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Demon Deacon Vytas Danelius ignored advice and left Lithuania. He's happy he didn't listen to doubters.
By BRIAN LANDMAN, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times, published March 20, 2003
GREENSBORO, N.C. -- Although he had the opportunity to play collegiately in the United States, Vytas Danelius was unsure if he should take it.
He had no family outside his home in Lithuania, which during his early years was occupied by the Soviet Union. He also had a promising basketball opportunity there, a four-year contract offer from a local pro team.
"A lot of people told me not to do it," said Danelius, who spent the 2000-01 school year as an exchange student at Park Tudor High in Indianapolis. "People don't know what to expect here. But I was thinking, 'No risk, no champagne.' "
Two years later, he and the Wake Forest Demon Deacons are enjoying a nice bubbly toast.
Danelius (pronounced dan-a-loose), a 6-foot-8, 228-pound sophomore forward who can play inside and outside, averages 13 points and 7.6 rebounds, both second on the team behind All-American candidate Josh Howard. "Danelius is as good as any forward in the league," North Carolina coach Matt Doherty said.
That was not the case a year ago when he continued a gradual adjustment to college basketball and life in America. But his maturation is one reason the Demon Deacons are a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament, opening Friday against No. 15 East Tennessee State at the St. Pete Times Forum.
"I'm beginning to take another step," said Danelius, who speaks English, Russian and German as well as Lithuanian. "Last year I didn't know what I could do. I got a great help from my countryman, Darius Songaila (a senior last season). He knew what I needed. He was in my shoes. He was from the same country, with the same problems. He knew I needed help on the court with basketball terminology and just overall explaining things. ... And even off the court he helped me to adapt to the university and live on my own. He played like an older brother's role."
Were it not for Songaila, Danelius might not have signed with Wake Forest. He orally committed to the school, but before signing his coach-to-be, Dave Odom, left for South Carolina. That opened the door for Skip Prosser, then the coach at Xavier who had seen Danelius at an Indiana all-star game.
"When Coach Odom left we called his (high school) coach and said, 'Hey. If he's still going to Wake Forest, great, or if he's going to go to South Carolina with Coach Odom, fine, but if he's going to re-open his recruiting, we'd like to get involved,' " Prosser recalled. "So we spent two weeks really trying hard to get him. Then all of a sudden I go to Wake, and I said (to him), 'Go with your gut feeling.' I'm thrilled he decided to go with his initial decision.
"He's a hard worker, and I don't think there's anybody I fuss at more than Vytas. He's going to become an excellent player. ... I think he's going to have a tremendous offseason, and I really think he has tremendous potential."