CHICAGO (May 9, 2024) – The UIC men's basketball program welcomed another talented transfer to the fold on Thursday when head coach Rob Ehsan announced the signing of redshirt senior forward Modestas Kancleris (Kaunas, Lithuania/Varpas Gimnazija/Creighton/Cal State Bakersfield) for the 2024-25 season.
 
Kancleris (name pronounced Mo-DEST-iss Con-SLARE-iss) will be the third international scholar-athlete on next year's UIC roster, joining rising senior forward Filip Skobalj (Belgrade, Serbia/Don Bosco-Schule Rostock) and incoming sophomore forward Saša Ciani (Nova Gorica, Slovenia/Koder School/Xavier). Kancleris is also the fourth transfer into the Flames' program during the past month, joining Ciani and guards Ahmad Henderson II (Chicago, Ill./Brother Rice/Niagara) and Joshua Reaves (Hamden, Conn./South Kent School/Mount St. Mary's).
 
"Modestas brings a great deal of versatility to our program with the ability to play a number of positions," Ehsan said. "He's a veteran who has a diverse offensive skill set and rebounds the ball very well. He also plays with a lot of energy and passion, and he has significant international experience. We can't wait to see him in a Flames uniform very soon!"
 
Kancleris is a 6-foot-9, 205-pound post who comes to UIC after spending the past two seasons at Cal State Bakersfield, where he appeared in 50 games, starting 19 times, and averaged 6.3 points and 6.0 rebounds per game. He registered a pair of double-doubles and scored in double figures 12 times during his career with the Roadrunners, including a personal-best 20 points (and 10 rebounds) in a win over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Nov. 22, 2022. He also posted 14 games with 8+ rebounds, including six double-digit rebound games and a career-high 13 boards on Jan. 20, 2024, in a win over Cal Poly.
 
This past season, Kancleris averaged a career-best 6.5 points and team-high 6.1 rebounds per game (ranking fifth in the Big West Conference in the latter category) while playing in all 32 CSUB games and starting 15 times. He scored a season-high 17 points (9-12 FG) on Dec. 19, 2023, to help the Roadrunners defeat South Dakota, and nearly charted a double-double in CSUB's Big West Tournament first-round game against UC Riverside on March 13, 2024, finishing with 12 points and nine rebounds.
 
Prior to his time in Bakersfield, Kancleris was enrolled for two years at Creighton University in Omaha, Neb. After missing his freshman season as a medical redshirt due to a torn ACL, he played in 14 games during the 2021-22 campaign for the Bluejays, who advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament before a narrow loss to the eventual national champion Kansas.
 
Kancleris will also bring extensive international experience to UIC. A constant contributor for several of Lithuania's U16 and U18 national teams, he helped his country place seventh at the 2019 FIBA U18 European Championship, averaging 4.8 points and 4.5 rebounds per game despite a sprained ankle. He previously averaged 9.0 points and 7.0 rebounds per game as part of Lithuania's sixth-place finish at the 2017 FIBA U16 European Championship.
 
In addition, Kancleris spent four seasons with European club power BC Zalgiris, based in his hometown of Kaunas, Lithuania, earning a spot on the 2019 adidas Next Generation Tournament All-Star Team after averaging 13.0 points and 8.0 rebounds per game.
 
Fans are strongly encouraged to support NIL opportunities for UIC scholar-athletes through contributions to The Chicago Collective. In addition, season ticket deposits for the 2024-25 Flames' men's basketball campaign are currently being accepted online through Ticketmaster or by contacting the UIC Athletics Ticket Office (312.413.8421; athleticsticketing@uic.edu).
 
For more information on UIC men's basketball, fans are encouraged to visit UICFlames.com, or follow the Flames on social media through X (@UIC_MBB and @UICFlames) and Instagram (@uic_mbb and @uicflames).