The Rytas Vilnius youth team has added a new member—18-year-old, 205 cm tall Bulgarian Kaloyan Balkandzhiev is joining the capital city’s club. The forward arrives in Lithuania having already gained experience in Spain and the United States.
From 2022 until last summer, Balkandzhiev developed within the youth system of the Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz club. Representing the Baskonia B team in the Spanish fourth division last season, the basketball player appeared in 26 games, averaging 22 minutes, 10.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 11 efficiency points per game. He shot 55.4% from two-point range.
Last summer, the forward represented the Bulgarian national team at the FIBA U18 European Championship held in Serbia. He was one of the team’s leaders during the tournament, averaging 12.4 points and 6.9 rebounds per match.
“Kaloyan is a tall and quite versatile forward who can play multiple positions. Despite his young age, he has already experienced the basketball schools of several different countries and gained valuable experience,” said Matas Urbonas, head of the Rytas Vilnius youth program. “Last summer, Kaloyan visited Vilnius and spent several days training with our coaching staff, where he stood out with his professional attitude toward work. Therefore, we hope that over the next few years, he will take several significant steps forward.”
Following his successful performance with the national team, the player moved to the USA in August to join the CATS Academy program in Boston. However, after a brief stint across the Atlantic, Balkandzhiev decided to continue his development in Europe for the time being and arrived in Vilnius.
It is expected that this addition will strengthen the competitiveness of the Rytas youth program in both local and international tournaments.