Mantas Dubauskas is from Lithuania, stands 6-foot-5 and loves to play basketball. That's where his similarity to European-style hoops begins and ends.

He didn't play much in Lithuania before he moved with his parents to the Chicago area six years ago. The St. Joseph senior forward didn't learn the game the way many Europeans do.

Instead of looking for open jump shots, Dubauskas plays with a brute style he learned while playing pickup games at Century Park in Romeoville.

"I went back to Lithuania last year and played, and they said I played like an American," Dubauskas said. "I was taking it to the basket hard and trying to dunk on people and stuff."

Dubauskas was a boxer while he lived in Lithuania. He also has a love for mixed martial arts. He didn't know any English until he began playing hoops.

"My dad first took me to play at the (Lithuanian World Center) in Lemont," Dubauskas said. "I met a coach there and he taught me a lot. I didn't have a lot of friends or anything, so I played a lot of basketball. That's when I went to the outside courts."

Those pickup games also helped him pick up English -- especially some slang terms.

"I learned a lot of new words out at Century Park," Dubauskas said. "I'd hear something and then I'd rush home and look it up. I heard 'Gotcha' a lot."

Dubauskas also did some talking of his own.

"At first, I was always picked last because I was usually the only white guy out there and didn't talk much," he said. "It took me a few months to prove myself. I started doing some (trash) talking in Lithuanian. They thought I was crazy."

St. Joe's head coach Gene Pingatore would agree sometimes, especially when Dubauskas resorts to street-ball dribbling. He's not complaining about Dubauskas' physical style, though.

"Maybe boxing over in Lithuania toughened him up," Pingatore said. "He's not afraid of anybody."

ArtCreative Design and Custom coding
">
ArtCreative Design and Custom coding
 

Article: www.chicagotribune.com