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A driving ambition brought Jasikevicius to College Park.
(John W. McDonough)
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Sarunas
Jasikevicius,
Maryland
Class: Senior
Position: Guard
Height:
6'4" Weight:
190
DOB:
March 5,
1976
Hometown:
Kaunas,
Lithuania
High School:
Quarryville (Pa.)
Solanco
Vital
Stats: 12.6 points per game, 3.3 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 40.1%
three-pointers
by Albert
Lin
There is no question why Sarunas Jasikevicius came to this
country. The United States is the land of opportunity,
after all, and that is exactly what Jasikevicius is looking
for. "My parents want me to come here because of
education. Basketball comes
second to them," he said. "But for me, it comes
first. [The NBA] has been my goal from the first time
I knew what it was all
about."
When things are going well, as they are now, Jasikevicius
(pronounced yes-uh-KA-vi-shus) seems mere months from
realizing his dream. "There ain't no way he's not
going to play in the NBA," the league's director of
scouting, Marty Blake, told
The Washington
Times two years ago. "That kid can really knock it down.
It's funny that he's the one guy on [Maryland] that has
can't-miss
potential."
Paradoxically, when Blake made that pronouncement
Jasikevicius was in the midst of deciding whether or not he
wanted to transfer. With seniors Duane Simpkins, Johnny
Rhodes and Exree Hipp ahead of him at the wing positions,
he was not getting the
playing time he thought he deserved. He had been willing to sit
for one year, but as a sophomore he felt he was being
denied a chance. "That was the bottom of
everything," he said. "I was like, 'This is it
for me.'" After analyzing the circumstances, however,
he decided to stay in College Park for the obvious reason:
With Simpkins, Rhodes and Hipp set to depart, playing time
would be
plentiful.
Jasikevicius has started every game since. As a junior, he
went from 10th on the team in minutes to fourth and was the
Terrapins' No. 3 scorer. This season he's been even better,
improving his numbers in every department but rebounds. In
addition to his
shooting ability, Jasikevicius is a fine passer and has
improved his defense. "We're not afraid to put him on
anybody," coach Gary Williams
said.
In the back of his mind, there always loomed an option:
Jasikevicius could pack his bags and begin earning money
playing basketball in his native Lithuania. "Every
time
I go home, they offer it," he said. But even at his low
point, he never seriously
considered the suggestion. "I don't want to go
there," he said. "I want to go to college and see
if
I can do any better than
Lithuania."
So far, so
good.
Other Spotlights
March 16: Mateen Cleaves, Michigan; Murriel Page, Florida
March 15: Jason Hart, Syracuse
March 14: Kris Johnson, UCLA
March 13: Lee Nailon, Texas Christian
March 12: Brian Earl, Princeton
March 11: Tyrone Weeks, Massachusetts
March 10: Brett Robisch, Oklahoma St.
March 9: Larry Hughes, Saint Louis
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