On Tuesday, the Auburn Tigers completed their 2026-27 roster with the addition of Mantas Rubštavičius, who projects as a potential point forward who's skilled athletic enough to keep up with American 2-guards. At 24, he has a mature physical profile. Rubštavičius could do it all on the floor, combining finesse with a bit of dog in him while attacking a crowded paint.
As 247Sports' Nate King revealed, Rubštavičius will be reporting to campus soon, but there's still a hold-up with the team's other notable international signing, seven-foot French center Narcisse Ngoy, a traditional big man whose game could use refinement.
"Rubštavičius was the last unsigned addition of Auburn's eight newcomers on this year's roster. French center Narcisse Ngoy has also yet to report to campus but signed back in April," King wrote.
Until reported otherwise, Ngoy's absence in Auburn should be treated as clerical. No need to fret just yet.
Ngoy owns a seven-foot-seven wingspan and good instincts for protecting the rim. While he may never develop Walker Kessler's offensive game, it's possible Ngoy matures into one of the most disruptive down-low defenders since the Atlanta-area North Carolina Tar Heels transfer transformed the Tigers into an SEC Championship team four years ago. Ngoy has a more impressive physical profile than Dylan Cardwell, but it would be a positive if he could give even half the effort Cardwell gave during his legendary career in Lee County, AL.
If/when Ngoy comes to campus, Auburn will have a legitimate NBA-caliber talent in tow. Ngoy was an NBA draft candidate this year before withdrawing his name and entering the collegiate realm and joining a new trend. International talents are taking over, and as ESPN's Jay Bilas recently told me in a conversation in promotion of NBC's 2026 American Century Championship, they've been here for a bit and are going nowhere.
As for Rubštavičius, if Pearl could find ways to utilize his versatility, the Lithuanian wing could be forced onto the floor as much as possible next to the team's two likely leading scorers next season, guards Tahaad Pettiford and Kevin Overton. Like Ngoy, Rubštavičius is over 21 and is looking for an expedited path to the NBA. Rubštavičius already has some NBA experience, playing with the Golden State Warriors during the 2024 NBA Summer League. He hasn't played during the regular season and never signed a contract, though, allowing him to maintain his eligibility.
Steven Pearl is playing ball with college hoops' unclear rules
Now AU has guys who've been in NBA-adjacent locker rooms, facing legitimate NBA competition. Pearl is just playing ball in the modern era, since this is the way the sport is now. At the top of college basketball, at least.
North Carolina, the Duke Blue Devils, the Arkansas Razorbacks, the Kentucky Wildcats, the Texas Longhorns, the LSU Tigers, the Florida Gators, and the Illinois Fighting Illini are just a few of the programs that have taken to the international realm. By and large, that's great company to be in for anything in college basketball.
Pearl has arrived on the international scene, whether nearby schools that have neither the gumption nor the funds to compete like it or not. These players basically function as hardwood mercenaries, but so do the top one-and-done American recruits every cycle who are looking for a springboard to the NBA.
Whether you like it or not, the sport has changed, and Pearl has adapted with it. That's how business has to be done in the 2020s.
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