Burneika embraces UH leadership role
By Dayton Morinaga
Advertiser Staff Writer
Perhaps Mindaugas Burneika was born to lead.
Advertiser library photo • Nov. 11, 2001
While his antics on the basketball court sometimes make him seem more like a jester, Burneika is actually named after the first king of Lithuania.
UH's Mindaugas Burneika is averaging 9.2 points and 3.3 rebounds per game off the bench.
He has certainly emerged as a leader on the University of Hawai'i men's basketball team, which is having one of its best seasons ever.
The Rainbow Warriors, who are 20-4 overall and 11-2 in the Western Athletic Conference, will play San Jose State at 7:05 p.m. tomorrow at the Stan Sheriff Center.
Burneika, a 6-foot-7 senior forward from Kaunas, Lithu-ania, is one of the most popular and respected players on the team, even though he is not a starter.
"There's a responsibility that comes with being a senior," Burneika said. "You have to do what you can to help the team win; you also have to help the other players to learn what you learned before."
If there is any 'Bow who knows about learning, it is Burneika.
Four years ago, he arrived in America without any knowledge of the English language. His first "professor" was Jerry Springer.
A perfect fit
"I didn't learn from books," he said. "I just talked to people, and watched a lot of TV. The Jerry Springer Show was what I always used to watch. We don't have anything like that in Lithuania. It was exciting to see all the crazy people arguing."
Burneika can now carry an entire conversation in English, and he doesn't even need to throw chairs across the room.
He has also been a quick study on the basketball court, where he is averaging 9.2 points and 3.3 rebounds per game this season.
"He fits perfectly with what we're trying to do," said UH assistant coach Jackson Wheeler, who recruited Burneika out of Weatherford College (Texas). "He's all for the team. Whatever you ask of him, he'll do."
In two seasons at UH, Burneika has been asked to do different things. At 230 pounds, he has the bulk to battle in the low-post. With a feathery shooting touch, he is also one of the team's most dangerous 3-point shooters.
"His job is to come off the bench and give us some points right away," UH head coach Riley Wallace said.
Burneika has flourished in that role, although he had to adapt. On previous teams in Lithuania and at Weatherford, Burneika was the star player.
Made in the USA
After brief stints in youth boxing and riflery, he was coaxed into basketball by family and friends after he grew to 6-4 by age 13. Combining the toughness of boxing with the marksmanship of riflery, Burneika became one of the top high school players in the country.
"I was like Savo," he said, referring to current teammate Predrag Savovic, UH's leading scorer.
In an attempt to become "made in the USA" — the phrase Lithuanians use to describe players who hone their skills in America — Burneika followed fellow Lithuanian Nerijus Puida to Weatherford. In his sophomore season there, Burneika averaged 19.4 points and 8.1 rebounds per game, and was named the conference player of the year.
Wheeler recruited both Lithuanians to Hawai'i (Puida in 1999, Burneika in 2000). "They're the same in that they just want to win," Wheeler said. "As far as being good guys and team players, you're not going to find any better."
It also helped that Burneika's girlfriend, Janka Gabrielova, decided to follow him to UH. She is the starting point guard for the Hawai'i women's team.
"She's always busting my (butt) that I should shoot more," he said.
Burneika averaged 7.4 points and 2.7 rebounds for UH last season, and then started, along with Puida, for the Lithuania team that placed fifth in the World University Games at Beijing last summer.
This season, he was named a team captain (along with Savovic and Mike McIntyre), a role he has embraced. As proof, he talked with reporters after UH's loss at Louisiana Tech on Saturday after some of his teammates refused.
"Everybody enjoys great moments when you're winning," he said. "But you have to be able to stand up when you lose, too."
Something to remember
The losses have been rare for the 'Bows this season, and Burneika and McIntyre sparking the team off the bench has had much to do with the success. When not playing, Burneika keeps his right hand wrapped in a towel to "keep it warm," and can often be heard whistling and shouting instructions to his teammates.
Once on the court, he has become a UH fan favorite for both his instant offense and his bug-eyed reactions to referees' calls. He is also a king of comedy among teammates.
"He's the funny bunny," Savovic said. "Wherever we go, he's rocking the place."
But this season has not been all fun and games for Burneika. One month ago, his father, Edvardas, was hospitalized after suffering a heart attack in Lithuania. Burneika received the news while the 'Bows were on the road at San Jose State.
"I went to a church to light candles for my family," he said. "But the next day at practice, I had to go outside and cry for a little while."
Edvardas is still recovering, but OK, Mindaugas said. This week, Mindaugas got to speak to his father for the first time since the heart attack.
"He was asking me about basketball and how the team is doing," Burneika said. "I was just happy to hear his voice."
With that, Burneika said he is now ready to lead the 'Bows down what he hopes becomes a memorable stretch run.
"All we hear is how good Alika Smith and AC Carter were, and the Fabulous Five was the best ever," he said. "Maybe we will give people something to remember, too."
