Hall of Famer Sarunas Marciulionis played four seasons through 1992-93 with the Golden State Warriors. That was long before the birth of his son, Saint Mary’s point guard Augustas Marciulionis.
The Gaels weren’t very good back then, 44-70 over those four seasons, so Marciulionis had no reason to imagine his son someday playing in Moraga.
Former NBA player Sarunas Marciulionis, of Lithuania, stands on stage during the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame class of 2014 announcement, Monday, April 7, 2014, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
Three decades later, Augustas is a junior starter the Gaels, a key player in the team’s reversal from a 3-5 start this season to having won 13 of their past 14 games.
Alone top the West Coast Conference standings at 7-0, Saint Mary’s faces its two closest pursuers this week, with a Wednesday night home game vs. Santa Clara (15-7, 6-1) and a Saturday road test at Gonzaga (15-5, 6-1).
The young Marciulionis, averaging 13.1 points and 5.6 assists over the past 14 outings, is coming off a career-high 25 points in a 70-65 win over Loyola Marymount on Saturday.
“What he gives us has continued to grow,” said Saint Mary’s coach Randy Bennett, noting that Marciulionis also defends the opponent’s best backcourt player. “Now he’s starting to lead and understand he’s an important player. He really got excited to see he’s starting to become a player.”
So how did this native of Vilnius, Lithuania wind up playing college ball more than 5,700 miles home? He could have just as easily stayed put and worked his way though the European pro system.
His father is a legend in his homeland. After helping the Soviet Union win an Olympic gold medal in 1988, Marciulionis paved the way for newly independent Lithuania to create a national team and contributed to bronze-medal finishes at the 1992 and ’96 Games.
Years later, as Bennett began to build the Saint Mary’s program that has earned nine NCAA tournament bids, he was introduced to one of Europe’s NBA pioneers.
The two became friends and Bennett traveled to Lithuania in 2003 to check out the basketball academy Marciulionis was operating at the time. Sarunas was parked along the curb, waiting for him outside the airport terminal.
“Augustas was sitting on the little (console) between the two front seats. No seatbelt, nothing,” said Bennett, chuckling at the recollection of his first encounter with his future player.
When it was time for Augustas to choose a career path, Marciulionis wanted to shield him from the pressure of having a famous father. He threw his support behind Saint Mary’s.
“He knew of the pedigree of our point guards — he knew (Matthew) Dellavedova, he knew Patty (Mills),” Bennett said. “He knew we’re kind of no-nonsense about out guys — not over-promising and under-delivering.”
St. Mary’s Aug.as Marciulionis (3) drives past Portland Pilots’ Bol Dengdit (24) in the first half of their game at St. Maryxe2x80x99s College in Moraga, Calif., on Thursday, Jan. 11, 2024. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)
Augustas appreciates the advice his father provided in choosing a school. “I feel lucky and blessed that I have a person like that in my life that can help me with my decisions in life,” he said.
Marciulionis wasn’t an immediate star at Saint Mary’s or even a starter until this season. He redshirted his first year and averaged just 3.1 points in 2021-22.
“There’s a lot to learn as a freshman. You don’t even realize how much you don’t know,” he said. “You just have to keep fighting, work hard and try to help your team in any ways you can. It’s a really beautiful process. I’m really happy that I was able to experience this.”
JUJU PAYS A VISIT: Former Cal coach Lindsey Gottlieb brings her No. 15 USC team to the Bay Area this week, and the star attraction will be freshman guard JuJu Watkins.
Watkins is second in the country in scoring at 25.8 points per game — behind only Iowa’s Caitlin Clark, at 32.0 — and has posted 30 points or more six times.
“She’s a winner,” Gottlieb told the Los Angeles Times after Watkins scored 32 points in the Trojans’ 71-64 win over then-unbeaten UCLA. “She just goes all-out all the time, puts her body and emotional spirit on the line . . . She’s something else.”
Watkins, the No. 1 national prospect a year ago, actually signed a Nike contract before picking the Trojans over scholarship offers from Stanford and South Carolina.
Gottlieb, who guided the Golden Bears to the 2013 Final Four during her eight seasons before taking a job as an assistant coach with the Cleveland Cavaliers, is in her third season at USC. The Trojans (14-4, 4-4) visit No. 4 Stanford (19-2, 8-1) on Friday at 7 p.m. and Cal (13-8, 3-6) on Sunday at noon.
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