MEET THE PLAYERS: Eagles guard reflects on men’s basketball

This archived article was written by: Nico Schapochnik

Meet Kristupas Totoris. The 6-feet-7-inch shooting guard from Vilnius, Lithuania, is a sophomore at Utah State University Eastern. After proving himself as one of the best 3 point shooters in his freshman season on the SWAC Athletic Conference, the expectations are high for Totoris to have a successful future. He had a season high of 23 points last season in the conference semi-finals against Snow College. This year, Totoris has already scored in double digits in eight of the 11 games he has played. He is a model student-athlete at the Eastern, and with the highest GPA on the team of 3.8, he was named NJCAA all-academic third team last season.
Q: What are your expectations for the upcoming season?
A: “The expectation is high, I want to make it to the nationals, we all want [to]. If we do good in the conference and reach the nationals, all players will be in a good position to transfer to a big program.”
Q: Do you think the team is better this year?
A: “We had a stronger preseason [and] the team is more disciplined and the practices are way better, overall we’re working more. The maturity of the sophomores help[s] a lot too, so I think we’re more prepared for the challenge.”
Q: What are your plans for the future?
A: “My ultimate goal is to play DI basketball, it doesn’t really matter where, but I want to reach the highest level of college basketball.”
Q: Do you want to become a professional basketball player?
A: “Yes, there’s my dream since I was a kid. I grew up watching an amazing basketball generation of my country. They had a huge impact on the nation and they basically put Lithuania on the map. Basketball is the biggest sport in my country and being a professional player would be a dream.”
Q: What are your favorite thing about USU Eastern as a school and a basketball program?
A: “The small town atmosphere is what I like the most. It helps me stay focused on school and basketball, the teachers are really helpful and I feel like I grew a lot as a person and a player since I got here.”