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There are dunks, and then there are throwdowns. Burneika makes his point
By Dave Reardon
dreardon@starbulletin.comFinally, on Senior Night at the Stan Sheriff Center, in his last home game, Mindaugas Burneika threw down.
There's rarely anything subtle about a dunk. But when Burneika rammed one in from above the rim in the second half of Hawaii's 79-50 Senior Night romp over Rice last night, the underlying message came through as loud and clear as the 9,000 screaming fans.
Burneika scored a season-high 20 points, but no two were bigger than his breakaway slam -- not in the scorebook, but more for what they symbolized.
Twenty-three wins not enough? You want above the rim? How's that for above the rim?
But Burneika would never say that. He doesn't think that way.
"I had to try, it's Senior Night," he said. "I feel great."
For the better part of two years, many people -- some who never saw it play until this week -- tried to stereotype the Rainbow basketball team as a bunch of European players who can pass and shoot a little, but aren't very tough or athletic.
They left too many seats empty until Thursday's Tulsa game, as people caught on too slowly that this team is special. And Burneika, the blue-collar sixth man from Lithuania, is a key to its success.
Soft Euro?
If you don't think Burneika is tough you didn't see the former boxer skid down the floor chasing a loose ball a couple of plays before his dunk. Or you didn't see him take on bigger players in the post the past two seasons, when UH's big men were injured, foul-plagued or ineffective. Or you don't appreciate how hard it is to do well in college when the instructors don't speak your first language.
He's not as flashy as teammates Carl English and Predrag Savovic, but the Rainbows would not be on the brink of a second consecutive NCAA Tournament without him.
It was Burneika's 3-pointer with 4:35 left that started UH's rally from seven down against Tulsa on Thursday. Without that shot, the treys by English and Savovic and Mark Campbell's free throw would have meant nothing.
His teammates have always appreciated him.
"He's an integral part of the team," Campbell said. "He doesn't start, but we consider him a starter. Next year we're going to miss his leadership and character. He's more than just a shooter."
It was also Burneika who fought hardest in the second half in the loss to Syracuse in the NCAAs last year.
"He's got (guts)," assistant coach Jackson Wheeler said. "We've got a lot of guys with (guts). They're not afraid to take shots."
Burneika's fellow seniors, Savovic and Mike McIntyre, are never shy about letting loose.
For their ceremonial parting shots after the game last night, the three players who have combined for 356 treys all chose to dunk.
Burneika was again overshadowed.
McIntyre jacked up the crowd one final time with his scowl and fist pump after a dunk. Chants of "Savo" preceded and followed Savovic's slam, after which he threw the ball into the stands.
Burneika?
He merely duplicated his dunk from the second half and waved to the crowd.
Just in case anyone didn't believe what they saw during the game.
UH Athletics