Rapolas Ivanauskas

[WestCoastWildcat]

I saw "Rap" (what a a teammate's mom told me is his nickname) play the last couple of days at a high school basketball tournament nearby in my area of Del Mar. His team Brewster Academy is loaded with good players. I thought Rapolas looked like a strong player on both sides of the court. He rebounds well, runs the court well and is a good ball handler. He had some nice steals in both games I saw him play. His team played Advanced Prep International (API) out of Texas, another team loaded with talent on Monday night that was the feature game. Both teams looked impressive in overtime. If Rap has a weakness it may be free throws- he missed a couple of crucial ft's near the end of OT and some others in the game the next day against Balboa Academy, a game Brewster won easily. This kid is a smart player, not showy but gets the job done. He will be a good addition for the Cats as an inside player.

 

[clarificationcat]

I saw "Rap" (what a a teammate's mom told me is his nickname) play the last couple of days at a high school basketball tournament nearby in my area of Del Mar. His team Brewster Academy is loaded with good players. I thought Rapolas looked like a strong player on both sides of the court. He rebounds well, runs the court well and is a good ball handler. He had some nice steals in both games I saw him play. His team played Advanced Academy out of Texas, another team loaded with talent on Monday night that was the feature game. Both teams looked impressive in overtime. If Rap has a weakness it may be free throws- he missed a couple of crucial ft's near the end of OT and some others in the game the next day against Balboa Academy, a game Brewster won easily. This kid is a smart player, not showy but gets the job done. He will be a good addition for the Cats as an inside player.

Thanks for the report. Good to hear. We can use more inside players that can defend.

 

[ToledoCat]

Does he look 6'8 - and can handle the ball. I had thought he was a Shurna type player (a lot to hope for given John's sensational career) but mobility and ball handling are a nice add to a front line player. I hope his outside shooting is decent. seems like he can hold his own against top talent.

 

[Deeringfish]

Does he look 6'8 - and can handle the ball. I had thought he was a Shurna type player (a lot to hope for given John's sensational career) but mobility and ball handling are a nice add to a front line player. I hope his outside shooting is decent. seems like he can hold his own against top talent.

I read once he was an excellent ball handler. Exceptionally good for a tall man.

 

[ToledoCat]

He will pair up well with Falzon & Law - for hopefully 3 years

 

[WestCoastWildcat]

Does he look 6'8 - and can handle the ball. I had thought he was a Shurna type player (a lot to hope for given John's sensational career) but mobility and ball handling are a nice add to a front line player. I hope his outside shooting is decent. seems like he can hold his own against top talent.

Yes- he does remind me of Shurna except I did not see him shoot much from the outside to be able to judge if Rap has Shurna's outside shooting skill. Same build and mobility, maybe a little more muscular than Shurna at this stage but still lean. Rap looks tall but Is he really 6'8? - hard to judge. He was rotated in and out a lot of the lineup in the 2 games I saw. Brewster Academy has a lot of good players. He did play most of the OT against Advanced which has many top players and he competed well against them. Lou has a good article about his transfer to Brewster for his senior year so he could sharpen his game against top competition. I am sure playing for Brewster will sharpen his game and his academics which will only help to give him step up when he enrolls at NU.

 

[WestCoastWildcat]

Here is a synopsis of the 2 games Brewster Academy played in the Under Amour tournament that I got off the school's website. From Lou's prior article about Rapolas and Brewster Academy one of our assistant coaches attended school there so we will have a potential ongoing pipeline for talent that is academically qualified for NU. I think that is great for the program.

12/28/2015 9:05 PM L 59 - 61
Brewster lost at the buzzer in OT to Advanced Prep International (TX) at the Under Armour Holiday Classic at Torrey Pines High School in San Diego, CA by a score of 61-59. Brewster took a lead with 7.7 seconds in OT on a three-pointer by Deleon Brown(Grand Rapids, MI), but API raced down the floor and scored with 0.5 seconds remaining. The Bobcats were led by unsigned guard Alpha Diallo (New York, NY) with 18 points and 7 rebounds, while Taurean Thompson (New York, NY) contributed 14 points and 11 rebounds. Brewster shot an abysmal 13-24 from the free-throw line, committed 16 turnovers, and gave up an astonishing 18 offensive rebounds in the contest.

Boys' Prep Basketball at Under Armour Holiday Classic
12/29/2015 2:45 PM W 67 - 50
Brewster defeated Balboa City (CA) at the Under Armour Holiday Classic, 67-50. All 14 players saw action for the Bobcats in the contest. Wichita State-commit CJ Keyser(Baltimore, MD) had 15 points, while Taurean Thompson (New York, NY) and Alpha Diallo (New York, NY) each contributed 12 points in the game. South Florida-bound Malik Fitts (Rancho Cucamonga) chipped in with 11 points. Overall, nine guys played double-figure minutes in the win (32 min game).

 

[Katatonic]

From everything I have heard, supposed to have a pretty decent outside shot (but not the notoriety that Falzon got for his shooting), but better able to take the ball to the basket than Falzon.

W/ Law, Lumpkin, Falzon, Tap, Skelly and Rap - F should by far be the deepest position for the 'Cats next season (so much so, we might see Law play some 2).

 

[willycat]

From everything I have heard, supposed to have a pretty decent outside shot (but not the notoriety that Falzon got for his shooting), but better able to take the ball to the basket than Falzon.

W/ Law, Lumpkin, Falzon, Tap, Skelly and Rap - F should by far be the deepest position for the 'Cats next season (so much so, we might see Law play some 2).

Not sure if Law can handle the 2 but wondering who does start next season at the off guard. Lindsey? Ash? Brown?

 

[EvanstonCat]

Not sure if Law can handle the 2 but wondering who does start next season at the off guard. Lindsey? Ash? Brown?

Probably Lindsey, though the way Isiah Brown is lighting it up in HS, I wouldn't discount the possibility of starting Mac alongside Brown at the guard spots. Collins likes to play 2 guards who can handle and shoot and isn't married to the idea that one has to be a PG and the other a SG.

 

[JournCat]

It'll be interesting to see in October who is more comfortable handling the ball between Law and Lindsey. The answer last year would have been Law. My guess is one of those two will start at SG to open up minutes for the forward rotation, with Law taking the top opposing guard on defense.

 

[Katatonic]

Not sure if Law can handle the 2 but wondering who does start next season at the off guard. Lindsey? Ash? Brown?

It'll be interesting to see in October who is more comfortable handling the ball between Law and Lindsey. The answer last year would have been Law. My guess is one of those two will start at SG to open up minutes for the forward rotation, with Law taking the top opposing guard on defense.

CC had stated that prior to injury, Law would have seen some time at the 2 since he thought that Law was the best ball handler next to BMac (also, Law's D at the 2 wouldn't hurt).