BUIES CREEK, N.C. – The two most experienced players on the 2023-24 Campbell men's basketball roster didn't grow up working on their game along Tobacco Road, the playgrounds of New York or in the heartland of the country.
 
They didn't hit the summer AAU circuit from an early age.
 
Like many of the world's best players, Gediminas Mokseckas and fellow Lithuanian Laurynas Vaistaras grew their talents across the Atlantic Ocean, competing in lower age classification European leagues.
 
Now, they are the most experienced leaders for a Fighting Camel program that reached the Big South tournament final twice in the last three years while facing a new challenge as a first-year member of the Coastal Athletic Association.
 
Bus trips to outposts like Clinton, S.C., and Farmville, Va., will be replaced by longer journeys this winter to West Long Branch, N.J. (Monmouth) and Philadelphia (Drexel).
 
However, those are quick jaunts compared to the 4800 miles it would take to cover a straight-line flight from Vilnius, the Lithuanian capital city, to Buies Creek.
 
The path to the starting five
Known simply as "G," Mokseckas started 11 games as a freshman in the covid-delayed 2020-21 season and averaged 4.8 points over 17.0 minutes per outing.  He scored 14 points in his collegiate debut, a win over St. Andrews and also helped the Camels win the Dolphin Classic thanks to an 11-point outing at Jacksonville.
 
He contributed in a reserve role as the Camels finished third in the Big South standings (11-6, 17-10 overall) and rode a nine-game win streak to the Big South title game at top-seeded Winthrop.
 
One year later, Mokseckas saw action in 19 of Campbell's 29 games as the Camels went 16-13, 8-8 in the league.
 
With experienced front court players like Jesus Carralero, Cedric Henderson, Jr., Joshua Lusane and Milos Stajcic in front of him on the depth chart, Vaistaras, whose name is commonly shortened to "LV," only made 17 appearances off the bench and played a total of 72 minutes in his first two varsity seasons.
 
"I didn't really expect to play the first year," said Vaistaras.  "It's a different speed, a couple of different rules, style. When we came here and started practicing.  I needed to feel my game again.  Sometimes it's tough when you train, and you really want to play, but when you realize now that you needed that time to improve your game, improve your basketball IQ, and work on your defense."
 
Patience pays off
A year ago, Mokseckas was the lone Camel to start all 34 games as Campbell made a second run to the Big South final – this time from the seventh seed.  He played a career-high 23.6 minutes per outing and contributed 3.4 points per contest.
 
The 6-foot-4 wing delivered then Coach McGeehan needed him most in a road win at USC Upstate.  With the Camels down to just seven scholarship players available early in the contest, Mokseckas turned in a career-high 20-point performance, hitting 6-of-8 shots from the floor and four 3-pointers for the Camels, who outscored their hosts 45-24 in the second half and ran away with a 78-63 victory.
 
"I had to be resilient," said Mokseckas.  "Freshman year, I played pretty good minutes.  I knew my role, and what coach wants from players to get playing time, worked hard, encouraged the younger guys and it worked out for me."
 
Vaistaras took full advantage of his opportunity when injuries to Carralero and Lusane opened a starting spot in Campbell's Jan. 4 contest against Gardner-Webb at Gore Arena.  The 6-foot-6 forward led CU with 13 points on 6-of-10 shooting and started 15 of the team's final 16 games (missing only Senior Day) as the Camels advanced to the last day of league tournament play.
 
Not only did Vaistaras hit career highs in virtually every statistical category including points (4.3), rebounds (2.5), minutes (15.6), games played (33) and started (18), plus field goal percentage (.478), he earned a place on the Big South All-Academic team as well as a spot on the College Sports Communicators Academic All-District team.
 
"Zeus (Carralero) got injured, Chief (Lusane) had some problems with his ankle, and I got my opportunity," said Vaistaras.  "I was very happy to help the guys and win games. Since that day when I started against Gardner-Webb, we started winning and ended up in the championship and it was special."
 
While their playing time fluctuated over the course of their first three seasons in Buies Creek, their performance in the classroom never wavered.  Both Mokseckas and Vaistaras earned Big South Presidential Honor Roll status each year by posting a GPA of 3.0 or better.
 
International flavor
The appearance of international players on Campbell's roster naturally followed the growth of the sport on the global stage.  Hakeem Olajuwon, who led Houston's Phi Slamma Jamma era Cougars to back-to-back final fours in '83 and '84, became the first international player named MVP of the NBA in 1994.  He was among the first international superstars to attain Naismith Hall of Fame status along with Arvydas Sabonis and Sarunas Marciulionis of Lithuania, China's Yao Ming and Canadian Steve Nash.
 
Dirk Nowitzki (Germany), Tony Parker (France) and Pau Gasol (Spain) were all members of the 2023 Hall of Fame induction class.
 
The All-NBA team is not only dominated by domestic superstars like Lebron James and Stephen Curry, but Giannis Antetokounmpo (Greece), Luka Doncic (Slovenia) and Nikola Jokic (Serbia) all rank among the top talents in their profession.
 
Until 2000, Campbell men's basketball rosters were comprised solely of players from the United States.  Canadian Jay Carter and Zydrunas Stankus from Lithuania joined head coach Billy Lee's Camels in the fall 2000 semester as junior college transfers.  Since that time, at least one international athlete has appeared on the Camel roster in every season except one (2014-15).
 
After playing in 51 games and making 31 starts in his two-year career, Stankus returned to his native country and embarked on a decade-long professional career capped by two seasons with Vilnius in 2011-12 and 2012-13.
 
Jonathan Rodriguez joined Campbell in 2006-07 from Puerto Rico, by way of Calusa Prep high school in Miami.  By the time his career ended in 2010, the 6-foot-5 forward had become the first 2,000-point (2,153), 1000-rebound (1,066) performer in the program's history and earned ASUN all-conference honors four times.
 
Rodriguez and William Kossangue (Central Africa Republic) helped lead the 2010 Camels to a share of the ASUN regular season title.
 
This year, Mokseckas and Vaistaras lead an international contingent of seven players on the Camel roster, the most ever on a Fighting Camel men's basketball team.  That group includes 2022-23 Big South freshman of the year Anthony Dell'Orso of Australia, plus Turkish products Mehmet Bener and Efe Gucoglu, Alex Kotov of Russia and Elijah Walsh of England.
 
The Campbell Lithuanian duo comes from a nation that has finished in the top eight of the FIBA world ranking every year since 2006.
 
A slow build
Mokseckas started playing basketball early on in kindergarten while also trying his hand in swimming, karate and volleyball.  He didn't follow his father Arunas into the competitive swimming pool but chose hoops instead.
 
"I just liked shooting and (playing basketball) became natural to me," recalled Mokseckas.  "In the beginning I was not good at all. I was playing for activity, not serious.  Then I started getting playing time when I was around 16. I went to a summer camp when I was 16 and the coaches talked to us about the chance to go to the USA. A friend of mine left after his freshman year of high school (to go to school in Florida).
 
Arunas knew that his son could further his education and basketball career by making a move to the States.  It just so happened that he landed in Philadelphia at an Archbishop Ryan program that already had hosted a fellow native of the Baltic states (Latvia).
 
"I didn't know what to expect at all," said Mokseckas, who grew up in the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius, which has a population of just over half a million residents.
 
He landed in the nation's sixth-largest city, where 1.6 million people live.  However, the proximity of his residence to his school and the fact that his classmates quickly embraced one of Archbishop Ryan's few exchange students, helped ease his transition.
 
Mokseckas recalled the atmosphere of one particularly packed gym for a Catholic League game when the opposing student supporter section was chanting "U-S-A, U-S-A" when he went to the foul line.
 
"But when I scored, (our) whole student section was chanting 'Lithuania!'," he said.
 
As a senior, he was named Philadelphia Northeast Times player of the year and all-conference after finishing second in the Catholic League in scoring (19 points per game).
 
A different path
"My mom (Laura) pushed me kind of into basketball because I was a kid with a lot of energy all the time," said Vaistaras with a smile.  "I liked to be outside and hang out with my friends and would always get into a little trouble because I was so energetic."
 
Vaistaras also played soccer and ice hockey (outdoors) during his youth. 
 
"I liked every single sport, just to be together with friends and compete against each other," he said. "But basketball is the biggest thing in Lithuania."
 
A new way of recruiting
A Philadelphia native, McGeehan knew of Mokseckas through his connections to the highly-regarded Philly Catholic League.  While serving as head coach at Acadia University, McGeehan coached two Archibishop Ryan grads, who played under coach Joseph Zeglinski. 
 
Mokseckas took an official visit to Buies Creek in the fall semester of 2019, but he put off his decision on where to attend college until after the season.  However, the day after Archbishop Ryan won its state quarterfinal round playoff game, the remainder of the 2020 season was cancelled by the Covid-19 pandemic.
 
"I really liked it here," said Mokseckas.  "Milos (Stajcic) and Austin (McCullough) were my hosts on my visit.  I just wanted to make sure it was the right fit."
 
Mokseckas' signing eventually led to the addition of a second Lithuanian a couple months later.
 
Unlike Mokseckas, who spent his final two high school years in the U.S., Vaistaras climbed the club and junior national team ranks in Lithuania.  His hard work paid off with national team stints with the Lithuanian side that won the silver medal at the 2016 European U16 Championship as well as the 2019 squad that appeared in the continent's U18 championship.
 
And, unlike his countryman, Vaistaras never set foot on American soil, much less the Campbell University campus, until after he signed his scholarship papers.
 
Because of Covid-19 restrictions, Campbell staffers could not recruit in-person, nor could the coaches invite prospects to campus for visits.  Relationships were built through phone calls and video conferences.  The staff walked through the Harris Student Union and other facilities while visiting with Vaistaras on Face Time calls.
 
"I talked with some people who help Europeans go to the United States to play," said Vaistaras.  "I was talking to a lot of junior colleges, but Coach (Kenneth) White called from Campbell.  Then I had phone calls from Coach (Peter) Thomas and Coach McGeehan.  It was good that G was here already.  We talked and G helped me a lot to decide."
 
Mentors along the way
Mokseckas' path to Buies Creek mirrored that of Milos Stajcic, who journeyed from his native Serbia to Fayetteville, N.C., where he attended Freedom Christian Academy as an exchange student.
 
Stajcic joined the Camels as a freshman in 2018 and played a limited on-court role for a team that was led by All-American and the nation's leading scorer Chris Clemons.  Along the way, Stajcic helped the Camels win the Big South regular season championship and earn the program's first-ever appearance in the NIT.
 
Not only did the 6-foot-10 center go on to play in 84 games over his four-year career, but he was easily visible across campus, whether it was cheering on the soccer, tennis, or a variety of other teams, or just interacting with students, faculty and staff.
 
While he only made 23 starts in four seasons, Stajcic will also be remembered for the game-winning three-pointer he made in double overtime to beat Presbyterian in the opening round of the 2022 Big South tournament.  Credited as being "the greatest teammate in the country" by former athletic trainer Troyce Solley, Stajcic was swarmed by his fellow Camels and tears rolled down his cheeks after the final horn.
 
"Milos helped me a lot," said Vaistaras.  "He told me his story and his path. Just keep working. Trust me. Your time will come.  He's a wise man. He always gives good advice."
 
When he recalls the moment of Stajcic's game winner more than one year later, Vaistaras still becomes emotional. 
 
"Thinking about Milos hitting the shot, I've got goosebumps in my body," said Vaistaras.  He deserved that shot because of the way he was working, and he had the opportunity to hit that big shot."
 
A real fit into the Campbell program
According to Mokseckas, Vaistaras and McGeehan, the training that many European players receive during their junior careers helps prepare them for the type of system the Camels employ – especially on the offensive end of the floor.
 
"The emphasis (in Europe) is on skill and how the parts fit together earlier," said McGeehan.  "Over there, individual skill set that compliments the team concept, which is more of how we approach the game.  There is a natural alignment which I think attracts those guys to seeing how they fit into the way we play."
 
Beyond on-court tactics, Mokseckas and Vaistaras easily fit into Campbell's thriving international student population, one that is fed yearly by athletes from a variety of sports.
 
"Everybody knows each other," said Mokseckas.  "You go to other team's games and they come to ours.  You know all the athletes, the teachers. Everything is close."
 
While Mokseckas already had two years of experience speaking the English language from his high school days in Philadelphia, Vaistaras had to quickly develop his communication skills while jumping straight into college courses.  However, his smile and personality, not to mention the speed with which he became fluent in the language, made his transition easier.
 
"This place is home for me right now, my kind of second home.  New friends, new place, new food, new culture," said Vaistaras.  "It's a good place if you want to focus on education and training because we have good facilities, wonderful teammates, and a wonderful coaching staff. Sometimes I miss Lithuania, but now I know everyone here now. I just go outside, smile, and everyone is talking to me."
 
Not only does McGeehan value the skills his seniors display in practice and in competition, but also the intangible qualities they bring to the program.
 
"There's something about those guys' development and their importance in the program," said McGeehan who is entering his 12th season as head coach at Campbell.  "The traditional build toward opportunity; there's so much value in the experience of that. Gaining knowledge and experience.  They are 100 percent bought into what we are doing.  That helps the new guys learn more quickly and is a big part of the culture of our program."

Not the only one in the same situation
When Mokseckas or Vaistaras experience feelings of missing family and friends back home, they only need to look around their locker room, and almost anywhere on campus to find someone that might feel the same way.  And although they really did not know each other well before Vaistaras landed in Buies Creek, they quickly formed a bond.
 
"It helps knowing that you aren't the only person away from your family," said Mokseckas.  "LV and I just became best friends from day one here because we share so much in common."
 
The season ahead
After waiting for their opportunities over the last three seasons, Mokseckas and Vaistaras have firmly established their roles on a team that lost six of its top seven scorers to graduation or transfer.  They are the lone players on the Fighting Camel roster who have been in the program for more than two seasons.
 
"We are the most experienced players on the team. We need to set an example and help the younger guys to understand our offense and push them through sometimes," said Vaistaras.  "In the tournament last year, we were connected. Every single guy on the court and on the bench was involved in the game.  We helped each other. Our goal this year should be the same, build the same team chemistry from the start as we had last year going into the tournament."
 
McGeehan sees the value his European veterans bring to the squad, and not just on the court.
 
"You've got to have some guys that are holding onto your culture from the past to help bring the others to it," said McGeehan.  "The 'Gs' and the 'LVs' are very important parts of this mix. It's not all about dunks, threes and stats. Obviously, there's a talent level needed and that helps the cause, but there's an intangible part of this whole thing that is hugely important to building a team."
 
The next stage of that building process starts Monday night, Nov. 6, when the Camels host Navy in the season opener.
 
Campbell MBB all-time International players (by country)
 
Australia (1)
Anthony Dell'Orso (2022-)
 
Brazil (1)
Diego Aguiar (2003-06)
 
Canada (1)
Jay Carter (2000-02)
 
Cameroon (1)
* Olivier Siewe (2009-10)
 
Central Africa Republic (1)
William Kossangue (2008-10)
 
Croatia (1)
Antonio Kalpic (2011-14)
 
England (3)
Larry Awosanya (2009-11)
Oladapo Fagbenle (2004-08)
Elijah Walsh (2022-)
 
Germany (1)
Dominique Klein (2001-05)
 
Lithuania (3)
Gediminas Mokseckas (2020-)
Zydrunas Stankus (2000-02)
Laurynas Vaistaras (2020-)
 
Puerto Rico (1)
Jonathan Rodriguez (2006-10)
 
Russia (1)
Alex Kotov (2023-)
 
Serbia (1)
Milos Stajcic (2018-22)
 
Spain (2)
Jesus Carralero (2019-23)
Jon Ander Cuadra (2015-19)
 
Sudan (2)
Mogga Lado (2016-18)
Leek Leek (2012-14)
 
Turkey (2)
Mehmet Bener (2023-)
Efe Gucoglu (2023-)
 
* did not appear in any games