Rytis Petraitis’ All-Around Game Makes Him a Perfect Fit for New Mexico
Photo of Rytis Petraitis during Air Force’s 78-77 win over New Mexico on Feb. 24, 2024 courtesy of Air Force Athletics
Versatility is one of the most valuable traits in college basketball, and the newest Lobo signee brings plenty of it to Albuquerque.
On Thursday, UNM announced that former Air Force Falcon and Cal Bear Rytis Petraitis would be joining UNM for 2025-26 for his final season of college basketball. The veteran forward’s combination of size, basketball IQ and two-way production gives the Lobos a jack-of-all trades player who can do a little of everything.
Many Lobo fans remember Petraitis from his days as an Air Force Falcon, most memorably this go ahead 3-pointer that gave Air Force a win in the Pit on Feb. 24, 2024, and killed UNM men’s basketball’s NCAA at-large tournament hopes.
But this was not Petraitis’ only success against the Lobos. He played twice in the Pit, and 5 times total against UNM over two seasons in 2022-23 and 2023-24. In those games he averaged 18 points and 6.8 rebounds, highlighted by a 26 point and 10 rebound double-double against the Lobos in the Mountain West Conference Tournament.
Petraitis finished his sophomore season at Air Force with averages of 15.7 points, 6.3 rebounds and 3.7 assists, ranking in the top ten in the Mountain West in assists, steals (1.58 per game) and blocks (.92 per game).
Petraitis unsurprisingly hit the transfer portal and committed to Cal for 2024-25. During his junior season he averaged 8.2 points, 5.7 rebounds 1.7 assists and 1.3 steals per game, starting 29 of 33 contests for the Golden Bears. While Petraitis’ numbers dropped from his sophomore year at Air Force, he was not asked to carry a heavy scoring load, and his length and high basketball IQ made a leader in offensive rebounds, steals and assist-to-turnover ratio for Cal during ACC conference play.
Petraitis took a medical redshirt last season after he appeared in only seven contests for Cal. Head Coach Mark Madsen brought in more talent which resulted in Petraitis coming off the bench in a supportive role and averaging only 5.3 points and four rebounds. His best game of the season last year came against then No. 18 ranked UCLA where he chipped in 12 points and 7 rebounds.
Petraitis’ Injury Status
Petraitis last contest for Cal last season was on Nov. 25. Two months later on Jan. 16, 2026, Madsen and Cal announced that Petraitis would undergo season ending surgery to repair an injury sustained earlier in the season. Petaitis’ official injury was not publicly reported but sources online appear to show that he sustained a hip injury that was serious enough to require surgery.
Petraitis has had some injury history. His second season at Air Force he missed the first seven games of the year with a shoulder injury. But in 2024-25, Petraitis played in all 33 contests. It is hopefull that he will make a full recovery and have no lingering effects from his injury.
What Petraitis Brings
Lobo fans watch that clip of Petraitis knocking down a 3-pointer at the top of the key and may assume he’s a high volume 3-point shooter. But Petraitis is a career 31% 3-point shooter, and his 3-point shooting percentage dropped to 25% at Cal in 2024-25. He shoots only about two 3-pointers per game over 3 full seasons. That’s not to say that he can’t shoot from deep, and perhaps in an Eric Olen system that would hopefully create a higher volume of open shots, his percentages could get closer to the 35% he shot in 2023-24 for Air Force when he hit that big shot vs. UNM.
Petraitis’ biggest impact may be on the defensive end of the floor with steals and rebounding. Petraitis has led Air Force and Cal in steals all three of his seasons where he’s been healthy. He’s particularly good at playing his long arms in the passing lanes and creating live-ball turnovers that lead to layups.
On the offensive end, Petraitis does a good job of using his 6-foot-7 frame to drive to the basket and finish, get to the free-throw line or playmaker for others. His freshman season at Air Force, Petraitis shot more free throws than any player in the Mountain West in 2022-23 in conference play. His highlights from Air Force and Cal show that he can finish at the rim when he gets there.
A direct comparison to Luke Haupt probably is not fair because Petraitis does not handle the ball as well as Luke, but Petraitis is still a playmaker. He averaged 3.7 assists in Air Force’s Princeton offense his sophomore year, and his high basketball IQ should translate well into Eric Olen’s system.
“Rytis brings an unmatched level of energy and effort to every game he plays," Cal head coach Mark Madsen said when Petraitis’ was shut down for the season. "He is an invaluable teammate on and off the court.”
Petraitis helps Lobo fans breathe a sigh of relief that UNM has some inside presence. He rebounds well with his long wing-span, and Petraitis may be asked to defend the post at times. UNM still needs more depth in its frontcourt with its remaining roster spots and its expected that Olen and his staff are targetting more frontcourt reinforcements as they work to complete the roster.
