Kisielius Named to Commonwealth Collegiate Challenge

The event is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. in Ashland on Sunday, April 27.

04/23/08 2:30PM

Richmond, Va. - William and Mary senior men’s basketball player Laimis Kisielius will compete in the second annual Commonwealth Collegiate Challenge scheduled for Sunday, April 27. The event will be held at Randolph-Macon College’s Crenshaw Gymnasium in Ashland at 4:30 p.m. Kisielius is the second Tribe player in the last two season to compete in the event, joining Adam Payton, who is currently playing professional in Switzerland.

Kisielius will be joined in the event by fellow CAA counterparts Brian Henderson (Old Dominion), Jamal Shuler (VCU) and Michael Anderson (VCU). Five Atlantic Coast Conference players have committed to play in the contest, including Virginia’s Sean Singletary and Adrian Joseph, Deron Washingon and Marcus Travis of Virginia Tech and Maryland's Bambale Osby. Others competing in the event are Richmond's Oumar Sylla, Reggie Williams of VMI and Virginia Union's Brad Byerson.

The event will pit ACC players against the competitors from other colleges around the state of Virginia. Some of the proceeds from the game will benefit the Blue Sky Fund, a nonprofit organization for inner-city youths. General-admission tickets are $10 apiece. They can be purchased at the door Sunday or in advance at the Virginia Barbecue Company, 600 England St. in Ashland. Also, VIP tickets are available for $25 apiece, and they include priority seating and a post-game dinner with players. For ticket information, contact the game's promoter, Thomas Leachman, at tleachman@comcast.net.

Kisielius led the Tribe in scoring this season at 11.3 points per game and was named the Green and Gold’s MVP. He departs the College as only the 22nd player in school history to score 1,100 points in his career. Kisielius was a Third-Team All-CAA selection and was recently named one of three finalists for the AEF Tribe Club Senior Male Athlete of the Year award.

The Vilnius, Lithuania native was a driving force behind the Tribe’s run in the CAA Tournament. The 6-8 forward averaged 16.8 points per game during the league tournament, including scoring 23 in the semifinal victory over top-seed VCU and 22 points in the title tilt versus George Mason on his way to earning CAA All-Championship Team honors. In the CAA semifinals against VCU, Kisielius banked in a leaning six-footer with three seconds remaining to send the College to its first-ever CAA Championship Game.