Teaching Their Children Well

This has put Serbia in the position of exporting players and coaches. In Russia, CSKA junior players are coached by Ratko Joksic, 65, a Serbian with more than 35 years' experience and a meticulous taskmaster who seeks perfection with each drill.

He speaks Russian, though not always correctly -- he sometimes emphasizes the wrong part of the word, which can give it a different meaning -- but the players listen intently and never object to his instruction, even if they don't understand it. Last month, he spent about 20 minutes explaining almost every aspect of the pick-and-roll to six 15-year-olds: how to set a pick properly, with hand wrapped over hand, arms close to the body; how to roll off the screener's hip to create separation from the defender; and how to determine whether to shoot or pass to the cutter.

After one player set a pick and failed to roll to the basket promptly, Joksic shouted in Russian, "You have reflexes like your grandmother."

None of the players laughed or smiled.

The Lithuanian Way

In a brightly lit modern gymnasium with shiny hardwood floors in one of the up-and-coming neighborhoods in Vilnius, about a dozen 7-year-olds stumbled over each other, little feet scampering up and down the floor as they chased each other in an exercise that resembled rugby more than basketball. The capital of Lithuania might best be known for its unique combination of Gothic, Baroque and Renaissance architecture, but it also is one of the few cities in Europe where basketball is the most popular sport.

With so many players on the court, it was impossible to determine who was on the same team. And, despite the ball being smaller than those used by collegiate or professional athletes, the children could barely push it to the height of the rim. That led to more mad scrambles, tussles and pile-ons. The rare successful shot was often followed by arm-raising, fist-pumping, high-fiving celebrations.

The Sarunas Marciulionis Basketball Academy and other facilities like it are one of the few aspects of the Soviet era that remain since Lithuania declared its independence in 1990. Several private and government-run basketball schools are sprinkled throughout this tiny country of about 3.6 million people, with the two most prominent programs owned and operated by former NBA stars Marciulionis and Arvydas Sabonis, whose facility is in Kaunas, an hour away.

Before American losses in international competitions became commonplace, Lithuania nearly became the first country to defeat an American team filled with NBA stars in the 2000 Olympics in Sydney. Former Maryland guard Sarunas Jasikevicius came within inches of making a three-pointer that would have shocked a team with Vince Carter, Kevin Garnett and Jason Kidd.

Marciulionis and Sabonis started their programs for players ages 7 to 18 in 1992. Marciulionis, who played seven seasons in the NBA after winning an Olympic gold medal with the Soviet Union in 1988 and two bronze medals for Lithuania with Sabonis, started his academy with his own money but now relies mostly on sponsors and tuition to cover the costs. He said he could remember growing up in Kaunas, when his friends built a hoop in his yard and his family struggled to provide some simple necessities. "My grandmother used to sew socks for me," he said.

Marciulionis has four gyms, with three located at the primary headquarters. Sabonis bought a former tennis facility and converted it into a state-of-the-art basketball facility with four courts, a weight room and cafeteria. Unlike the all-consuming CSKA program, these academies serve as before- and after-school programs, in which parents pay for their children to intensely learn fundamentals at an early age and engage in competitions when they reach 12. They are also taught life skills and receive lessons in English.

Students begin practicing three times a week at age 7. After three years, practices increase to 90 minutes four times per week. And in the fifth year, participants practice five times a week for 90 minutes. Lithuanian youngsters do not sign pro contracts until they are 18, and many prefer to play college basketball in the United States.

Asked if this is the best way to produce players, Marciulionis shrugged. "I can't say what's right or wrong. Time dictates what is better," he said. Six members of the Lithuanian national team that finished seventh at the world championships last summer were products of these two schools. Sabonis alum Martynas Andriuskevicius is a reserve center for the Chicago Bulls.