Bear-Arms
Mentor
Darius Songaila was shown on the front page of the Chicago Tribune and dubbed a hero. I was quite surprised to see a white basketball player get so much praise and on the front page no less.
Bulls' hero has been around
By Marlen Garcia
Tribune staff reporter
November 3, 2005, 10:50 PM CST
Darius Songaila has just two years of NBA experience, but the 6-foot-8-inch forward has been playing against the world's best basketball players for much longer.
Perhaps that's why the Bulls newcomer exhibited such poise in the final minutes of regulation and in overtime Wednesday night in the Bulls' season-opening victory over Charlotte.
Among his clutch plays, Songaila sank a tying three-pointer in the closing seconds of regulation as the Bulls capped a rally from a 25-point deficit.
"He knows how to play," guard Kirk Hinrich said. "It's just so evident. He's a great passer. He can shoot the ball. He's definitely a huge asset to this team."
And he's no longer one of Chicago's best-kept secrets.
Songaila, who played his previous two seasons for Sacramento, is a two-time Olympian from Lithuania. Five years ago, during his sophomore year at Wake Forest, he had an integral role as Lithuania put a scare into Team USA in an Olympic semifinal in Sydney.
The Americans barely pulled out a two-point victory and went on to win the gold medal, but Lithuania's bold stand against an American Dream Teamâ€â€featuring Kevin Garnett, Vince Carter, Alonzo Mourning and Jason Kiddâ€â€made NBA players look like mere mortals for the first time in world competition since Dream Teams began being assembled in 1992.
Lithuania won a bronze medal. Songaila, then 22, had started laying the groundwork to become a pro.
"Obviously, I was setting my goals high," Songaila said Thursday of the experience. "You always have to set your goals high so when you fall a little bit short, you're not disappointed."
Songaila joined the Lithuanian national team again in last summer's Olympic Games in Athens, and Lithuania beat the Americans in a preliminary round but failed to topple the U.S. in the bronze-medal game.
Though he's a famous name in his native country and at Wake Forest, where he scored more than 1,800 points in a four-year career, Songaila hasn't made a big splash in the NBA, nor was he expected to as a second-round pick in 2002.
He was drafted by Boston but ended up honing his game overseas, playing for CSKA Moscow. The Celtics traded him to the Kings the following season.
In Sacramento he had a supporting role behind veterans such as Peja Stojakovic.
"With the Kings you have so many mega-caliber players, huge names," Songaila said. "It's kind of hard for a young guy coming in to feel like a big part of it. Here, we have a young team. I think anybody that comes into this team can feel like they're a big part of it.
"We don't have any superstars. Everybody's kind of the same, depending on each other. Now you have one guy stepping up, the second night you'll have another guy. Eventually it comes to your time."
The description is accurate. Last season it seemed Bulls players took turns making dramatic plays. Everyone from Ben Gordon to Jannero Pargo had a hand in saving the Bulls from time to time.
The Bulls signed Songaila in September. Initially, the Kings planned to re-sign him but couldn't afford to after picking up Shareef Abdur-Rahim with their midlevel exception. Songaila has a one-year deal with the Bulls, with a player's option for a second.
"We're certainly happy with the way he's played," coach Scott Skiles said. Defensively, he's ahead of "some guys that have already played for us, which is a little bit of a mystery."
Songaila doesn't have much speed, but he possesses the sound fundamentals and perimeter skills Skiles values. He had five assists to go with 11 points against Charlotte. Skiles said he easily could have had seven or eight assists if not for missed layups or turnovers.
"You just have to get the job done no matter how you get it done," Songaila said. "If it's pretty, if it's [ugly]. It doesn't matter. There's always a way to get it done.
Bulls' hero has been around
By Marlen Garcia
Tribune staff reporter
November 3, 2005, 10:50 PM CST
Darius Songaila has just two years of NBA experience, but the 6-foot-8-inch forward has been playing against the world's best basketball players for much longer.
Perhaps that's why the Bulls newcomer exhibited such poise in the final minutes of regulation and in overtime Wednesday night in the Bulls' season-opening victory over Charlotte.
Among his clutch plays, Songaila sank a tying three-pointer in the closing seconds of regulation as the Bulls capped a rally from a 25-point deficit.
"He knows how to play," guard Kirk Hinrich said. "It's just so evident. He's a great passer. He can shoot the ball. He's definitely a huge asset to this team."
And he's no longer one of Chicago's best-kept secrets.
Songaila, who played his previous two seasons for Sacramento, is a two-time Olympian from Lithuania. Five years ago, during his sophomore year at Wake Forest, he had an integral role as Lithuania put a scare into Team USA in an Olympic semifinal in Sydney.
The Americans barely pulled out a two-point victory and went on to win the gold medal, but Lithuania's bold stand against an American Dream Teamâ€â€featuring Kevin Garnett, Vince Carter, Alonzo Mourning and Jason Kiddâ€â€made NBA players look like mere mortals for the first time in world competition since Dream Teams began being assembled in 1992.
Lithuania won a bronze medal. Songaila, then 22, had started laying the groundwork to become a pro.
"Obviously, I was setting my goals high," Songaila said Thursday of the experience. "You always have to set your goals high so when you fall a little bit short, you're not disappointed."
Songaila joined the Lithuanian national team again in last summer's Olympic Games in Athens, and Lithuania beat the Americans in a preliminary round but failed to topple the U.S. in the bronze-medal game.
Though he's a famous name in his native country and at Wake Forest, where he scored more than 1,800 points in a four-year career, Songaila hasn't made a big splash in the NBA, nor was he expected to as a second-round pick in 2002.
He was drafted by Boston but ended up honing his game overseas, playing for CSKA Moscow. The Celtics traded him to the Kings the following season.
In Sacramento he had a supporting role behind veterans such as Peja Stojakovic.
"With the Kings you have so many mega-caliber players, huge names," Songaila said. "It's kind of hard for a young guy coming in to feel like a big part of it. Here, we have a young team. I think anybody that comes into this team can feel like they're a big part of it.
"We don't have any superstars. Everybody's kind of the same, depending on each other. Now you have one guy stepping up, the second night you'll have another guy. Eventually it comes to your time."
The description is accurate. Last season it seemed Bulls players took turns making dramatic plays. Everyone from Ben Gordon to Jannero Pargo had a hand in saving the Bulls from time to time.
The Bulls signed Songaila in September. Initially, the Kings planned to re-sign him but couldn't afford to after picking up Shareef Abdur-Rahim with their midlevel exception. Songaila has a one-year deal with the Bulls, with a player's option for a second.
"We're certainly happy with the way he's played," coach Scott Skiles said. Defensively, he's ahead of "some guys that have already played for us, which is a little bit of a mystery."
Songaila doesn't have much speed, but he possesses the sound fundamentals and perimeter skills Skiles values. He had five assists to go with 11 points against Charlotte. Skiles said he easily could have had seven or eight assists if not for missed layups or turnovers.
"You just have to get the job done no matter how you get it done," Songaila said. "If it's pretty, if it's [ugly]. It doesn't matter. There's always a way to get it done.
