Rebels land Lithuanian forward

Justas Furmanavicius was pretty sure he would commit to Ole Miss on his official visit before he even arrived in Oxford Friday.

The 6-foot-7 forward from Kaunas, Lithuania and Three Rivers (Mo.) Community College felt like he'd be a fit with the Rebels and he liked what he'd heard about his role on the floor in Andy Kennedy's program.

By Saturday morning, his decision was made.

"I had fun there," Furmanavicius said Sunday morning on his way home. "It's a really nice place, really nice people. Everything was awesome. I was thinking before I came that I would commit.

"They told me they're going to give me a lot of freedom, run some plays for me so I can shoot it."

Furmanavicius chose the Rebels over Missouri, Arkansas and Memphis.

"He's a high-energy motor guy," Three Rivers assistant coach Bryan Sherrer said. "He can guard one through four defensively, make some outside shots. He does a lot of the little things. I think he'll be a good fit for Ole Miss. He's really athletic and can step out and shoot it and attack the glass as well. He's a guy who can move all over the floor and do a lot of things for Ole Miss."

Furmanavicius said he got a chance to check out the Rebels' new arena, the Pavilion at Ole Miss, during his trip. Ole Miss will open the arena in January in time for Southeastern Conference play.

"I'm excited," Furmanavicius said. "It's a big-time arena. It's money."

The deciding factor, however, came down to the relationship he's built with Kennedy, assistant Todd Abernathy and the rest of the Ole Miss staff.

"They're really nice and friendly," Furmanavicius said. "They're really good people, I can tell."