Look for these Lithuanians on the court: Augustas Marciulionis, left, hails from Vilnius, and Paulius Marauskas originally calls Kaunas home. / Photo by Piper Westrom for SMC Athletics
Kroner’s Corner: Moraga...Lithuania West
Longtime Bay Area sports journalist Steve Kroner on how Saint Mary’s came to be home to two standout players and one graduate assistant coach who call Lithuania home. On February 15, the Gaels host their inaugural Lithuania Night, including free T-shirts.
Near the end of his fourth and final season in Moraga, point guard Augustas Marciulionis is particularly excited for and appreciative of Saturday night’s home game against Washington State. That’s because Saint Mary’s has dubbed it Lithuania Night, a tribute to the home country of Marciulionis and teammate Paulius Murauskas.
“I just feel very happy and blessed that this college gave us this very nice gesture,” Marciulionis said. “Once we see those shirts or hear our national anthem, it’s going to hit different.”
Marciulionis made those comments last week. He, Murauskas, and graduate assistant coach Tautvilas (Taut) Tubelis—also a Lithuanian—had a 15-minute conversation with Saint Mary’s Assistant Athletic Director for Communications Ryan Barnett.
Murauskas, a sophomore forward, and Tubelis came to the Gaels’ program after last season. Tubelis spent three seasons as a backup forward for the Wildcats. His twin brother, Azuolas, also spent three seasons in Tucson and was a second-team All-America forward in 2022–23, when he averaged 19.8 points and 9.1 rebounds per game. Azuolas was the MVP of the Lithuanian Basketball League last season.
Joining Paulius on that 2023–24 Wildcats team was Lithuanian center Motiejus Krivas. So when Murauskas was considering which college to attend, Arizona became a natural choice.
“Four Lithuanians in one place is great,” Murauskas cracked. “Now, we have three here.”
The Global Gael Flavor
Marciulionis didn’t have the luxury of joining countrymen when he opted to come to Saint Mary’s in 2021. He is the son of Basketball Hall of Famer Sarunas Marciulionis, a swingman who spent the first four seasons (1989–93) of his seven-season NBA career with the Warriors.
Augustas followed his father to the East Bay in large part because of the international flavor of SMC rosters under Head Coach Randy Bennett.
“Coach Bennett has had many students from all across the world, and he knows how to make them feel at home,” Marciulionis said. “Coach Bennett is really good at making the team one big family. Everybody is on the same page. Everybody is good with each other. We have team meals, team events. I feel like you start having a new family here.”
Part of Murauskas’ acclimation to the Bay Area in general and to Saint Mary’s specifically has been eased because he does have his actual family with him. Murauskas’ wife, Ugnė, and young daughter, Sofija, typically can be seen greeting him after games at UCU Pavilion.
Marciulionis, the WCC Player of the Year last season, leads the Gaels in scoring at 14.2 points per game and is averaging 6.0 assists per game, good for third in the conference after Tuesday’s games. Murauskas, who has been dealing with an ankle injury, leads the WCC with 8.2 rebounds per game and is the Gaels' second-leading scorer at 12.1 points per game.
Murauskas is from Kaunas, about 60 miles from Vilnius, the hometown of Marciulionis and Tubelis. Marciulionis has helped Murauskas with his transition to the Gaels' program.
“Both of us needed a couple of months to know our plays, know our system, how we play, our defense, everything,” Marciulionis said. “We could also speak in Lithuanian if he didn’t understand something or we needed to clear something up…I’m just trying to help him help the team, and I feel like we're on a good path.”
The culture that Bennett, his staff, and players have built has impressed Tubelis—who is pursuing a master’s degree. “It’s definitely beautiful how people work so hard and pay attention to detail,” Tubelis said. “From players to coaches, everyone just works—and it shows."
Marciulionis believes the influx of international players to the US college game will keep growing.
“Nowadays, college basketball just offers everything you can think of,” Marciulionis said, “especially with NIL becoming a thing. There’s no reason to not try this path. Fifteen years ago, you could barely see any high-level (international) recruits. They would rather stay in their hometowns, play for their clubs.”
“It’s definitely beautiful how people work so hard and pay attention to detail,” said Graduate Assistant Coach Taut Tubelis. “From players to coaches, everyone just works—and it shows."
Murauskas and Tubelis stressed the player-development aspect of the college game.
“College is the best place to get better,” Tubelis said.
Murauskas said the emphasis in some European Leagues often simply is on playing games. “There’s no time to practice and develop your skills,” he said—and quickly added: “And also, here, you can go to school, of course.”
On Saturday, the school that Murauskas, Marciulionis, and Tubelis attend is acknowledging those young men and their heritage. Tubelis noted that Lithuania has fewer than 3 million people, meaning its population is roughly one-third of the Bay Area’s.
“It’s kind of cool that at some college in America, we're being honored like this for a heritage night,” Tubelis said.
Most fans know of the Australian pipeline to Moraga that Bennett has fostered in his near quarter-century leading the Gaels’ program. Australia has sent 25 players to Saint Mary’s. It's doubtful Lithuania can match that number anytime soon, but Marciulionis hopes the connection between his homeland and Saint Mary’s will grow.
“After I graduate, I'll do my best to keep this thing going,” Marciulionis said. “And hopefully, this can be a new Australia for Saint Mary’s—we just have to prove it on the court.”
Notes for Saturday Night’s Game
The first 1,000 fans at Saturday's game will receive a Lithuania–SMC T-shirt. … The Gaels won the first meeting with WSU this season. They overcame a 10-point deficit in the second half to prevail 80–75 in Pullman on January 25. Murauskas had game-highs of 25 points and 12 rebounds. Marciulionis contributed 17 points and a game-high seven assists.
Steve Kroner has covered Bay Area sports for over four decades, mainly for KPIX-TV and the San Francisco Chronicle. He has begun working alongside Brian Brownfield on the Gaels' men's basketball telecasts on ESPN+. “Kroner’s Corner” is a regular feature on SMCGaels.com.
