HIGH ACHIEVERS: Augustas Brazdeikis transfers to Dave Smart’s University of the Pacific Tigers from Carleton University Ravens

By Martin Cleary

During Dave Smart’s 25-year dedication to the Carleton University men’s basketball program as an assistant coach, then a celebrated head coach and finally the director of operations, he earned the respect of many of the best players in Ottawa and across Canada.

As a result, his recruiting, strategy and sideline enthusiasm brought the Ravens to 17 national men’s championships and remarkable win-loss records – 384-26 in the OUA and 656-101 against all opponents.

It appears he’s taking a similar approach down south, where he’s attracting prime Canadian talent to the University of the Pacific in Stockton, California. Smart is entering his second season as the head coach of the NCAA Division 1 Tigers.

After posting a 4-14 mark in the West Coast Conference and 9-24 overall in his debut 2024-25 season with an entire team of new players, Smart continues to rebuild his team for 2025-26. As of this week, there are six Canadians on his 13-player roster. Smart had encouraging results in his first season as head coach, after the Tigers went 0-16 and 6-26 in 2023-24, which prompted a coaching change.

If Ottawa basketball fans take a careful look at the Pacific men’s basketball lineup, they’ll see a familiar name – Augustas Brazdeikis, who was a significant contributor for Carleton during the past two OUA seasons.

On May 21, Pacific announced the six-foot, eight-inch forward had agreed to pursue a criminal justice degree and play for the Tigers in 2025-26.

Brazdeikis will be surrounded by Canadians on the court. Can you imagine if Smart decides to start five Canadians for a game? That would likely be an NCAA Division 1 record for most Canadians to start a single game. Having six Canadians on an NCAA Division 1 team also may be a new standard.

Elias Ralph of Okotoks, AB, returns for a second season, but the other four are newcomers – 6-1 senior guard Jaden Clayton of Whitby, ON; 6-11 senior centre KC Ibekwe of Coquitlam, B.C.; 6-11 senior forward Isaac Jack of Port Alberni, B.C.; and 6-7 freshman forward Jaion Pitt of Norwood, ON.

Brazdeikis is from Oakville, ON and the younger brother Ignas, a former NBA player (2019-22). Brazdeikis was an impressive student-athlete at Carleton.

A two-time U Sports All-Academic while studying criminology, Brazdeikis was an impact player for the Ravens in his debut 2023-24 season and made improvements last season.

“We are extremely excited to welcome Augustas to the Pacific Tigers family,” Smart said in a team press release.

“Augustas provides excellent versatility at the forward position on both ends of the floor. He has a team-first mentality, which will continue to help build our team culture.”

Last season, Brazdeikis missed nine of the Ravens’ regular-season games, but still managed to average 15.2 points and 6.8 rebounds in 13 games. He averaged 26.3 minutes of court time and shot 41.8 per cent from the field, but only 64.5 per cent from the free throw line. In a pair of separate games against the McMaster University Marauders, he registered a career-high 28 points and 16 rebounds.

In Carleton’s two playoff games in 2024-25, he had a double-double in the Round 1 89-57 win over the University of Waterloo Warriors with 16 points and 10 rebounds. But in the tight 86-83 quarter-final loss to Queen’s University, the Gaels limited him to seven points and five rebounds.

Brazdeikis, who entered Carleton out of New Horizon Prep, started 20 OUA regular-season games as a freshman in 2023-24, averaging 26.6 minutes, 11.4 points and 7.8 rebounds a game. He was selected to the OUA and U Sports all-rookie teams. In his final high school year at New Horizon, he played in the All-Canadian basketball game.

During his two seasons at Carleton, Brazdeikis played key roles in the Ravens finishing third in the OUA East in 2024-25 at 15-7, and fourth in 2023-24 at 13-9. Overall, the Ravens were 19-13 in 2023-24 and 21-11 last season.

Here’s a look at the other five Canadians on the Pacific roster:

· Elias Ralph played at the University of Victoria for three seasons, helping the Vikes to three Canada West titles and was the conference rookie of the year in 2021-22. He recorded 10 double-double efforts for Pacific last year, led the Tigers in rebounding at 7.3 a game and was second in scoring at 14.8 points per game.

· Jaden Clayton played his first three university seasons at the University of Maine, starting all 85 games, averaging 4.2 assists a game and 4.4 assists last season. He guided Maine to its first American East tournament appearance in 21 years and reached the final.

· KC Ibekwe spent his first two years at the University of Oregon State, averaging 5.1 points and 4.0 rebounds in 2023-24, before transferring to the University of Washington, where he played in 12 games last season for the Huskies and had a season-high nine-point game.

· Isaac Jack started his post-secondary education at the University at Buffalo, averaging 5.6 points and 4.2 rebounds in 31 games, but switched to the University of Dayton for the last two years. The centre converted 74 of his 98 shots from the field for the Flyers and averaged 3.1 points in 54 appearances. The Flyers reached the second round of the 2024 NCAA tournament.

· Jaion Pitt is a true freshman for Pacific out of Bella Vista Prep, where he shot 53 per cent from the field and 40 per cent beyond the three-point arc. He played for the Canadian men’s U18 team, which won the 2024 AmeriCup championship bronze medal in Buenos Aires. In the third-place game, he scored 11 points and added six rebounds against Dominican Republic.