The Common Interest Management Gael Spotlight is a monthly feature story about Saint Mary's Athletics and a behind-the-scenes look at the Gaels.
 
MORAGA, Calif. — When Augustas Marciulionis announced he was coming to Saint Mary's College, there was a lot of hype around the move. Now, following the conclusion of his first two months of college basketball, it's easy to see what all the talk was about.
 
Marciulionis comes to Moraga with a strong basketball background that has been well documented by many outlets. His father, Sarunas, is in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame after spending seven seasons in the NBA, highlighted by four years with the Golden State Warriors.
 
"I probably found out that he was a big basketball player when I was about eight or nine years old. I didn't really know that before," recalled Augustas. Even still, with a father who is an NBA hall of famer, Augustas does not let that affect his mindset. "I wasn't thinking about it a lot. My dad is just like any other dad."
 
"Of course I took his every word of advice very seriously because I knew he was a very good player. He is probably one of the best people who can give advice in general, too. So I took every single chance to learn from him."
 
After Sarunas became the first Soviet player to join the NBA and eventually made his way into the Hall of Fame, the Marciulionis name took on a new meaning. That can really weigh on an individual, having to follow in the footsteps of a family member. For Augustas, that added challenge is one that he does his best to shove aside.
 
 "Usually I don't try to put that extra pressure on myself," Augustas explained. "These big things, like carrying on legacies and becoming the next big player out of Saint Mary's…I have a lot of stuff still to learn and to do, so I just try to take it day-to-day and not put too much pressure on myself. Of course there is some pressure, it's normal, but I try not to think about it."
 
After 15 non-conference games, if there has been pressure on Marciulionis, it has not shown. The freshman earned his first two collegiate starts to close out non-conference play, and has played over 20 minutes in six of the last seven games. While he is only averaging 4.6 points per game, he leads the Gaels in free throw percentage (84.6%), is tied for second on the team in assists (37), and is second in steals (17).
 
One of the bigger challenges for Marciulionis was deciding to comes to the United States to play collegiate basketball in the first place. Marciulionis had every opportunity to continue playing professionally overseas and chasing his dream that way. Instead, he decided to head to California to continue making a name for himself just 15 miles from where his father played professional basketball.
 
"It was a really tough decision in general, to go to the United States to play college basketball because I really had a good chance to stay in Europe, play professionally, and improve there," Marciulionis said. "That was the biggest decision, but I felt like I wanted a new challenge and a change in environment. I wanted to see if I could do it in a different culture, different level, so I chose to do that."
 
His father might have played a role in helping him choose Moraga, but the choice to play at Saint Mary's had multiple levels to it. "I chose Saint Mary's because of the history with the guards and we have a lot of international players. I also heard a lot of good things about Randy Bennett. Before coming here, I hadn't seen a lot of film and video, but I trusted the people who told me that. They have seen a lot of basketball, including my dad. So he recommended me to Randy, he told me this was a really good place."
 
The mention of Coach Bennett is a popular answer amongst student-athletes who choose to play for the Gaels. Saint Mary's has been the winningest men's basketball NCAA DI program in California for the last decade, and they've been to 14-straight postseason tournaments (including seven NCAA tournaments).
 
Every player needs to buy into the system in order for it to work, but according to Marciulionis, it's very easy to get on board with what's been built.
 
"The one thing that is really different from other coaches it that Randy is great at team chemistry building," Marciulionis said. "He's always emphasizing that is very important and we are always doing team dinners or stuff where we are together, and I think that is very important. That is one of the main strengths of our team. Our game style is very similar, we play team basketball and everything is connected. We are sharing the ball and we are trying to move it, trying not to be selfish, and playing solid defense. Everything is connected from building team chemistry to learning how to play with each other. Randy's style is team basketball."
 
While Marciulionis might be a freshman who normally would rely on things like team chemistry to get himself assimilated to this style of play, he arguably is wise beyond his years after playing basketball back home in Lithuania. As a young player who was on the cusp of going pro full-time, Marciulionis knows what it's like to play against others who are 10+ years older. In some of his final games with Rytas Vilnius, his team in Lithuania, Marciulionis was playing with and against guys who were 30 years old. Marciulionis is 19.
 
 "In terms of maturity and experience, I think that I can really use it to my advantage, like my decision-making and patience," noted Marciulionis. "I think I improved on those things much more because when you are playing pros, you are physically not stronger than them. Maybe you are more athletic than some, but you still have to be smart and try to find different ways to score that ball. Athleticism is very different…here, guys are big-time athletes who can jump like crazy. Experienced guys play differently and they play smarter."
 
No matter how difficult of a decision it was for Marciulionis, no matter the trials and tribulations he's had learning to play college basketball, Marciulionis summed it up with one sentence:
 
"I'm really happy that I chose to come here."
 
The Gaels are happy he chose to come here, too.