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Home , Basketball, FIBA, Frank Lubin, Steponas Darius

Lithuanian Basket - – the Origins of “Gold Fever” by Alfred Erich Senn

asketball has been called the would have appeared to have little second religion of . prospect of developing. BSince the introduction of the But in that year of 1935 the into the Olympic in bacillus giving rise to “gold fever” 1936, have captained first infected the Lithuanian soul, three gold medal teams: Frank Lu - having been brought to the country instruction book authored by bin, USA, 1936; Modestas by American Lithuanians. The oc - in 1926. Paulauskas, USSR, 1972; and Valde - casion was the basketball tourna - their elders that they were in fact maras Chomičius, USSR, 1988. A ment associated with the First making a contribution to Lithuania. Lithuanian team has yet to win the Lithuanian Congress, organized by Ed “Moose” Krause, Edward Walter Olympic gold in its own name, but the Lithuanian government. There Kriaučiūnas, a legendary figure in in the latter days of Soviet rule, the was controversy in the attendance Notre Dame , led the team. passion for basketball was called of the basketball players as well as In the course of beating a Lat - “gold fever,” aukso karštligė , with of any other delegation from the vian-Lithuanian team 40-9 and a reference to the struggles of the Žal - because of émigré op - team of All Stars 36-5, the giris-Kaunas with ’s position to the authoritarian regime American-Lithuanians easily domi - Central Army team (TsSKA) for the of Antanas Smetona, the sponsor nated the Congress’s basketball pro - gold medals as Soviet champions. of the congress, but the basketball gram and excited the spectators. The fever recurred in 2003, when players came without political moti - Some Lithuanian sports officials Lithuania won its third European vation, driven simply by the chance thought of importing Americans to basketball championship in its own to visit the land of their ancestors. strengthen national performance in name. Today Lithuanian basketball The American-Lithuanian the sport, but Lithuanian Prime players are no oddity in American hoopsters were from the Minister Juozas Tūbelis, Antanas colleges and universities, not to men - area. Sports, like popular music, were Smetona’s brother-in-law, did not ap - tion in the professional National undoubtedly a major factor in the prove of the costs and insisted that Basketball Association. assimilation of Lithuanian young Lithuania had to develop its own The sport of basketball first men in the 1930s, and one can imag - players. came to Lithuania with independ - ine the tension that must have pre - Several of the Chicago Lithua - ence. The celebrated pilot Steponas vailed in immigrant households as nians – probably the best known Darius (Darašius) is usually credited the youth spent spare time in such a was Connie Savickas – stayed to with having introduced the in non-productive activity that seemed instruct the new enthusiasts, but the 1920s, but partly because of the only to contribute to weakening progress was of course slow. In Jan - sport’s association with the YMCA Lithuanian consciousness. But with uary 1936 the Lithuanians neverthe - and Protestant youth groups, it re - the help of other Chicago Lithuan - less demonstrated considerable im - ceived only feeble reception in its ian businessmen, Jack Jatis, a sports provement when they lost to the first decade. In 1935, the Lithuanian enthusiast and later a cog in the po - Latvians by a of just 31-10 national team lost to the Latvian na - litical machine of Chicago mayor (14-7 at half time), but they did not tional team, who soon thereafter be - Richard J. Daley, organized a participate in the sport’s Olympic came the champions of , by Lithuanian team to go to Kaunas, debut in in the . the score of 123-10. The sport and the could out to ( finished 18th in the Olympic

16 LITHUANIAN HERITAGE May /June 2015 slow. In February, with only one players visited the United States in American playing, they fell to the 1938 and came off at best with Latvians, 41-29. A Latvian writer mixed results. It was clear that to predicted that Lithuania would finish defend their European title, the the upcoming championship in last Lithuanians needed more American place. The Lithuanians hastily help, but the Lithuanians’ depend - brought two new players from ence on their American foreign le - Chicago, but they made no public gion was now drawing criticism in The Lithuanian basketball champions at announcement about this. Feliksas Europe, especially among the Lat - the European tournament in , Latvia, Kriaučiunas (Felix Krause, Ed’s vians, who were commonly identi - 1937. Photo courtesy of “Krepšinio Kelias brother) became both coach and fied as the Lithuanians’ major rival į Lietuvą” player. The Lithuanians practiced se - in this sport. And while there were https://www.knyguklubas.lt/out/1/html/0/d yn_images/0/cdb_KREPSINIS_pavar - cretly for two weeks, even cancelling several Chicagoans playing on the tyti_fl.pdf league games. In the tournament in team, international attention focused Riga they played five games, beating on Lubin, who had now returned to basketball tournament.) The pres - Estonia, Egypt, and most impor - Lithuania as player and coach. ence at the Games of tantly , before winning the Latvians and Estonians raised (Pranas Lubinas) as captain of the championship by beating for two particular objections to Lubin’s American gold medal team, how - the second time. representing Lithuania on the court: ever, offered a new opportunity. As news of the victories seeped one that he was too tall, and the Lubin, an American-Lithuanian into Kaunas, “gold fever” erupted. other that he had not been born in and a graduate of UCLA, had won A gathering of professors in Kaunas Lithuania and therefore should be considerable note in southern Cali - burst into applause upon hearing of ineligible. Lubin was 6 foot, 6 and fornia basketball. His job was the victory over the Poles. When 5/8 inches tall – that was a gigantic as a grip in a movie studio, and his Kipras Petrauskas interrupted his height in those days. Especially the AAU team had won the right to go performance in the State Theater to Estonians argued that players taller to Germany as the United States na - announce the final victory over the than 6-4 should be banned. In Janu - tional champions in 1936. When a Italians, the audience stood and sang ary the Latvians succeeded in exclud - Lithuanian sports official ap - the national anthem. The team ar - ing Lubin from a game that they proached him in Berlin and invited rived home to a hero’s welcome. As won, 29-18. The international bas - him to Lithuania, he replied that he the Americans reported to Jatis, “On ketball federation, run by R. William already had visas for himself, his returning to Kaunas, the people Jones (who later won international wife, and his wife’s sister. His work meet [ sic ] us like the Americans do note for his role in the Olympic in Lithuania was instantly successful, there [ sic ] president. Drove in open championship game in 1972), nev - and when his sister-in-law broke her cars through the town, people shout - ertheless ruled that players of any leg, he extended his stay. In Novem - ing bravo, throwing flowers and so height could compete in the Olympic ber a Lithuanian team beat the Lat - on. Words can’t describe how much Games. On the question of Lubin’s vian championship team 35-27. In the people enjoyed the victories with the words of one commentator, “If us. The most important one was while Dr. C. Savickas was in Lithua - with the Poles.” Prime Minister nia, our basketball players finished Tubelis praised the team’s contribu - grade school fairly well, during Lu - tion to the honor of their “home - bin’s visit, they hurriedly finished land,” tevynė , and President Smetona higher basketball school.” decorated them with medals. The basketball bacillus erupted As champions, the Lithuanians into “Gold Fever” in May 1937 agreed to host the European cham - when the Lithuanians won the pionship in 1939. The clouds of war 1939 European basetball championship championship in the biennial Euro - were collecting, but basketball of - opening ceremony. The Latvian team is pean tournament, now officially re - fered at least a temporary escape being presented. The Lithuanian men’s membered as FIBA Eurobasket into a world where Lithuanians felt team is lined up on the right. Photo cour - tesy of “Krepšinio Kelias įLietuvą” 1937. The Lithuanians prepared strong. Preparing for the new test, https://www.knyguklubas.lt/out/1/html/0/d carefully for the , this however, required intense work and yn_images/0/cdb_KREPSINIS_pavar - time held in Riga, but progress was dedication. Lithuanian basketball tyti_fl.pdf

May /June 2015 LITHUANIAN HERITAGE 17 Lithuania retained the champi - spectators behaved in much more onship, winning all seven of its orderly fashion, especially in their games, most by lopsided scores, but team’s subsequent game with the first game, against Latvia, was Poland, which the Lithuanians won, definitely the most memorable. The 46-18. (Some foreign diplomats spectators were raucous, and the chose not to attend the game with game was close. As an American Poland out of fear that there would diplomat described the scene, “pan - be trouble.) demonium broke loose, except when In the years of Soviet occupa - Lithuania was having a . tion, Lithuanians had to for the When Latvia had a free throw there Soviet team in international compe - were whistles, hisses, and so much tition, but even in these circum - shouting that the hall seemed to vi - brate with it.” The Latvians made only two of fifteen free throws. Lubin himself recounted the Poster for 1939 European basketball cham - game’s deciding moment to me: “We pionships. played a very close game. Latvia was well instructed. They gave us a hard citizenship, FIBA’s own history, pub - battle. It came down to the last lished in 1972, spoke of the Lithua - of the game. They had the nians producing “a creased birth cer - ball; we intercepted it, however. tificate” that FIBA accepted. They were leading, 36-35. We saw When I met Lubin in Los An - our downfall. For one brief moment geles on the first day of the Los An - I forgot all my Lithuanian. I hollered geles Olympics of 1984, I asked him and I cussed our players. ‘For good - about both these issues. On the ness sake, pass me the ball!’ I was question of players’ heights, he sug - standing under the basket. Finally gested, with some disgust, that fast Arturas Andrulis, who knew English short players should have to carry very well, nodded his , and he metal ingots in their shorts. To my threw me the basketball. In the last Frank Lubin (Pranas Lubinas) after the question as to where he was born, second I whirled and made 1939 European championship win. he said simply, “In the United that won us the game 37-36. The States,” but he avidly insisted that crowd erupted; they came down on stances, “gold fever” – the term was being of indisputable Lithuanian the floor and carried us around on coined in 1983 as the title of a film heritage, he was properly allowed to their shoulders.” about Lithuanian participation in So - play. He disclaimed any knowledge The Latvian players reacted an - viet basketball championships – of the birth certificate story. grily. As one Lithuanian observer raged, testifying to the strength and In 1938 and1939 Lithuania suf - later recounted, they “fell upon the durability of that bacillus that the fered ignominious diplomatic de - competition clock, wanting to verify Chicago Lithuanians brought in feats in yielding to ultimatums from the time. Here they met with a 1935. I later asked Lithuanian pres - Poland and Germany, and the gov - crowd of spectators. In the confu - ident Algirdas Brazauskas what he ernment was struggling to find some sion several Latvian players were considered to be the significance of sort of positive image. In prepara - pushed around.” (The Lithuanians basketball success for the Lithuani - tion for hosting the European cham - used a chess clock to time the game.) ans; he responded that a small nation pionship in May 1939, FIBA Eu - A few days later the Latvian gov - has only a few opportunities to es - robasket 1939, it spent some 400,000 ernment announced it was cancelling tablish international success and bas - lits to build a basketball stadium in all sport with Lithuan - ketball gave such an opportunity to Kaunas that would seat 3600 and ian teams for the next two years, but Lithuania. Basketball together with accommodate up to 7000 standees. the Soviet invasion of 1939-1940 the ailment “gold fever” deserves It was claimed at the time to be the soon obliterated such thoughts. consideration as a major contribu - largest building in the world specif - After the Latvian game, to the tion by the emigration to Lithuanian ically dedicated to basketball. relief of all officials, the Lithuanian national culture.

18 LITHUANIAN HERITAGE May /June 2015