LaMelo and LiAngelo Ball are headed to Lithuania. After reports began circulating that the youngest Ball brothers were in serious discussions with Prienu Vytautas, the word of their actual signing came down from The Vertical’s Shams Charania.
Sources: LaMelo and LiAngelo Ball have turned pro, signing one-year contracts with first division Lithuanian team Vytautas. They will report to the club in early January.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) December 11, 2017
The report was confirmed by ESPN’s Jeff Goodman, who spoke to their agent.
Harrison Gaines, the agent for all three Ball Brothers, told ESPN that LiAngelo and LaMelo have signed a one-year deal with Lithuanian team Vytautas. Expected to head to Lithuania in early-January.
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) December 11, 2017
Per Charania, the two will report to the team next month, which means LaVar will join them in Lithuania along with other family members to help them get settled. The team released a statement about the signing.
Lithuanian team Vytautas‘ statement on signing LaMelo and LiAngelo Ball to one-year deals: “Our club is excited for the arrival of LiAngelo and LaMelo Ball. We are committed to their long-term success and development as professional basketball players.”
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) December 11, 2017
While the Ball boys prepare to head overseas, it’s worth taking a look at the club they will be joining. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Jonathan Givony provided an overview of the team that wasn’t exactly a glowing review.
Prienu Vytautas, or BC Prienai as it’s often called, is a low-level club from a small, non-English speaking village of roughly 10,000 people in southern Lithuania. The team has been grappling with financial issues, and started the season losing eight of its first 12 games in the Lithuanian league.
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The team has no general manager and doesn’t practice regularly due to the poor financial situation.
However, some of those claims were dispute by Simonas Baranauskas, a freelance writer from Lithuania covering FIBA hoops. Baranauskas did explain it was a small team run by one man and on a small budget, but said that calling it a “poor financial situation” was overblown.
A little insight to Vytautas: a one-man club in the shape of coach Virginijus Šeškus, who has guided the small-town team to considerable heights in Lithuania. The last couple of years have been a bit of a squeeze financially but they've never operated w/ a lot of money. https://t.co/Ye24GindnF
— Simonas Baranauskas (@simasbar) December 11, 2017
From ESPN: "The team has no GM and doesn't practice regularly due to the poor financial situation."
That is not correct. Might not always run the hard-nosed two-a-day usual for European hoops but 'doesn't practice regularly' & 'due to poor financial situation' is tall tales.
— Simonas Baranauskas (@simasbar) December 11, 2017
In any case, the reviews from a few American players that played in Lithuania, including one that played for Vytautas’ coach, were not encouraging for the experience LaMelo and LiAngelo will have.
With how my teammate & I were treated I can only imagine how they will be. Prayers up for the young boys 🙏🏽 https://t.co/grFxLE6ncr
— Brandon Wood (@BrandonWood30) December 11, 2017
He had me my rookie year for a different club there, told me through our assistant during training camp that he wouldn’t play me much because he couldn’t speak to me.
— Billy Baron (@Billy_Baron) December 11, 2017
The best part is the coach has been described to Givony as the “LaVar Ball of Lithuania,” which bodes very well for the entertainment value of this signing.
Virginijus Seskus, coach of Prienu Vytautas, who is considering signing LiAngelo and LaMelo Ball, has been described to me as "the LaVar Ball of Lithuania". Very high energy guy apparently. Loves to get technical fouls. They'll get along great, despite him speaking no english.
— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) December 11, 2017
This will certainly be an interesting dynamic, but the alleged deal doesn’t call for the Ball boys to play much in the upper Lithuanian league. Instead, they’ll get reps in a lower Baltic league where they could see 20 to 25 minutes per night, per ESPN.
Even so, the language barrier might not be the biggest stumbling block for the Balls in getting on the floor. Both LiAngelo and LaMelo are unrepentant volume shooters, who launch deep shots at will and with no remorse.
That is a far cry from the European style of basketball and there could be some serious culture shock on the court from both sides early on. LaMelo is well known for hoisting deep threes, but LiAngelo isn’t shy about chucking either, having taken 14 three-pointers a game while in high school. As ESPN’s Mike Schmitz put it, their mentality doesn’t fit.
Basketball is religion in Lithuania. Players are known for their strong feel for the game and discipline. Gunner mentality doesn't fit.
— Mike Schmitz (@Mike_Schmitz) December 11, 2017
The transition of the Ball family to Lithuania will be fascinating, and how the rest of the team and league accepts them will be something worth watching as they bring a very different style with them. That said, according to Goodman, this team might be the exception to the rule over there and be a good fit for the Balls’ style.
Just spoke to someone who is extremely familiar with Lithuanian basketball. Said this team is ideal for the Ball brothers — except for fact the coach doesn’t speak English – because they play guys out of position, shoot a ton of 3’s and don’t defend. “It’s a perfect match.”
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) December 11, 2017
That could be spin, we know Goodman is well sourced in the Ball family, but maybe it’s true. In any case, this will be interesting to watch and I’m sure LaVar will make sure we see it all, good and bad, on their Facebook reality show.
