LTU - The rise and rise of Martynas Pocius

PANEVEZYS (EuroBasket 2011) - Not so long ago Lithuanian national team guard Martynas Pocius could only dream about where he would end up in the future, but today it seems like the sky is the limit. Today, he's currently third in points scored and minutes played among his veteran-packed national team and playing as a host in the FIBA European Championship.

On top of that, Pocius, a world bronze medalist already, signed a contract with Spanish powerhouse Real Madrid this summer, putting him on the par with the top talents in Europe - and he's achieved all this in a time span of just two years.

Prior to 2010, the Lithuanian guard was not only something of an unknown quantity, his future didn't appear very bright at all. After four injury-plagued seasons and limited playing time at Duke University, it seemed the guard's career was merely going nowhere fast.

Things started to change once Pocius joined the top professional club in Lithuania, Zalgiris Kaunas: He quickly earned a spot in the rotation to average 8.1 points and 2.1 rebounds per game in Euroleague play. His performance led to his selection to the national team for the 2010 FIBA World Championship, in which the Lithuanians lost only to the United States in the semifinal round. Pocius' game was a perfect fit for Lithuania's run-and-gun style, and he silenced his critics in becoming one of the most important players on the team.

Already a success, Pocius now has the opportunity to reach for new heights, with his team advancing to the second stage of the EuroBasket tournament, and his total of 11 points in Lithuania's 91-79 EuroBasket home loss to defending European champions Spain was not even considered a surprise.

And Pocius' improvement is not only starting to be noticed internationally on the court, as he is beginning to show some leadership skills as well. "We have to find something positive in this loss," he said, discussing the match in which Lithuania was down by 31 at one point, "And improve our game as well."

The next step for "Air Marty" would be to help bring Lithuania to the 2012 Olympic Games. For that, he will have to lead his team into the final six in FIBA European Championship - a task for which the formerly overlooked Pocius suddenly seems distinctively well-suited.

FIBA