Vytas Sulskis bulks up for basketball season

By Pete Mollica

The 6-7 sophomore guard has also been working on the new 3-point line shots.

YOUNGSTOWN — A year ago as a freshman Vytas Sulskis was one of the few bright spots on the Youngstown State men’s basketball team.

Sulskis, a 6-foot-7 guard, was born and raised in Vilnius, Lithuania and then moved to the United States and played his high school basketball in Florida at The Rock School in Gainesville.

He was the first Division I recruit to ever come out of the school.

Sulskis was excited about his freshman season with the Penguins, when he scored 270 points and set freshman records for 3-point goals made (46) and attempted (121). He was also the first Penguin freshman named to the Horizon League’s all-newcomer team.

But Sulskis knew that he needed to become better, both for himself and the Penguins.

“I went back to Florida after school ended to visit with the family that I lived with there when I was in high school and I also worked very hard in the weight room and added 10 pounds of muscle to my frame,” Sulskis said

“I then went back home to Lithuania for a month to visit my family and friends before coming back here to begin school,” he added.

Sulskis said that being away from his family was tough the first couple of years in high school.

“But I knew that if I wanted to play basketball and get a college education that I needed to be over here where there were many more opportunities than back in my homeland,” he said.

When YSU coach Jerry Slocum brought Sulskis to the Penguins he felt he had someone who could step in and help the team immediately.

Sulskis was definitely that player. He started 29 of the team’s 30 games last season. The only game he didn’t start was the team’s final home game on senior night against Cleveland State.

He scored in double figures 12 times, including a career high 26 points in a Horizon League contest against Illinois-Chicago, and also had a high of 11 rebounds against Valparaiso.

As well as working hard in the weight room, Sulskis also worked hard on his 3-point shooting, which this year because of the new NCAA change, will come from a foot farther back than last season.

“It’s a big change and I need to work hard to get it down,” he said. “One foot doesn’t seem like much, but it can throw off your whole routine until you get it down.”

Sulskis said he doesn’t think that he’ll have much pressure on him to repeat his freshman efforts, but he knows he will have to become more of a leader on the team both off and on the court.

Sulskis is also excited about the new group of recruits that Slocum and his staff have brought into the program.

“This is a good, talented group of players and what really has impressed me is their work ethic, it’s been just amazing how hard they are willing to work,” he added.

The Penguins have been working out on their own right now, but will officially begin practicing Oct. 17 to get ready for the season opener Nov. 15 when they play host to Buffalo in a 7:05 p.m. contest at Beeghly Center.

mollica@vindy.com