Paulius Murauskas grew up in Kaunas, Lithuania, about 65 miles from Augustas Marciulionis’ hometown of Vilnius. Their club basketball programs were rivals, so they often played against each other growing up and occasionally played together on national teams as they got older.
Their connection veered into a fresh realm last spring, when Murauskas entered the transfer portal after a frustrating freshman season at Arizona. Marciulionis, coming off West Coast Conference Player of the Year honors at St. Mary’s, beckoned his countryman to join him in the Bay Area.
“He called me after the season and almost recruited me,” Murauskas said, sitting alongside Marciulionis after a Gaels practice one day last week.