Hey, just who is this guy?

ATHENS -- The day after, as the US regrouped from another loss and looked ahead to the medal round, the name of Sarunas Jasikevicius still resonated. The Lithuanian point guard torched the Yanks for 28 points in a 94-90 victory Saturday night. He is leading the Olympics in assists. He is ninth in scoring. He is clearly a take-charge, take-no-prisoners point guard on a very good team. Which leads to the obvious question: Why have 30 NBA teams passed on this kid?

"The NBA is the highest level a player can play at," Jasikevicius acknowledged after his stunning shooting performance, which included a 12-point outburst in 2-plus minutes in the fourth quarter. "But I just can't pack up my shoes and show up in a locker room and say, `Hey, I'm on your team.' "

Had there been any interest over the years, he was asked.

"None," he said.

That'll change, a questioner predicted.

"I don't think so," Jasikevicius said.

He's probably right. Jasikevicius didn't just fall off the turnip truck. NBA people know who he is. Jasikevicius started every game for the University of Maryland in his last two years at College Park (1996-98.) He has won numerous European awards, including the MVP of the European Championships (won by Lithuania), and he led Maccabi Tel-Aviv to the Euro title last spring. He has been a Lithuanian regular for years and in Sydney, he had a prayer 3-pointer miss that would have beaten the US.

You look at Jasikevicius and you see Fred Hoiberg. Or Steve Kerr. You cannot fathom for any logical reason -- other than the ongoing contempt for such players by the defense-obsessed coaches -- why he isn't on an NBA roster, even as a backup point guard. Especially with his shooting ability. Think the Nets couldn't have used him last spring? Or, um, the Spurs?

Yesterday, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, whose team does as well with international players as anyone, said he had tried to sign Jasikevicius a while back. He said the two sides could not make a deal because of issues with timing and contracts. He said such things were common with international players. (Jasikevicius told reporters after the US game that Milwaukee was the only team that had showed any interest and it was minimal at best.)

Asked if he thought Jasikevicius belonged on an NBA roster, Popovich said, "Without a doubt. Absolutely." Popovich also predicted that Jasikevicius might, in fact, wind up in the NBA soon based on what he's doing here, although US forward Richard Jefferson was a bit more wary.

"Every time somebody has one good game against the United States, supposedly, he's going to be the next 10-time NBA All-Star," Jefferson sniffed. "He had a very good game. His team played very well. But it's different playing where we play."

That, too, was US coach Larry Brown's take on Jasikevicius, who is 28 and is listed at 6 feet 4 inches. Brown was asked if he thought Jasikevicius might be the best point guard on the planet after the US game, considering all that he has accomplished. Brown simply said, "No, he's not."

Brown called Jasikevicius "a great international player" and touched on the many differences between the NBA and the international game that helped the Lithuanian guard. "In international ball, he's as good as it gets," Brown said. "But a lot of guys who do well in this kind of environment struggle in our league."

Jasikevicius said he continues to hold out hope that, one day, he will join countrymen Sarunas Marciulionis, Arvydas Sabonis, Zyrdrunas Ilgauskas, and Celtic-for-a-spell Darius Songaila and play in the NBA. Popovich said he envisioned NBA teams also pouncing on Lithuanian forwards Saulius Stombergas and Ramunas Siskauskas, likening the latter to John Havlicek in terms of style.

"Many times in my life, I tried to get there," Jasikevicius said of the NBA. "But it never came up. Not even minimum offers. I think I'm a good enough player for the NBA. But there are guys who know what they're doing who don't think so. And if 30 teams think I can't play, then I guess I can't play." He said he wasn't trying to be snide. He said that was how he saw the situation. A couple more games like the one he had Saturday and he may have to start turning teams away.