[ad_1]
In September, twin brothers Oak and Tautvilas Tubelis were greeted by a yellow Lithuanian on the campus of the University of Arizona with a funny name: Gilė Bitė Starkutė.
He is the best Lithuanian golfer to start the second season of science and sports in Arizona, who introduced freshmen to the Vilnius-sized city of Tuson and a university that offers impressive conditions for students.
Tucson – 520 thousand. the second largest city in the state of Arizona, with a population of just 98 kilometers from the border with Mexico.
As you can see, the holidays for the Tubel brothers were unusual. Not only because of the new environment and the COVID-19 pandemic, but also because of the outside temperatures, which currently range between 17 and 26 degrees.
“Everything was new to us”, the beginning in America 15 minutes recalled A. Tubelis. – It was necessary to adjust the time difference. It’s very hot in here, we haven’t had a chance to feel cold yet. There are a lot of new players on the team so it was easy to join the team. The microclimate in the team has been very good from the first training session. I flew here to play basketball and learn. Every day I have to communicate with coaches and players, there is not much time to go somewhere, to visit something. Everything is really understandable, I’m happy to be here. “
The University of Arizona, according to its 2019 data, had a total of up to 45,918 students under its umbrella.
The 273rd-ranked university in the world offers up to 277 undergraduate disciplines, including agriculture and life sciences, business management, engineering, humanities, medicine, or public health.
The cost of studies usually reaches 35 thousand per year. The scholarship for the Tubel brothers was guaranteed by Oak’s incredible talent on the basketball court, which could pave his way in the NBA in the near future.
The investigation into the COVID-19 pandemic is being carried out remotely. Grades are important, as Oak says, you need to learn well to get a chance to play basketball too.
“I try to do everything on time, although it is definitely not easy,” smiles the basketball player who celebrates his 19th birthday at the end of March.
Lithuanian dedication is exemplary and routine at university can sometimes be reminiscent of the military.
The Tubeliai brothers get out of bed at the sixth morning and head to the gym to work with weights, then – a joint team breakfast, an hour break, followed by a study that lasts until noon, a second workout, rest and time for homework again.
The United States is drowning in COVID-19 and Arizona Wildcats players are screened six times a week.
“We protect ourselves from the virus as much as possible, we try not to go to meetings, we prefer to stay at home. We always walk with masks and keep our distance from others. During the trips we live in the rooms one by one, we don’t go anywhere, we even eat one by one “, – 15 minutes he told A. Tubel.
Photo Scanpix / 14.5 thousand McKale Center Stadium, where home games are played by Ą.Tubelis
The conditions provided by the university for students are NBA level, says A. Tubelis. Two basketball rooms, a gym, a world-class wardrobe and a video viewing room reminiscent of a movie theater.
Many of the Wildcats players then had successful careers in the strongest league on the planet: Damon Stoudamire, Sean Elliott, Jason Terry, Gilbert Aren, Mike Bibby, Ryan Anderson, Lauri Markkanen, Deandre Ayton.
The Wildcats played in the NCAA Final Four four times and became champions in 1997.
“Arizona has everything it needs to improve,” said the promising Lithuanian.
The oak is evolving, it is visible both to the naked eye and to figures.
According to the University of Arizona, the basketball player, who is 207 cm tall and weighs 108 cm, arrived in the United States with a body fat percentage of 11, and now around 7.5 percent. The oak tree looks powerful, but it also rises strongly, a vertical jump from the place, almost 87 cm.
“I feel stronger and dance higher,” said a modest Vilnius resident of the United States for almost half a year.
„Scanpix“ / AP nuotr./Ąžuolas Tubelis
Robert Javtokas played at this university 21 years ago. True, not that successful: he scored just 0.8 points in eight games.
At that time, the Lithuanian found it difficult to move from Lithuania to the American culture, adapt to the new environment, so after loading his suitcases, he returned to Lithuania, concluding an agreement with Vilnius “Lietuvos rytas”.
It took time for the most useful player in the Euroleague youth tournament in Kaunas in 2020, A. Tubelis, but he also has his brother Tautvilas and Estonian Kerras Kriisa, who previously belonged to Kaunas’ “Žalgiris” system.
“It is much easier when there is a brother around. I don’t feel alone. We, with Tautville, help each other in various fields, and we also communicate very closely with Kerru. We are very good friends with the team, ”said T. Tubelis.
In the elite Pac-12 conference, Ąžuolas Tubelis played 12 games, and the last 6 – in the starting five.
In his first season in the US Student League, a player from Vilnius plays 22 minutes, wins by 10.8 points (38.5% trit., 64.9% penalty), recovers after 6.1 and takes 0.8 balls after 0.9 effective passes, blocks after 0.6 shots, makes a mistake after 1.9 times, fouls after 3.2 times.
“As expected, I really saw and felt a different kind of basketball, which is faster here, decisions are made faster. I really don’t feel too young. I think I have and can make more logical decisions in attack. But I am working on it. There are different rules and a lot of talented players here, but I really appreciate the start of the season.
Our team is very young, with many new faces. Personally, I try to play the best I can and help the team achieve victory, “said A. Tubelis, who is represented by the Wildcats, had 9 wins in the first 12 games.
arizonawildcats.com/Ąžuolas Tubelis
The start of the Lithuanian Wildcats was not what I expected.
There were games after 11 minutes and 2-3 points in protocol, but the basketball player’s agent said there were no problems, showing Domanto Sabonis’s numbers in his first NCAA season.
At the time, Gonzaga’s Bulldogs had 9.7 points and 7.1 rebounds in their debut season. Similar to how Oak now captures it.
A.Tubelis develops his shot every morning after training, taking a series of long shots and penalties.
Don’t forget to spend time polishing various movements.
It didn’t take long and the basketball player exploded. The Lithuanian, who competed in the duel with the South Carolina Trojans in the position of a forward with a lot of advantage, where he feels most comfortable, scored up to 31 points, bounced 8 balls and gave 3 assists.
“I am glad I felt comfortable on the field and managed to score so many points. The teammates praised me after the game, but when they lose, it’s never fun, ”said A. Telis, whose team lost 73:87.
“It was an incredible game,” assessed head coach Sean Miller, who has led the team for the thirteenth season, the 31-point performance of Ąžuolas Tubelis. – I haven’t coached many freshmen who would score 31 points in a Pac-12 conference against such a talented opponent. Oak feels better and more comfortable. It’s a big reason we stayed in the fight. This is due to your individual efforts. There were games in the first 10 games when Oak withdrew from the field due to fast fouls. He’s a freshman, so he has to pass it, he has to survive the typical mistakes of a newcomer. “
In the last three games, the athletic forward has been playing for 32 minutes and has gained great confidence from the coach.
While the conversation gave the impression that the basketball player might try to go down Sabo’s path and enter the NBA rookie market after two years in college, the mighty recently demonstrated A. Tubel’s game could rise sharply their actions in the coming months and push towards the NBA in the coming summer.
“I don’t really look next to the NBA yet. There is still time for that, I have more than a day to improve, so I need to work “, – 15 minutes The Lithuanian Wildcats said, trying not to burden himself with additional thoughts about the future.
According to the current schedule, the Wildcats’ last game is scheduled for March 6, with the end of the regular season.
Lithuania will not feel the brightest lights of the “March Madness” tournament of the NCAA season this year. The Wildcats have punished themselves for corruption offenses and have refused to play in the playoffs.
Since 2017, Arizona basketball team leaders and coaches have been suspected of corruption and bribery of player agents.
NCAA rules prohibit paying money to basketball players, but it is suspected that DeAndre Ayton’s agent was paid $ 10,000 each. dollars per month.
“It’s obviously sad and uncomfortable because I really wanted to see and feel how this tournament was going. It’s not fun for the players, but we are looking forward and everything will be fine, ”said Tubelis.
It seems that everything will go very well with A. Tubelis. Go ahead, Oaks.
[ad_2]
