Steven Pearl won’t comment on Mantas Rubštavičius signing timeline: Here’s what he did say
Auburn's head coach remained tight-lipped about when the committed international guard will officially join the Tigers' 2026-27 roster. However, he shared a small nugget about what he brings to the Tigers backcourt.
Olivia Bennett 
The Auburn basketball roster for the 2026-27 season is nearly set, but the Tigers are still waiting on one final signature to put the finishing touches on the lineup.
The Wait for Mantas Rubštavičius
Lithuanian guard Mantas Rubštavičius has pledged his commitment to the program, but he has yet to make things official with a signed letter of intent. During the SEC spring meetings, head coach Steven Pearl remained guarded when asked about a potential timeline for the signing, telling 205focus.com, "I can’t speak on it right now. But as soon as we’re able to, we’ll put a comment out there."
International Experience Meets the Plains
Rubštavičius brings a wealth of international experience to the Tigers' backcourt. His professional journey began in his native Lithuania before stops with the Euro League's Zalgiris, EuroCup's Lietkabelis, and the NBL's NZ Breakers. During his 2024-25 EuroCup campaign, he proved his efficiency as a scorer, averaging 12.4 points while shooting 43% from three-point range. He also gained valuable exposure as a member of the Golden State Warriors' 2024 summer league squad.
A New Playmaker in the Backcourt
Coach Pearl envisions Rubštavičius becoming a key playmaker for Auburn, sliding into a backcourt rotation that already features Tahaad Pettiford and Kevin Overton. "Mantas, one of our international kids that we’re obviously hoping to finish some things out with is a guy that can play make and do things on and off the ball," Pearl said. "I think just based on the things that we do offensively, we’ve been able to structure what we do from an offensive side based on our personnel and that’s something that we’ll look to do this year."
Auburn is set to kick off preparations for the 2026-27 campaign this June. The team's development will continue throughout the summer, highlighted by a foreign tour in Greece scheduled for August.
