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Chuck Aleksinas

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Chuck Aleksinas
Personal information
Born (1959-02-26) February 26, 1959 (age 65)
Litchfield, Connecticut, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)
Listed weight260 lb (118 kg)
Career information
High schoolWamogo (Litchfield, Connecticut)
College
NBA draft1982: 4th round, 76th overall pick
Selected by the Chicago Bulls
Playing career1983–1990
PositionCenter
Number50
Career history
1983–1984Estudiantes de Madrid
1984–1985Golden State Warriors
1985–1986Zaragoza
1986–1987OAR Ferrol
1987–1990Gorizia
Career highlights and awards
Stats at NBA.com Edit this at Wikidata
Stats at Basketball Reference Edit this at Wikidata

Charles John Aleksinas (born February 26, 1959) is an American former professional basketball player. He started his college basketball career for the Kentucky Wildcats and won an NCAA championship as a freshman in 1978. Aleksinas transferred to the UConn Huskies after his sophomore season and was a second-team All-Big East Conference selection in 1981. He was picked in the fourth round of the 1982 NBA draft by the Chicago Bulls but started his career in Spain during the 1983–84 season where he earned the nickname "Asesino" ("assassin" in Spanish) because of his rough play. Aleksinas signed with the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and played for them during the 1984–85 season. He finished his career in Spain and Italy where he played for five seasons.

High school career

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Aleksinas was born in Litchfield, Connecticut, and attended Wamogo Regional High School.[1] He averaged 27 points and 14 rebounds per game as a junior on the basketball team.[2] As a senior during the 1976–77 season, Aleksinas averaged 40.1 points, 19 rebounds and 5 blocks per game.[2] He led his team to a 16–8 record and the semifinals of the Class S state semifinals where they lost to Rod Foster and St. Thomas Aquinas High School.[2]

Aleksinas scored 1,916 points during his high school career without playing his freshman year.[2] It is the second highest scoring total of all time in the Berkshire League behind the 2,191 points set by Dave Vigeant of Litchfield High School.[2]

Aleksinas' games during his senior season were frequently attended by college coaches and he estimates that he received between 30 and 40 recruitments letters daily.[2] On April 24, 1977, he committed to play for the Kentucky Wildcats.[1] Upon his recruitment, Wildcats head coach Joe B. Hall claimed Aleksinas "may be the best post prospect we have seen in several years" and "the strongest player we have seen since, before and after Darryl Dawkins."[1]

College career

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Aleksinas played behind Mike Phillips and Rick Robey at center during his freshman season with the Wildcats.[3] He appeared in 28 games and averaged 3.5 points and 2.1 rebounds.[1] The Wildcats won the 1978 NCAA Division I basketball tournament.[3]

Aleksinas moved to the starting line-up during his sophomore season and started all 13 games he played.[1] He scored a career-high 20 points against the Syracuse Orange on December 23, 1978.[1] On January 21, 1979, Aleksinas failed to show for practice and it was revealed that team officials had not heard from for two days.[1] Aleksinas was reached at his parents' home in Kentucky by the Hartford Courant and he announced that he had quit the team.[1] Aleksinas felt like he was not being utilised to his best advantage and he had "different philosophies" to head coach Hall.[1] He had been averaging 11.5 points and 6.1 rebounds per game when he left.[1]

On September 7, 1979, it was announced that Aleksinas would transfer to play for the UConn Huskies.[1] He sat out the 1979–80 season as a transfer student.[3] Standing at 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m), Aleksinas was the tallest player in Huskies history.[3] He averaged 12.9 points and 6.1 rebounds per game over his two seasons with the Huskies.[4] Aleksinas was selected to the All-Big East Conference second-team in 1981.[5]

Professional career

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Aleksinas was selected by the Chicago Bulls as the 76th overall pick of the 1982 NBA draft.[6] He was released by the Bulls and instead tried to join a team in Europe.[7] Aleksinas started his career with Estudiantes de Madrid during the 1983–84 season where he played alongside Terry Stotts.[8] During a game, Aleksinas collided with an opposition player who suffered a 20-stitch cut in his hand and then knocked down another player by hitting him in the face with his elbow.[9] The crowd started chanting "asesino" which Aleksinas mistook as his own name until he was informed by a teammate that they were calling him the Spanish word for assassin.[9]

On September 21, 1984, Aleksinas signed with the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association (NBA).[10] He played as a reserve during the 1984–85 season.[11]

Aleksinas returned to Spain where he played for Zaragoza in 1985–86 and OAR Ferrol in 1986–87.[12] He finished his career with a stint in Italy.[1]

Personal life

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Aleksinas lives in his hometown of Morris, Connecticut, in the same house where he was raised.[13] He operates his own business that specializes in selling rare auto parts.[13]

Aleksinas is of Lithuanian descent.[14] Lithuanian authorities attempted to secure Aleksinas for the national team in 1992 but were denied by FIBA because he did not have a Lithuanian citizenship for at least three years.[15]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "Chuck Aleksinas". Walter's Wildcat World. February 26, 1959. Retrieved December 15, 2023.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Wilson, Rick (July 28, 2019). "Chuck Aleksinas and the incredible season of 1976-1977 on the hardwood". Litchfield County Sports. Archived from the original on September 21, 2020. Retrieved December 15, 2023.
  3. ^ a b c d Goldaper, Sam (January 12, 1981). "UConn On the Run (10-0) With Thompson". The New York Times. Retrieved December 15, 2023.
  4. ^ Borges, David (December 15, 2020). "UConn doesn't have a long history of taking in transfers, but here's the best the Huskies have had". New Haven Register. Retrieved December 15, 2023.
  5. ^ "Big East All Conference Team Selections - by School". Orange Hoops. Retrieved December 15, 2023.
  6. ^ "UCONN NBA DRAFT PICKS". Hartford Courant. June 29, 1995. Retrieved December 15, 2023.
  7. ^ McCarthy, Peggy (May 15, 1983). "AN ATHLETE LEARNS SPORTS IS NOT ENOUGH". The New York Times. Retrieved December 15, 2023.
  8. ^ "Terry Stotts le gana la carrera a Kaleb Canales para entrenar a los Blazers". Marca (in Spanish). August 8, 2012. Retrieved December 15, 2023.
  9. ^ a b "Chuck Aleksinas nickname". Hartford Courant. April 6, 1984. p. 112. Retrieved December 15, 2023.
  10. ^ "Transactions". The Clarksdale Press Register. September 21, 1984. p. 6. Retrieved December 15, 2023.
  11. ^ "The Golden State bench showed it can be a..." UPI. November 9, 1984. Retrieved December 15, 2023.
  12. ^ "Chuck Aleksinas". ACB (in Spanish). Retrieved December 15, 2023.
  13. ^ a b "'Morris Mountain' ruled in BL basketball". The Zones Republic American High School Sports. January 11, 2023. Retrieved December 15, 2023.
  14. ^ Cress, Doug (October 31, 1991). "In Spain, a Lithuanian Giant Awakens for the Olympics". The New York Times. Retrieved December 15, 2023.
  15. ^ Wilson, Stephen (April 11, 1992). "Basketball is More Than a Game in Independent Lithuania". Associated Press. Archived from the original on September 5, 2018. Retrieved December 15, 2023.
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