Emerging Foreign Power

The Master’s College touts itself as a small Christian school where students can develop spiritually while receiving a quality education in the liberal arts.

That was fine with Leo Gorauskas, but, truth be told, his reasons for attending the school were far different: He wanted to play basketball, and he wanted to speak Portuguese. Both on a daily basis, if possible.

Gorauskas, 6 feet 9 1/2, 240 pounds, was born and raised in Sao Paolo, Brazil. Also recruited by Christian Heritage and Biola after playing basketball for Torrey Pines High in Encinitas as a foreign-exchange student during the 1992-93 season, Gorauskas was drawn to Master’s because Rogerio Soares, a friend and fellow Brazilian, was entering his junior season there.

“It’s kind of hard being away from home, but knowing someone who spoke the same language made things easier,” Gorauskas said.

Soares graduated last year, but not before Gorauskas, the Mustangs’ junior center, settled in. After playing sparingly as a freshman, Gorauskas has taken on an increasingly pivotal role for a team that has posted a record of 59-10 and has advanced to the NAIA Division I tournament the past two seasons.

“He’s just improved every season,” Master’s Coach Bill Oates said. “This season, he’s just playing with a little more confidence than he has in the past.”

Entering a nonconference game against NCAA Division II power Cal State Bakersfield tonight at 7:30 at Master’s, Gorauskas is averaging 14.4 points and 6.9 rebounds for the 12-4 Mustangs.

A post player with limited shooting range when he arrived at Master’s, Gorauskas averaged 5.6 points and 3.6 rebounds as a freshman. Last season, he averaged 14.3 points and 6.8 rebounds, but since losing 10 pounds before this season, Gorauskas is more mobile and now consistently hits mid-range jump shots.

“I’ve worked on it,” Gorauskas said. “I’ve tried to get quicker and to work on different things. Not only in the low post but a little away from the basket too.”

Gorauskas’ expanding offensive repertoire has surprised some, but not teammate Mike Penberthy, the Mustangs’ top player who averages 23.3 points and 4.3 assists.

“I’ve known he’s had those abilities, but he just hasn’t used them,” Penberthy said. “He’s always been able to hit that 15- or 16-foot shot when we were shooting around, but he wasn’t asked to do that in our offense.

“This year, he’s just getting more opportunities. He’s one of our go-to guys.”

Gorauskas has led Master’s in scoring in three games this season and is shooting a team-high 63.3%. He has made 50% or more of his shots in 14 of 16 games, consistency that matches his even-keel personality.

“He’s a low-key type kid,” Oates said. “He’s very likable and gets along with everyone. He’s dependable, hard-working, consistent and very unselfish. You can always count on him.”

Because Gorauskas shows little emotion and seldom speaks on the court, there is the temptation to characterize him as stoic. But that would be a misconception, said Penberthy, his roommate for the past three years.

“He’s quiet, sensitive and he does have a sense of humor,” Penberthy said. “I think I’m just one of the few people who have seen it. . . . He’s just very efficient in everything he does.

“Whether he’s playing basketball or studying for an exam, Leo is not going to exert himself any more than he has to, but he’s going to do whatever it takes to get the job done.”

Attending college and playing basketball in the United States is a dream come true for Gorauskas, the younger of two brothers raised in a middle-class neighborhood of Sao Paolo.

After playing soccer, basketball and several other sports as a youngster, Gorauskas began to concentrate on basketball as a teenager.

When he was 16 and playing for an Athletes In Action junior team in Brazil, Gorauskas met Soares at a basketball camp. Chuck Badger, who lives in San Marcos, coached the AIA team and later approached Gorauskas about coming to the United States as a foreign-exchange student.

Gorauskas attended Torrey Pines as a senior and averaged 12 points and seven rebounds while Soares was averaging 8.5 points and four rebounds for a 20-12 Master’s squad.

Soares gave Gorauskas rave reviews about Master’s, and by the time then-Mustang Coach Mel Hankinson visited Torrey Pines, Christian Heritage and Biola were losing ground in the recruiting race.

Hankinson later resigned from Master’s to take an assistant coaching position at West Virginia, but Gorauskas has no regrets about coming to Master’s.

He has improved steadily under the mild-mannered Oates, he likes the school’s small-college atmosphere and he is working toward a degree in mathematics with a minor in computer science.

“I wish I could see my family and friends back home,” he said. “But I think I’m gaining more out of what I’m doing right now than being back home. God has given me a great opportunity here.”