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District 12 5A playoffs: Mokseckas' continued emergence makes Ryan dangerous entering state playoffs

02/28/2020, 11:45am EST
By Mitchell Gladstone


Gediminas 'G' Mokseckas (above) has stepped up this postseason after a key injury to one of his Ryan teammates. (Photo: Mark Jordan/CoBL)

Mitchell Gladstone (@mpgladstone13)
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As the Archbishop Ryan team trickled out of its locker room after halftime, one of their managers called them over.

They each took their turn gathering around a video camera, hoping to get a glimpse of a dunk from just before the break on the two-inch screen.

Gediminas Mokseckas wasn’t having it.

“I’ll look at it later,” Mokseckas said afterward in the Raiders’ locker room.

Had the senior taken a peek, he’d have seen himself throwing down a thunderous one-handed jam, driving to his left along the baseline and then standing over his defender with the meanest of mugs.

And it came at just the right time, sparking a 32-17 Ryan run over nearly nine minutes as the Raiders blew the doors off Mastery North and eased into the PIAA Class 5A state playoffs with an 85-63 victory Thursday evening at Father Judge.

Mokseckas took advantage of an overmatched opponent to the tune of a game-high 32 points and eight rebounds, but it’s not some new phenomenon with the Lithuanian. Ever since star junior Aaron Lemon-Warren went down with a broken foot in late January, it’s been the 'G' Show, and that certainly won’t be changing as Ryan begins its run for a state title.

“He scores at all three levels consistently,” coach Joe Zeglinski said. “I keep telling him to attack but he can also shoot it really well. He’s at his best when he’s attacking the rim and letting the game come to him.”

The natural fluidity to Mokseckas’ game jumps off the page when you see the 6-foot-4 swingman. He’s plenty comfortable pulling up from the wing and knocking down a triple like he did to open his ledger against Mastery North.

Where’s much tougher to stop is in the paint — be it rising up over an outstretched defender for a 12-foot jumper or bullying his way to the tin.

The latter, however, is something that Mokseckas might not have been as comfortable doing last season. He put on 15 pounds during the offseason and gained some extra experience, not to mention a whole new jump shot, after training with the Lithuanian under-18 team prior to the FIBA U18 European Championship this summer.

Mokseckas celebrates during Archbishop Ryan's Catholic League semifinal game against Neumann-Goretti. (Photo: Mark Jordan/CoBL)
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But coming from Lithuania —a country that can lay claim to several NBA players including Domantas Sabonis and Jonas Valanciunas — basketball was the easy part.

“I’d played for four or five different teams and always had to learn new places,” Mokseckas said. “[Acclimating] wasn’t that hard. English was hard at first, but then when coach was repeating the same thing, it made it easier for me and I adapted quickly.”

Fast would be one way to describe it.

Even though Ryan lost its play-in game in the Catholic League playoffs last year — Mokseckas’ first season as a Raider — it still grabbed a spot in the 5A state bracket and opened with an upset of 21-5 West Chester East.

In his first state game, the then-junior showed no signs of nerves, scoring 16 points and knocking down a trio of triples.

Ironically enough, there’s a chance Ryan could meet East once again. The Vikings play Penn Wood Saturday afternoon at Temple’s Liacouras Center, with the loser slotting into a Round 1 matchup against the Raiders.

But an early-round exit — Ryan fell in its second state playoff game last year — isn’t going to cut it for Mokseckas.

“It feels great [making states] but we haven’t achieved anything yet,” he said. “We have a great chance to do well in states and we’ve got to just keep working hard for a championship.”

Although Mokseckas is relatively soft-spoken, it’s clear he’s a leader for this group of Raiders. When the senior failed to pull in an offensive rebound during the third quarter of Thursday’s game, Zeglinski quickly subbed Mokseckas out and shared a few choice words.

“I wanted to make him an example,” Zeglinski said. “G’s the kind of kid you can get on and yell at him for the team. Everyone else will follow his lead.”

Regardless of how deep into March Ryan’s season extends, it’s far from the end of Mokseckas’ basketball career. He’s already got one Division I offer from Campbell, and coaches from other mid-major schools in James Madison, New Hampshire and Brown have shown interest in the Vilnius native.

Perhaps, there could even be more offers on the way with a long run. Although the Raiders will likely be making some long trips, should they advance out of the first round, they’ll avoid some of the area’s top teams until a potential state final.

PCL foe Archbishop Wood and District 1 sides Penncrest and West Chester Rustin, not to mention the District 1 champion, will all be on the opposite side of the 5A bracket.

Still, whatever comes next is the furthest thing from Mokseckas’ mind. The senior said that whenever the season wraps, he’ll hop on the phone with his parents, who live more than 4,000 miles away in Lithuania, and figure out the best spot to continue his hoops journey.

There isn’t one part of his game that Mokseckas is fully satisfied with, and it’s why — despite his seeming nonchalance over an eventual college decision — knows his next stop is as critical as the current one.

“I just kept my focus on achieving as a team and [thought] maybe then colleges would look at me,” Mokseckas said. “I’ll just make a choice that’s best for me for four years because it’s a big decision.”

By Quarter
Archbishop Ryan:  25 | 19 | 28 | 13 | 85

Mastery North:  11 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 63

Shooting
Archbishop Ryan: 31-57 FG, 5-12 3PT, 18-27 FT

Mastery North: 26-69 FG, 4-20 3PT, 7-13 FT

Scoring
Archbishop Ryan: Mokseckas 32, Boyd 20, Isopi 11, Vasquez 11, Snead 7, McConnell 2, Wise Jr. 2

Mastery North: R. Knight 26, Rasheed 9, T. Knight 7, Hennigan 6, Boyette 4, Brown 3, Kent 2, Oliver 2, Robinson 2, Williams 2

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Tag(s): Home  Boys HS  Catholic League (B)  Archbishop Ryan  Public League A (B)  Mastery North  Public League (B)