Saint Mary’s Sweet 16 bid may hinge on Marciulionis vs. Alabama All-American

A few hours before Augustus Marciulionis celebrated his 23rd birthday with a Saint Mary’s first-round win in the NCAA Tournament, his famous father called into a San Francisco radio show Friday from their native Lithuania.

Naturally, Sarunas Marciulionis, a former Warriors star and two-time Olympic medalist, was asked how he compares to his son, the West Coast Conference’s two-time reigning player of the year.

“He’s a better defender, for sure,” the elder Marciulionis told KNBR 680-AM co-hosts Greg Papa and Greg Silver.