Nov. 16, 2005

Columbia, Mo. - Prior to the recruiting hunt for highly-touted forward Ty Morrison (Phoenix, Ariz. / Redlands C.C.), the University of Missouri men's basketball coaching staff began a relationship with Morrison's frontcourt mate, Vaidatos Volkus (Klaipeda, Lithuania / Simono Dacho High School). The 6-8, 220-pound forward, not only displayed a tenacity the Tiger coaching staff was searching for on the interior, but flashed a soft shooting touch on the wing often associated with the European style of play. Head Coach Quin Snyder and the Tigers capitalized on that relationship on Wednesday (Nov. 16) when they signed the Lithuanian standout to a national letter of intent.

A starter for the Lithuanian Under-20 Team, Volkus made an early splash for head coach Steve Eck last season, when he averaged 9.2 points, 4.8 rebounds and shot an impressive 48 percent from three-point range. A key performer for Redlands' 27-4 club, Volkus has continued to develop in his second season in the United States and is averaging 11.2 points on better-than 44-percent shooting from beyond the arc for the 5-0 Cougars.

"We have received quite a few calls about Vaidatos after we played in the October Jamborees," Redlands Head Coach Steve Eck said. "Calls from schools in the SEC, Pac-10 and Big 12 ... I haven't had a chance to keep count. I can tell you this, I had calls from Missouri on him last year. I didn't feel like he was going to sign until the second period, but (Missouri) did a nice job with him.

"I've been able to coach some players who have moved onto schools in the Big 12 and I feel like he will make an impact at Missouri. He is the type of player Coach Snyder is looking for there and he will help them. He is a young man that plays both on the interior and the perimeter for us. He has a nice set of post moves and can get us a bucket when he is playing on the block or the elbow. He was also a 48-percent three-point shooter for us last season, so he can shoot the ball as well."

Volkus finished the final nine games of the 2004-05 season shooting 63.7 percent from bonus distance, including an 18-point outing vs. Carl Albert State, where he hit 4-of-4 treys for the Cougars.

"We are excited to add Vaidatos to our program," Snyder said. "He brings a great deal of versatility to our frontcourt and is a well-coached young man because of the outstanding mentoring he received from Steve Eck at Redlands. He can shoot the ball from the wing, but getting physical in the paint is a big part of the way he plays the game. He adds a degree of toughness to our post and like Ty (Morrison), he is an intense competitor who makes the types of plays that helps teams to win games."

Also an outstanding student-athlete with a 3.7 grade-point-average, Vaidatos Volkus (pronounced VAH-dos Vole-kuss) will enter Mizzou as a junior eligibility-wise upon his transfer from Redlands C.C., which is located in El Reno, Okla.

For more information on the University of Missouri men's basketball program, please visit mutigers.com.

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