BOCA RATON – Florida Atlantic University men’s basketball has added a pair of transfers to the program. Head coach Dusty May has announced the signing of Bitumba Baruti and Vladislav Goldin.
Baruti, a 6-foot 7-inch, 230-pound forward, joins the Owls from East Carolina. Goldin, who stands 7-1 and weighs 240 pounds, comes to FAU via Texas Tech.
“We are extremely excited to welcome Vladislav Goldin and Bitumba Baruti to the Florida Atlantic family,” May said. “We feel that both Vlad and Bitumba are perfect fits and should complement our current roster.”
Baruti joins FAU as a graduate transfer after two seasons at ECU. He played in 17 games with five starts for the Pirates last season, averaging 6.8 points and 4.2 rebounds. He tallied 17 points and pulled down six boards in a victory over UNC-Wilmington. Baruti saw action in all 31 games in 2019-20 at East Carolina, including a season-best 14-point outing at Memphis.
Baruti also played at Chipola College in 2018-19, scoring 11.7 points and grabbing 6.3 rebounds per game. He was named to the Region VIII/FCSAA All-Tournament team at Chipola, where he tallied six double-doubles in one season. Baruti started his collegiate career at Washington, where he played in 17 games as a freshman in 2016-17. Born in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Baruti attended Mountain Mission School in Grundy, Va., where he averaged 11.6 points and 7.0 rebounds his senior season.
“We’re thrilled to add Bitumba to our program,” May said. “He will bring great energy to our team and has a lot of experience in college basketball. He is a versatile wing and a prototypical two-way player.”
Goldin, a native of Nalchick, Russia, saw action in 10 games for Texas Tech in his first season of college basketball last season, averaging 1.9 points and 1.0 rebound per contest. Prior to his time with the Red Raiders, Goldin played for the Russian Under 18 and Under 19 National Teams. He played in 13 games at the Under 18 Euro Championship and the Under 19 World Cup in 2019.
Goldin competed for the CSKA Moscow Junior Team for three seasons. He also played prep school basketball at Putnam Science Academy in Connecticut for one year.
“We couldn’t be more excited to round out our incoming class with the addition of Vlad,” May said. “He is an aggressive, skilled big who fits our playing style. Vlad has extensive international experience and will bring a physical presence to our team.”
The Owls finished last season 13-10 and advanced to the Conference USA Championship quarterfinals. Under May, the Owls have put together three consecutive winning seasons for the first time in the program’s NCAA Division I history.
