Iowa State earned its first commitment to the 2024 recruiting class on Thursday when 6-foot-5 shooting guard Nojus Indrusaitas announced his decision over social media.
The four-star prospect is rated as the No. 77 overall player in the class by 247Sports and is also a top 5 prospect out of Illinois.
“It’s a big weight off my chest,” Indrusaitas said. “Now I get to focus on myself and my high school.”
He picked Iowa State over Iowa, Xavier, Marquette, Illinois, DePaul, Nebraska, Missouri and Maryland.
The coaching staff sold Indrusaitas over his recruiting process and made a big impact on his choice to commit when he did.
“Really it was just the coaching,” Indrusaitas said. “Coach (Otzelberger) and Coach (Blount) just made me feel wanted more. The way they recruited me – they were on me the most I feel like. They checked all the boxes and that’s why I committed.”
Indrusaitas is the fourth top 100 commitment for the T.J. Otzelberger staff and was also recruited by assistant coach J.R. Blount.
“What they had planned for me – being an impact,” Indrusaitas said. “It’s great to have a good connection with a coach – a guy that you think you can trust – and the ability that he lets you play freely. That’s what I liked to hear from Coach (Otzelberger).”
Indrusaitas was born and grew up in Chicago with his parents being from Lithuania.
He represented the country in the 2022 FIBA U16 European championship, leading his country to a gold medal.
“That was great – playing against different competition around the world, you know,” Indrusaitas said. “It was great seeing different types of cultures and stuff. I had a great time. I learned a lot. “It felt good representing Lithuania. I’m proud of what we accomplished there, it was fun.”
Before coming to Iowa State, Indrusaitas has his sights on bringing St. Rita’s High School a big trophy and putting on more muscle.
“I want to win a state championship in Illinois,” Indrusaitas said. “I want to gain weight, get better on defense, talk more and just be an encouraging teammate. I just want to bump it up 10 or 15 pounds.”
