Joe Arlauckas, '88

http://www.democratandchronicle.com/story/sports/2015/05/06/rocjocks-joe-arlauckas-jefferson-niagara/70892970/

Jefferson grad Joe Arlauckas was hoops star in Spain

Sean Lahman, @seanlahman4
May 6, 2015
 
Joe Arlauckas could walk through Wegmans today without being recognized. But in Madrid, where he spent 10 seasons as one of the top players in the Spanish basketball league, he'd likely be surrounded by autograph seekers.

Arlauckas was an All-Greater Rochester selection at Jefferson High School in 1983, then went on to an outstanding collegiate career at Niagara University.

He was a key part of one of Niagara's biggest wins, a 62-59 upset of St. John's in 1984. That St. John's team, which would advance to the Final Four, included seven future NBA draft choices.

Arlauckas set a school record with 9 blocked shots in a 1987 game against Kent State, and would finish as the Niagara's all-time leader in that category with 220. He also ranks among their all-time leaders in points (1,610) and rebounds (815).

At 6-foot-9, Arlauckas was able to use his size and strength to be a disruptive defender, but it was his ability to score points that made him an NBA draft prospect.

The Sacramento Kings selected him with their fourth-round pick in the 1987 draft, but Arlauckas struggled to get playing time on a team full of veteran big men. He left the NBA and went to Italy, where he helped Juventus Caserta win a league championship.

It was in Spain where Arlauckas really established himself as a top scorer, playing for Caja de Ronda and Taugrés. He cemented his status as a star when he joined Real Madrid, historically the top team in European basketball.

In Madrid, Arlauckas teamed with Lithuanian center Arvidas Sabonis to form one of the most dominant frountcourts in European history. The pair helped lead Real Madrid to a record eighth championship in 1995.

His personal high point came in 1996, when he scored 63 points in a game, setting a Euroleague record.

Arlauckas finished as the Spanish League's fourth all-time scorer with 7,547 points.

Today, Arlauckas lives in Madrid where he works with youth basketball teams. He also travels across Spain making appearances as a motivational speaker.

Joe is one of my favorite all-time Niagara players. I'll always remember him for his performance against #4 ranked St. John's in 1984 when Niagara shocked the country with a 62-59 upset win.

Take note that even with a coach, Pete Lonergan, who was eventually fired / retired for not winning enough, there were many, many good memories. I'm trying to recall my best memory of a Chris Casey coached team and I'm having a hard time finding.........any.

The upset win over SJU in '84 was NU's last upset....32 years without an upset...change is needed, pronto!

I knew Pete very well, and even played against him in an amateur championship game in Niagara Falls, in 1969, which we won for the trophy. I was the point guard on our team. We had a front line of 6-7, 6-6, and 6-5 and were the tallest overall team in that tournament.

Casey's biggest win in my opinion, was the one over Davidson at the HSBC arena a couple years back.

Joe Arlauckas was terrific. He was a very agile and mobile big man, who really was more of a PF than C. My wife and I were at the NFCC in '84 for that game. What I remember most was how good Niagara played in that game. Lonergan really had them up for that game. The next game was on the road where they lost a very close game. If NU had played the entire season like they did against SJU, they would have been ranked and in the NCAA tournament. But unfortunately they didn't.

But I'll tell you one thing, Pete's a very nice guy and I'll always remember being invited into his office at NU when I was teaching there. By the way, I reminded him over and over again about beating him in '69 at that tourney. I only scored 2 points in that game but had a number of assists.

Nice inside stuff on Pete Lonergan, Tru'. Not sure what the exact reason for Pete's leaving Niagara, but his 5 year record of 67-73 is magnificent in comparison to the latest regime's. Lonergan went 16-12 his last year, including Niagara's 62-59 upset over #4 St. John's. Maybe one of our more in-tuned posters can fill us in on the real story.

Pete and I were good friends and remain friends to this day.  I see him each summer at Cooperstown with Layden and others.

He is a great guy and coached with another great guy, Mike Daily, also from SBU.

Fr. Harrington wanted his own guy and that was Andy Walker.  Fr. Harrington knew nothing about basketball or running a program.  That didn't hold him back; he hired Norm Roberts at SJU...so two hires and two huge mistakes.

Eagle wrote:

....
Fr. Harrington wanted his own guy and that at Andy Walker....

If Fr. Harrington fired Pete Lonergan after going 16-12 and beating #4 St. John's he was as clueless as Fr. Maher.

And then, of course, there was his big embezzlement scandal...St. John’s University President Donald Harrington Resigns Amid Scandal

Fr. Harrington was not a capable leader but a self-absorbed narcissist who broke everything he touched including NU and St. John’s sports. This can only happen in secret societies where questions and accountability are foreign.

http://nymag.com/news/features/cecilia-chang-st-johns-2013-3/

St. John's has still not recovered from his shenanigans.

First of all, Pete should have never been fired, but I can tell you that the Vincentians march to their own drummer. Pete was a very capable coach from both a recruiting and game management perspective.

If you have gleaned one thing from all of your years of being a Niagara fan, you have learned that the Vincentians care about one thing money, and I mean saving money, as in cutting corners.

Pete Lonergan was victimized by the same thing that mitigates the success of ANY Niagara coach (past, present and future): the lack of financial/administrative support of the basketball program by the Vincentian power structure. It is the COMMON DENOMINATOR of the program's woes. It has usurped the ability of ANY Niagara coach to take the program to a higher level.