Darius Songaila
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Darius Songaila a rookie who is still pretty good.

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  2003-04
 Statistics
 PPG 5.4
 RPG 3.50
 APG 1.2
 EFF + 7.83

Player Profile
Darius Songaila | 25
Position:  F
Born: 02/14/78
Height: 6-9 /  2,06
Weight: 248  lbs. /  112,5  kg.
College - Wake Forest '02

Information
The Sacramento Kings acquired the draft rights to forward-center Darius Songaila from the Boston Celtics in exchange for a pair of second-round draft picks, the No. 56 selection in this years draft and a second-round choice in 2005.

Darius' Diary

 

Darius' Diary-04/12/04

 

Throughout the season, Kings.com will be profiling the rookie campaign of Darius Songaila with Darius' Diary, a personal reflection of his first NBA season. This is his fourth installment...

 

I cant believe my first season in the NBA is almost over.

I really dont have anything to compare it to. Its hard because in college, theres a second year and a third year. And you have the previous year to compare that to. But this year, Ive been very pleased. I didnt have any expectations. So, I just hit it right on the spot.

I think Ive bonded well with everybody. There are some players that I hang around with more, like Vlade. They kind of took me under their wing. They took care of me. So, I hang out with some players a little more than others. Chemistry-wise, I think I get along with Doug and Bobby pretty well.

Its also been great to be able to play with Chris Webber finally. When he first came back, I didnt get to share the floor with him that much. But lately, in a stretch of three or four games, I got to play a little more since Brad was out. Hes a great player. He draws a lot of attention. And he makes things happen on the floor. Over the last few games, thats what he did. He drew a lot of attention. Hes a very good passer, better than I thought he would be.

With him back in the rotation, Im not going to be able to play that much. But I dont see a problem with that with him being an All-Star power forward. But with Brad being injured and Vlade being sick recently, Ive been able to play a little bit.

Its the same thing as it was during the first games of the season. Just be ready for every game. Any chance I get out there to be called up, Im going to be ready for it. The playoffs are coming right around the cornerits going to be something different and something new to experienceIm definitely looking forward to that.

I think every single person on this team has gone through some playoff preparation. So, I dont know what were going to do or what kind of preparation the team is going to go through. I cant tell you exactly what is it that were going to have to do. Personally for me, its going to be pretty much the same thing. Im going to be ready for every opportunity in every game to be out there.

Its almost become summer here in Sacramento and its been great. Ive been enjoying living here. Its kind of the same as North Carolina weather. Maybe not as humid. But its still great, and my dog likes it.

His name is Deac. Like my college mascot Demon Deacons. Hes a crazy little dog. Hes a Bull Terrier (like Spuds MacKenzie) and hes almost two years old. I spend a whole lot of time with him because hes the kind of dog that requires a lot of attention. You cant leave him alone in your apartment unless you want to find your furniture in shreds. So, I spend a whole lot of time with him.

Speaking of Wake Forest, I was very happy that they made it to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament. But I thought they could have done better. And when they lost to St. Joes, I was a little disappointed. Because I knew they could have done better. I think with the team they had, and the bracket they were in, and the schedule they had, I thought they could have made it to the Final Four. Oh well though.

Talk to you soon.

#25-Darius Songaila

Darius' Diary-11/05

Throughout the season, Kings.com will be profiling the rookie campaign of Darius Songaila with Darius' Diary, a personal reflection of his first NBA season. This is the first installment...

Hi everyone!

This is the first installment of my diary, which Ill be updating throughout the year. A ton has happened since training camp started, so I have a lot to cover.

So far the NBA has been different than I thought it was going to be, in a good way. Without being in (the game) and without experiencing it, you dont have an idea what its going to be like. Now, a month into it, its better than I thought.

Everything started off with Media Day, which was fun. The good thing about that was it was organized very well, which made it a good experience. If it was something where people were pointing you in different directions, it might have been intense. But it was very well organized and that made a difference.

My first preseason game at ARCO was exciting, but it didnt compare to my first regular-season game. I was nervous the whole game, just sitting and watching those guys play. When coach said my name in the fourth quarter, I was really excited. I didnt expect to go in especially since the game was close. So, that surprised me.

The thing that Ive noticed most about the NBA is that different teams play different types of basketball. The thing about college is that every team has one, two or three good players. Here, everybody is good and you have to guard everybody. Thats the thing. Everyone that is on the court has to be doing something really well to be in the league.

On the court, the atmosphere with the guys and the coaching staff has changed a little bit from the preseason now that were in the regular season. Theyre taking a different approach going into the games. And obviously playing and practicing. Plus, were traveling a lot which I have to get used to. We have a long road trip coming up. Im a little bit worried about that.

I hear everybody talking about: Oh we have a road trip. You play the game, you leave, and you fly from one city to another. You play three games in four or five days. It might be tough. That makes me a bit nervous.

As far as off the basketball court, Ive settled in near ARCO Arena. Right now, Im just working on trying to get around the city on days off and the time that I havejust trying to figure out my way around here. It took me a couple of days to get out and drive around Sacramento. After a while, its pretty easy to figure it out.

One of the things I like to do on my off days is go to the movies. The theater is close by, so I go to the movies and I go out to eat. I try to find new places to go in Sacramento. And obviously, rest.

So far, Im not thinking about how long the season is. Right now, Im thinking: Oh man. This is my fourth game. This is fun. I dont want to think about it like Oh man, we have 82 games. I dont think thats the right approach. The more you worry about it; your heart is going to take its toll.

I guess you could say things are going really good right nowIm really happy with the situation that Im in.

#25-Darius Songaila


Darius' Diary-12/24

Throughout the season, Kings.com will be profiling the rookie campaign of Darius Songaila with Darius' Diary, a personal reflection of his first NBA season. This is his second installment...

 

A lot has happen since I last wrote, so Ill try and catch up.

I experienced my first long road trip in November, going to New York, and it wasnt as bad as I thought. The worst part probably was getting in late because of the difference in time zone. You fly in, you play the game and you fly out the same night and you get in late. I think thats was the hardest part.

So far I think Im doing pretty good. During the time Im out on the court, Im feeling pretty okI dont feel out of place. I think once you get that feeling where youre feeling comfortable, youve adjusted. But theres always something else you have to pick up and adjust to.

Winning the games has been the highlight of my season so far. Every time we win, its great. I hate when were on the road and were not as successful. But winning games, both home and away, is the best feeling.

The toughest game for me so far this season probably was the Portland game when we were up there. I spent the entire game on the bench and I didnt go in. That was probably the toughest part out of the 20-something games weve had.

Ive played against a lot of guys now, but there really hasnt been one guy who was my toughest matchup. I dont really pay too much attention to that. I dont spend enough time on the court to give a detailed answer, because I dont really matchup with anyone for a long time.

Im really looking forward to Christmas. Its a time for family. Ive got family coming in, and I havent seen them for a while. So, its just going to be a good thing for me. Ill be having a lot of family coming in to watch the game on Christmas Day.

Talk to you soon!!

#25-Darius Songaila
 

Darius Diary-02/25/04

 

Throughout the season, Kings.com will be profiling the rookie campaign of Darius Songaila with Darius' Diary, a personal reflection of his first NBA season. This is his third installment...

 
Its been really busy since I last wrote.

Im now more than halfway through my rookie year, and things have gone fast. I feel more comfortable than I did in the beginning of the year, which obviously, having played some games has helped. Even though were almost done with the season I still feel like a rookie.

We've won a lot of games, which is nice. I'm very happy with the situation I'm in right now. Winning is the best part of it.

I had a nice break during All-Star weekend. Me and my wife went to Maui for a couple of days and just relaxed. I was able to catch all of the All-Star festivities on TV. It probably would have been different if I was actually there, but it was just like any other All-Star Game I've seen in the past.

I didn't watch the rookie game though. I never really gave much thought into playing in it, and as far as next year goes, I can't look that far ahead. We'll see what happens. It's about a year from now. So, we'll see. Maybe Ill get selected.

My minutes have really gone up recently since Brad (Miller) went down. It's hard though. You don't play that much for most of the year and we're 40-something games in. But now, we're kind of short-handed in the front line, so Im playing a lot more. You have to be a little more careful. At the same time, you have to be aggressive and do all the things they need you to do. So, you have to try to compensate as much as you can for his loss.

My first NBA start came right after the break against the Boston Celtics, the team that drafted me. I was a little nervous before the game started, because obviously, that was my first start. But once the ball was out there for tip-off, it went away. And it was just a big game of basketball.

I didn't really think about as a revenge game because they traded me. For me it was just a game against another team. It just happened to be Boston. It wasn't like I was extra-pumped up for it, other than it was my first start.

As for the rest of the season, I just hope we can win the rest of the games and get a good spot in the playoffs. There, hopefully, we can go on and win some more games.

Talk to you soon!!

#25-Darius Songaila

Season Highs / Career Highs
  2003-04 HIGHS CAREER HIGHS
 Points 14 vs. Toronto 11/14/03 14 vs. Toronto 11/14/03
 Field Goals Made 5 3 Times 5 3 Times
 Field Goals Attempted 9 vs. Chicago 11/23/03 9 vs. Chicago 11/23/03
 Three Point Field Goals Made None None
 Three Point Field Goals Attempted None None
 Free Throws Made 4 2 Times 4 2 Times
 Free Throws Attempted 4 4 Times 4 4 Times
 Offensive Rebounds 3 2 Times 3 2 Times
 Defensive Rebounds 5 2 Times 5 2 Times
 Total Rebounds 7 2 Times 7 2 Times
 Assists 5 vs. Toronto 11/14/03 5 vs. Toronto 11/14/03
 Steals 3 vs. Toronto 11/14/03 3 vs. Toronto 11/14/03
 Blocks 1 5 Times 1 5 Times
 Minutes Played 26 2 Times 26 2 Times

CAREER AVERAGES
  YEAR TEAM G GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% OFF DEF RPG APG SPG BPG TO PF PPG
 03-04 SAC 18 0 14.7 0.468 0 0.839 1.2 2.3 3.5 1.2 0.67 0.28 0.72 2.1 5.4
 Career 18 0 15 0.47 0 0.84 1.2 2.3 3.5 1.2 0.7 0.3 0.7 2 5.4

Darius Songaila