Senegal; CSI Keur Madior
Amkou is listed as a 6 feet 7 inch, 210-pound guard that has spent most of his recent time playing organized basketball through the NBA Academy Africa. The academy was created by the NBA in collaboration with the Sports for Education and Economic Development (SEED) project, a non-profit organization based in Thies that “uses basketball as a platform to engage youth in academic, athletic and leadership programs,” according to the website.
Going through some tape, Amkou is an extreme athlete who has the prowess to be an above average three-point shooter. His athleticism mixed in with his size and frame makes him a naturally talented defender. Although his three-point shot release is on the slower side, with some time that can be fixed.
Although being listed as a guard, he is bulky and tall, so it will be interesting to see how he develops under Jakus and his coaching staff and if he plans to play any point guard during his time at the collegiate level.
Liam Dayco-Green – Guard; Vancouver, Canada; Prolific Prep
Dayco-Green is listed as a 6 feet 2 inch, 185-pound guard who spent his senior season of high school playing for Prolific Prep, a basketball academy located in Napa, California that is known for producing future college basketball and NBA talent.
One player is Yves Missi, a rookie center for the New Orleans Pelicans who played at Baylor last season under Jakus and head coach Scott Drew.
With his time at Prolific Prep, Dayco-Green has played against the best high school basketball players in the country. Going through some tape, Dayco-Green is a shooters shooter. Whether it’s in transition or in spot-up situations, he’s going to find a way to put the ball up.
With lots of depth at the guard position this season for the Owls, it will be interesting to see what role Dayco-Green carves for himself in the future.
JD Delcastillo is the Managing Editor for the University Press. For information regarding this or other stories, email him at [email protected] or DM on Instagram @jd.delcastillo or X (Twitter) @jd_delcastillo.
