Augustas Marciulionis grew up a son of hoops royalty. The Saint Mary's star is carving his own path

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Augustas Marciulionis grew up a son of hoops royalty. The Saint Mary's star is carving his own path

2025-03-23 05:45 Last Updated At：05:51

CLEVELAND (AP) — Randy Bennett first met Augustas Marciulionis more than two decades ago when the Saint Mary's coach was visiting Lithuania to do a basketball clinic for Marciulionis' father, former NBA star and future Hall of Famer Sarunas.

Sarunas may or may not have been paying much attention to the local traffic laws. Augustus — all of 1-year-old at the time — may or may not have been “buzzing” around between the driver's side and the passenger side without a car seat to be found.

“I was like, ‘This is crazy,’” Bennett said with a small shake of his head. “(Augustus) doesn’t even have a seatbelt on and (his dad is) whipping around these streets.”

It was, in a way, a sign of things to come.

Nearly 20 years later, the toddler with the zoomies had grown into a talented 6-foot-4 freshman point guard for Bennett. And while Marciulionis had gained an appreciation for the importance of proper automobile safety by the time he arrived on the small Saint Mary's campus about 20 minutes east of Oakland, there was still a recklessness about him that caught Bennett by surprise.

Bennett assumed because Augustus was the son of the first Lithuanian player to reach the NBA — Sarunas spent the majority of his seven seasons in the league with the Golden State Warriors in the early 1990s as a smooth-shooting, slick passing swingman credited with introducing the Eurostep to the States — that Augustas would be close to a finished product.

Instead, what Bennett got was 195 pounds of raw material oozing with potential but decidedly naive on what it takes to play in this part of the world.

“You’d think because he’s a Marciulionis that it’s automatic, ‘Hey, this guy is a pro,’” Bennett said. “It wasn’t like that. He had to learn how to bring it every night.”

It took two full years for Marciulionis to regularly crack the starting lineup. Yet those early growing pains set the foundation for a young man in full.

When Marciulionis steps onto the Rocket Arena floor on Sunday night for the seventh-seeded Gaels (29-5) as they face second-seeded Alabama (26-8) in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, he'll do it as a two-time West Coast Conference Player of the Year whose trajectory may eclipse that of former Saint Mary's stars turned NBA fixtures Patty Mills and Matthew Dellavedova.

“We’ve had a lot of good point guards," Bennett said. “He’s at the top.”

The player known to his teammates as “Goose” credits his father for “keeping my head where it's supposed to be.” Yes, Sarunas is basketball royalty back home, though Augustas just laughs when asked if he is in some small way Lithuania's version of Bronny James, the son of NBA icon LeBron.

“No,” Augustas said. “No, no. It's not that.”

For one thing, Augustas could probably take his dad in one-on-one if it ever came to that. Then again, Augustus points out that Sarunas is 60 and “couldn't jump over a newspaper” thanks to knees that are no longer interested in running up and down the court.

Still, there are echoes of Sarunas in his son's game. You can see it in the fluidity of his movement and the way he thinks a step or two ahead.

While Bennett credits Marciulionis for finding a way to take another step forward this season as a player — he posted career bests in points (14.3) and assists (6.0) while leading the Gaels to the WCC regular-season title — it's what he's done off the floor that has perhaps been more impressive.

The 18-year-old who arrived at Saint Mary's largely sight unseen — unless you count the Zoom call he had with Bennett during the COVID-19 pandemic in which Bennett zipped around on a golf cart trying to explain Northern California to someone who'd never been there — with marginal English skills has become a 22-year-old comfortable in his own skin and with his second language.

“He’s grown,” Bennett said. “He’s grown as a person. He’s grown as a leader. But being over here, being in the same program, being here four years, he’s kind of taken on more and more responsibility and become a better and better player.”

One who would love to finish his college career by helping the Gaels reach the Sweet 16 for just the third time in program history.

Saint Mary's has found a way to match and in some ways surpass rival and longtime WCC power Gonzaga during Marciulionis' tenure. The Gaels have won each of the last three WCC regular-season titles. What they haven't done is replicate the Bulldogs' success in March.

Marciulionis and the rest of Saint Mary's senior-laden roster understand the stakes.

“We want to leave it better for the future so people will take Saint Mary’s (more serious) nationally and pay more attention so they can recruit better players (and) get more money," he said. “We can impact that by winning a game or two more.”

To do it Marciulionis will have to hold his own against Alabama All-American Mark Sears, who like Marciulionis has designs on playing in the NBA next year. It will be a daunting task, then again, so is growing up knowing your dad is a national hero and deciding to follow in his footsteps anyway.

“He’s a little under the radar, but what he’s done the last two years has been impressive,” Bennett said. “He’s a good player. He’s really good on both sides of the ball. He’s a good defender. He’s got a nice little gap to improve still.”

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Thousands of nurses go on strike at several major New York City hospitals

NEW YORK (AP) — Thousands of nurses in three hospital systems in New York City went on strike Monday after negotiations through the weekend failed to yield breakthroughs in their contract disputes.

The strike was taking place at The Mount Sinai Hospital and two of its satellite campuses, with picket lines forming. The other affected hospitals are NewYork-Presbyterian and Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx.

About 15,000 nurses are involved in the strike, according to New York State Nurses Association.

“After months of bargaining, management refused to make meaningful progress on core issues that nurses have been fighting for: safe staffing for patients, healthcare benefits for nurses, and workplace violence protections,” the union said in a statement issued Monday. “Management at the richest hospitals in New York City are threatening to discontinue or radically cut nurses’ health benefits.”

The strike, which comes during a severe flu season, could potentially force the hospitals to transfer patients, cancel procedures or divert ambulances. It could also put a strain on city hospitals not involved in the contract dispute, as patients avoid the medical centers hit by the strike.

The hospitals involved have been hiring temporary nurses to try and fill the labor gap during the walkout, and said in a statement during negotiations that they would “do whatever is necessary to minimize disruptions.” Montefiore posted a message assuring patients that appointments would be kept.

“NYSNA’s leaders continue to double down on their $3.6 billion in reckless demands, including nearly 40% wage increases, and their troubling proposals like demanding that a nurse not be terminated if found to be compromised by drugs or alcohol while on the job," Montefiore spokesperson Joe Solmonese said Monday after the strike had started. "We remain resolute in our commitment to providing safe and seamless care, regardless of how long the strike may last.”

New York-Presbyterian accused the union of staging a strike to “create disruption,” but said in a statement that it has taken steps to ensure patients receive the care they need.

"We’re ready to keep negotiating a fair and reasonable contract that reflects our respect for our nurses and the critical role they play, and also recognizes the challenging realities of today’s healthcare environment,” the statement said.

The work stoppage is occurring at multiple hospitals simultaneously, but each medical center is negotiating with the union independently. Several other hospitals across the city and in its suburbs reached deals in recent days to avert a possible strike.

The nurses’ demands vary by hospital, but the major issues include staffing levels and workplace safety. The union says hospitals have given nurses unmanageable workloads.

Nurses also want better security measures in the workplace, citing incidents like a an incident last week, when a man with a sharp object barricaded himself in a Brooklyn hospital room and was then killed by police.

The union also wants limitations on hospitals’ use of artificial intelligence.

The nonprofit hospitals involved in the negotiations say they’ve been working to improve staffing levels, but say the union’s demands overall are too costly.

Nurses voted to authorize the strike last month.

Both New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor Zohran Mamdani had expressed concern about the possibility of the strike. As the strike deadline neared, Mamdani urged both sides to keep negotiating and reach a deal that “both honors our nurses and keeps our hospitals open.”

“Our nurses kept this city alive through its hardest moments. Their value is not negotiable,” Mamdani said.

State Attorney General Letitia James voiced similar support, saying "nurses put their lives on the line every day to keep New Yorkers healthy. They should never be forced to choose between their own safety, their patients’ well-being, and a fair contract.”

The last major nursing strike in the city was only three years ago, in 2023. That work stoppage, at Mount Sinai and Montefiore, was short, lasting three days. It resulted in a deal raising pay 19% over three years at those hospitals.

It also led to promised staffing improvements, though the union and hospitals now disagree about how much progress has been made, or whether the hospitals are retreating from staffing guarantees.