Biruta to Rejoin Hurley at Rhode Island

Gilvydas Biruta will re-join his old high school coach Dan Hurley at Rhode Island.

“I have a great deal of respect for Coach Hurley and I know that he will develop me as a student-athlete,” Biruta told SNY.tv. “The school is in a great location and has a beautiful campus. I am excited to play for Hurley once again.”

Biruta played for Hurley at St. Benedict’s Prep before committing to then-Rutgers coach Fred Hill. He now must sit a year before being eligible to play for Hurley at Rhode Island.

The 6-foot-8 sophomore from Lithuania averaged 9.7 points and 5.3 rebounds last season for Rutgers, which finished 14-18, 6-12 in the Big East.

Biruta is the second player Hurley has picked up since taking the job.

He got 6-9 forward Jordan Hare of Michigan to recommit after Hare initially pledged to former coach Jim Baron.

Written by Adam Zagoria

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Adam Zagoria is a Basketball Insider who covers basketball at all levels. A contributor to The New York Times and SportsNet New York (SNY), he is also the author of two books and is an award-winning journalist and filmmaker. His articles have appeared in ESPN The Magazine, SLAM, Sheridan Hoops, Basketball Times and in newspapers nationwide. He also won an Emmy award for his work on the SNY mini-documentary on Syracuse guard Tyus Battle. A veteran Ultimate Frisbee player, he has competed in numerous National and World Championships and, perhaps more importantly, his teams won the Westchester Summer League (WSL) championships in 2011 and 2013. He lives in Manhattan with his wife and children.