The Scout: Longwood - Domas Kauzonas
Breaking down the game of Longwood big man Domas Kauzonas
In the fourth article of the second wrap-around, we take a look at Longwood’s newest transfer big man for UNC Greensboro, Domas Kauzonas.
Without further ado, let’s break down the game of Longwood’s new center, Domas Kauzonas.
Player Bio:
Before transferring to Longwood, Domas Kauzonas spent all 3 seasons playing at UNC Greensboro.
2025-26 (Junior Season):
Appeared in 33 games, starting in 6 games, averaging 2.9 PPG and 1.6 RPG in 10 MPG.
Had double digits in UNCG’s opening 2 games with 10 points against Kansas State and 12 points against Elon.
2023-24 (Freshman Season):
Appeared in 23 games, averaging 2.5 PPG and 2 RPG in 7.6 MPG.
Scored his career high of 18 points, alongside 9 rebounds and 3 assists against Virginia Lynchburg on 12/21.
2024-25 (Sophomore Season):
Appeared in 13 games, averaging 1.8 PPG and 2.3 RPG in 6.3 MPG.
2021 (Lithuania U18):
Played in 4 games for the Lithuania U18 National Team, averaging 4.5 PPG and 2.3 RPG.
Had a tournament-high 9 points and 7 rebounds in Lithuania’s Final Game
Film Review:
Film from Domas Kauzonas on X:
Play Style:
The best way to describe Domas Kauzonas’ play style is the classic old school big man. Domas isn’t a floor-spacing 5 that forces the defense to guard the arc and leaves the paint open. Domas is a true 5 who lives in the paint and at the rim, both offensively and defensively. Domas ended up ranking in the Top 350 in both 2PT Rim Attempt Rate and 2PT Paint Attempt Rate last season at UNCG. Kauzonas also feeds off 2nd Chance Attempts since 23% of his points came off 2nd Chance Attempts last season, bolstered by his Top 350 Offensive Rebound Percentage.
If you remember the 2024 Big South Champion Longwood Lancers, then Domas Kauzonas will remind you of Szymon Zapala. The one differentiating factor is that Domas has the ability to take a few steps away from the rim, unlike Zapala, who took 88.4% of his shots at the rim. The Top 3 most common play types are shared between the 2 big men: Post Up takes the majority, with over 30 plays per 100, followed by Big Cut and Roll, and Rebound and Scramble, both with over 20 plays per 100. The one thing that has plagued Kauzonas has been a lack of playing time, much like Zapala. Neither has played more than 10 MPG per season before making the move to Farmville.
Continuity:
One of the biggest parts of the Domas Kauzonas is someone he brings along. While I don’t think Kauzonas came to Longwood with the intention of rejoining with Brett Gilbert from UNCG, that is what happened. Gilbert had spent the past 4 seasons at UNCG, and one of the first commits during his time there was Domas Kauzonas, who came in Nov. 2022. Gilbert also provides Big South development experience, having been at Radford and helped develop former Big South Player of the Year Carlik Jones, along with stars like Donovan Atwell and Kenyon Giles.
The player that benefits the most from this is Kauzonas. Being with the same player development coach for all 4 years of college is an absolute rarity given the movement of both players and coaches. With that, time and time again, the best development curves have been seen in players who were in the same systems for season after season. Of the past 12 All Big South Forwards and Big Men, 11 had been in the same system for more than 1 season prior; the only one not having been was Owen Aquino. While not the same entire system, having the same player development guy gives Longwood a leg up from a clean slate.
Paint Protector:
The biggest asset of Kauzonas on the defensive end is his ability to limit shooting in the paint. During all 3 seasons at UNCG, he posted at least average “In the Paint” defensive shooting averages while on the court, ranking in the 49th percentile in his freshman season. In his sophomore season, Kauzonas had a 100th percentile mark on limited attempts, but a 59th percentile mark at the rim as well. In Kauzonas’ junior season, he had his most impressive season to date, holding opponents to 33% and ranking in the 97th percentile across 54 attempts. Kauzonas’ presence alone limited attempts in the paint by 3%, going from 10% of shot attempts when he is on the floor defensively to 13% when He is off the floor defensively.
Last season, Longwood allowed opponents to shoot 49.5% inside the paint, ranking them in the 3rd percentile in Division 1. That percentage wouldn’t have been that much of an issue if they didn’t allow above D1 average attempts, but the Lancers ended up allowing 0.7% more than D1 average. Kauzonas’ ability to limit teams’ shooting in that area, or at least what was displayed at UNCG, should fill a massive need for Longwood in the paint.
Experience:
The biggest knock on Domas Kauzonas is his lack of experience. In his 3 seasons of college basketball, Kauzonas hasn’t played a season with more than 10 MPG. Kauzonas has only gone more than 20 minutes three times in his career, once in his freshman season against Virginia Lynchburg and twice last season against Kansas State and Elon. If the experience doesn’t cause an issue, Longwood could have gotten a steal. Considering that those 3 games also do happen to be his 3 best games on paper so far in his career.
Despite the overall lack of playing time achieved at UNCG by Kauzonas, this is a position Longwood has been in before. Longwood’s last two big men, Elijah Tucker and Szymon Zapala, both came in with a lack of experience. Tucker had played only 7 games at Xavier due to injury, and Zapala had played a total of 205 minutes when coming in from VCU. Despite the lack of minutes played, both turned out to be very important pieces for successful Longwood rosters.
Final Thoughts:
The best comparison for this addition is another Longwood player I have mentioned throughout the article: Szymon Zapala. Both are European big men who come in with a little lacking on the experience end but have shown out in the times they’ve been able to play. Kauzonas comes in with more experience than Zapala, but at a lower level. If Longwood can get that same 9 points, 6 rebounds, and general impact for their team, then Longwood made an amazing addition.
This addition is the definition of filling a role. Longwood needed a big man to fill the void from Tucker and Nziemi running out of eligibility and Payne transferring away from Longwood. Kauzonas, I believe, provides a veteran big-man presence to a pretty young overall roster, with Kauzonas being 1 of 3 total seniors and the only upperclassman big man in the frontcourt. I don’t think Domas Kauzonas ends up on any All-Big South teams at season’s end, but I could see him having a similar impact to Szymon Zapala with about 10 PPG and 6 RPG in 20-25 MPG.