LaMelo and LiAngelo Ball may be headed to a place very different from Chino Hills, but their new coach may remind them of someone very familiar.
On Monday, LaMelo and LiAngelo agreed to contracts to join Lithuanian team Vytautas Prienai next month. Each reportedly signed a one-year deal.
The two brothers will likely have quite an adjustment to make, going from Chino Hills, Calif. to Lithuania. Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress did an excellent job shedding some light on what LaMelo and LiAngelo can probably expect in their new country. Among the tidbits of information Givony shared is how small the village is where the team is located, and potentially how much the brothers could earn in wages. Givony was also informed the coach of Vytautas Prienai has been described to him as the “LaVar Ball of Lithuania.”
Prienu Vytautas has only had one American player on their roster in the past decade, Brad Tinsley, who departed after a month of action, according to my research. The Balls would likely be faced with a major culture shock in Prienai, a small village of around 10,000 people.
— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) December 11, 2017
From what I'm told, salaries for players at this level of competition usually don't exceed $500 per month in the absolute best case. It wouldn't surprise me if the Ball brothers ended up playing for free. Certainly not the most glamorous league or part of the world to live in.
— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) December 11, 2017
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
The team is said to be experiencing financial troubles, an area which adding the Ball brothers (and LaVar) could provide some assistance. On the other hand, one Lithuanian coach has already taken a shot at the Ball family. There’s no telling how this moves works out from a basketball stand point. Away from the court, there’s the potential for it to be a very interesting situation to follow.
