REGENSBURG (David Hein's Eye on the Future) - Social media and traditional media were lighting up with the news that the two younger Ball brothers LiAngelo and LaMelo had signed one-year contracts to play with Lithuanian club Prienai Vytautas. And looking into this whole situation, it's easy to see that there are quite a few winners in it.

First off, here are some of the details for those who have not been keeping up with the Ball family saga.

Father LaVar Ball pulled his youngest son LaMelo - born in 2001 - out of high school last month and also had his middle son LiAngelo - born in 1998 - leave UCLA after the school reportedly did not say how long LiAngelo's indefinite suspension would be after he was caught shoplifting in a store in China.

LaVar Ball, whose dream is to have all three sons play for the Los Angeles Lakers, started making noise about maybe sending his sons abroad to play professionally and improve their games. Apparently the main condition was that whichever club signed them would need to play both of them.

There were a number of problems with this situation. First of all, it's unclear exactly how good the 19-year-old LiAngelo actually is - he was not expected to be a starter at UCLA. And LaMelo, who is considered a bigger prospect, is just 16 years old. There are not that many clubs out there that can accommodate the Ball situation - also because the club would need to have spots for two foreigners.

Enter Prienai Vytautas.

Don't feel bad if you haven't heard of the club. Not loads of basketball people in Europe have.

Prienai is a town of about 10,000 people located about 30 minutes drive from Kaunas. The club did win two Lithuanian Cups (2013 and 2014) and finished third in the Lithuanian LKL twice (2011 and 2012). They also are the reigning champions of the Baltic Basketball League (BBL) - a lower-level continental league made up of teams from Belarus, Estonia, Kazakhstan, Latvia and Lithuania with 12 of the 13 winners in the league's history being Lithuanian clubs.

And Vytautas have a lot of areas where the Ball brothers could fit in.

Money has been tight with the club as they reportedly have been paying their players late recently. They also have just one foreigner - Ukrainian international guard Denys Lukashov - in a league which allows five foreigners.

And, perhaps most importantly in this case, they also play in the BBL - which gives them a chance to provide plenty of playing time to LiAngelo and LaMelo, who are most likely not good enough to play in the LKL.

The Ball family has been criticized for sending LiAngelo and LaMelo to this team and this league, but as stated, there really are not a lot of teams who can offer what the Balls are requesting.

So, the Balls get a spot to play - regardless of the level. And … they get material for their on-going reality show "Ball in the Family."

As mentioned above, Prienai is not exactly big - and there is nothing even resembling a mall there. Most of the players stay in nearby Birstonas, where the conditions are supposed to be pretty nice, but it's even smaller than Prienai - though it is a popular spa destination for its sanatorium.

Any time the Balls show up, the scene tends to get a bit wild - as the whole family has become truly global celebrities. Picture them showing up in Prienai?

Probably the biggest question that needs to be answered is if LiAngelo and LaMelo actually come over to Europe. They are due to arrive on January 4 and would likely play their first game in the BBL against Belarus side BC Tsmoki-Minsk on January 9.

But will they come? In theory, the Balls could likely buy their way out of the contract should for example another offer come in, or if the Balls decided against doing it. But there is also an option in the contract to break it off after the first month. So, they could come for a month and then head back home.

One thing is certain, the biggest winners are Lithuania, the town of Prienai and the Vytautas club. This much publicity and attention is priceless. Just the fact that the world is talking about this little town and this club will help.

And imagine if they actually do show up. People will be flying in from the United States and around the world and come to Prienai to see these two characters and how they interact with the team, community and everything. That would also be an immediate boost to the local economy.

And finally, what if LiAngelo and LaMelo actually prove themselves to be serviceable players and help the club win some games. Another huge win for the club - and the players in proving the doubters wrong.

Sure, it might be a bit wild and uncertain. But that's kind of what the Ball family world is all about. Now, if they could just arrive in Prienai by helicopter and make it a really big show - don't put it past them.

David Hein

FIBA

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