Inside Rusne Augustinaite’s journey from Lithuania to Georgia Tech
Before every game, Georgia Tech freshman guard Rusne Augustinaite writes “Gintautas legacy” on her shoes to pay tribute to her late grandpa.
“Everything started from my grandpa, but the crazy thing is I never met him,” Augustinate told JacketsOnline. “He passed away when he was 40 years old and my mom was 16 years old. It was a hard moment in her life, so she decided to be a basketball coach to respect him and continue his legacy. My grandpa was one of the biggest basketball fans, he had books, pictures with players and all that.”
Augustinaite, a native of Siauliai, Lithuania, was a sports junkie as a child and started playing basketball at 3 years old.
“I always had a ball in my hand as a kid,” Augustinaite said. “At 3 years old, my parents bought me a little basketball that I could shoot in the house.”
From the No. 23 on the back of her jersey to the armband and her flare on the court, it doesn’t take long to notice Michael Jordan's inspiration on Augustinaite.
“When I was younger, probably five or six years old, my dad owned a VHS tape on Michael Jordan,” Augustinaite said. “He showed me and I was like ‘Wow, he can’t be real.’ I asked him if there was a women’s NBA and he said yes. Since then, that’s been my goal.”
Augustinaite’s enthusiasm for the sport only intensified from that point onward. As a 14-year-old and the youngest player in the tournament, she made her debut on the national stage for Lithuania at the FIBA U16 European Championship in 2018. Augistinate recorded 12 points across two games in the tournament.
“It’s really important to me,” Augustinaite on representing her country at national events. “My country is so small and people view basketball as our second religion in Lithuania. For me, growing basketball is important. There are a lot of little girls watching us and being an inspiration for them it’s a blessing for me.”
In the following summer, once again playing for Lithuania at the U16 European Championship, she saw her role increase. Augustinaite averaged 6.3 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 24.3 minutes per game.
She continued to build from there. Augustinaite was promoted to Šiauliai Šiauliai, a club in Lithuania’s top division, as a 16-year-old.
In eight games for Šiauliai Šiauliai during the 2019-20 season, she averaged 10 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.3 assists. This impressive performance not only solidified her standing in the domestic league but also garnered attention from preparatory schools in the United States.
Among the schools: Montverde Academy, a powerhouse sports factory and boarding school in Florida.
“I always wanted to come to the United States and my uncle from Chicago helped me a lot [during the process],” Augustinaite said. “With Montverde, they had a good basketball program and I loved the new coach. My decision allowed me to go to high school here and get recruited and more attention to potentially play in college.”
Augustinaite received offers from over a dozen Division-1 programs, amidst her role in Montverde’s run to a GEICO Nationals high school championship as a junior. Her commitment came on Oct. 14, 2022, choosing Georgia Tech over Virginia Tech and Ohio State.
“From Day 1, I wanted to go to Georgia Tech,” Augustinaite on her decision to choose the Jackets. “I really liked [head] coach Nell [Fornter], the coaching staff and the city.”
Immediately upon stepping on a collegiate floor, the 6-foot Lithuanian guard made an impact.
Kara Dunn, one of Georgia Tech’s top returners, came down with a knee injury in the opening minutes of its first game against Coastal Carolina, causing Fortner to turn to Augustinaite for extended minutes – and she answered the task.
She recorded 14 points on 66.7% shooting from beyond the arc in 33 minutes off the bench in the first game of the season against Coastal Carolina.
Auguistinaite built upon this performance with three consecutive outings with at least 12 points against Furman, Rice and Kennesaw State. She later scored a career-high 30 points on 6-of-10 shooting from 3 in a 10-point loss to Florida on Nov. 29.
Through 16 games, Augustinaite’s versatility as a shooter has been vital to the Yellow Jackets’ success. She can get to her spot in a bevy of situations, whether that is a pull-up 3 or mid-range jumper, running off-screens, spotting-up, or what have it.
“I put the work in every day and take it very seriously,” Augustinate said. “I repeat the same shots, watch film and stay confident in what I do. I’ve played since I was 3 years old and I’ve been shooting since then, it takes a lot of hard work.”
Through 17 games, Augustinaite is averaging 11.8 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.8 assists on 36.6% shooting from 3.
“She’s a really talented freshman,” Georgia Tech junior forward Kayla Blackshear said after the win over Clemson on Jan. 11. “I’m so glad she came in with so much confidence, she’s a hooper.”
Outside of basketball, Augustinaite has a ton of interest in fashion. She launched her clothing line ‘ENDEN BRAND’ in early 2023, selling hoodies, shorts and puff print t-shirts.
“At Montverde, there were open windows between classes, so I’d be on my phone looking at social media and decided to reach out to a manufacturer,” Augustinaite said. “I like fashion, creating new things and learning. I think it’s a nice hustle for me and my main goal is to keep growing.”
"Fall in love with the basics" is an idea about working hard every day,” Augustinaite wrote in the about section of the website. “Most of the time it’s a daily routine that is repeating and can be boring. To achieve our goals, it is necessary for us to shift our mindset to fall in love with the things that we do every day.”
Augustinaite and Georgia Tech are back in action on Thursday, Jan. 18 against North Carolina inside McCamish Pavilion at 6 p.m. ET and live on ACCN.