| Lithuania Lietuva | |||
| FIBA Ranking | 5th | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Joined FIBA | 1936 | ||
| FIBA Zone | FIBA Europe | ||
| National Federation | Lithuanian Basketball Federation | ||
| Coach | Kęstutis Kemzūra | ||
| Olympic Games | |||
| Appearances | 5 (1992, 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008) | ||
| Medals | Bronze: 1992, 1996, 2000 | ||
| World Championships | |||
| Appearances | 3 (1998, 2006, 2010) | ||
| Medals | Bronze: 2010 | ||
| EuroBasket | |||
| Appearances | 11 (1937, 1939, 1995–2011) | ||
| Medals | Gold: 1937, 1939, 2003 Silver: 1995 Bronze: 2007 |
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| Uniforms | |||
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The Lithuanian national basketball team is the representative for Lithuania in international men's basketball. Lithuania won bronze medals in three out of five Olympic tournaments it participated in.
Lithuanian men competed in two of the pre-war EuroBasket competitions for the European championship. They won both the EuroBasket 1937 and EuroBasket 1939 competitions. The 1939 team was led by Pranas Lubinas (Frank Lubin), who helped popularize basketball in the country and was called the "Grandfather of Lithuanian Basketball."
Being part of the Soviet Union, Lithuanian players frequently formed the core of the Soviet national team. This was especially so for the 1988 Olympic Basketball gold medal winning team which got most of its scoring from four Lithuanians: Valdemaras Chomičius, Rimas Kurtinaitis, Šarūnas Marčiulionis and Arvydas Sabonis.
After the restoration of Lithuanian independence in 1990, the national team was resurrected. Lithuania won bronze medals in the first three Olympics to feature NBA players – 1992, 1996, and 2000, and finished fourth in 2004 and 2008.
The Lithuanian team won the EuroBasket for the third time in 2003. It also won the bronze medal in the 2010 FIBA World Championship.
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| Pos. | Starter | Bench | Bench | Reserve | Inactive |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | Robertas Javtokas | Jonas Valančiūnas | Marijonas Petravičius | ||
| PF | Paulius Jankūnas | Darius Songaila | Kšyštof Lavrinovič | ||
| SF | Simas Jasaitis | Martynas Pocius | |||
| SG | Rimantas Kaukėnas | Tomas Delininkaitis | |||
| PG | Mantas Kalnietis | Šarūnas Jasikevičius |
The 2012 FIBA World Olympic Qualifying Tournament is a men's basketball tournament that will consist of 12 national teams, where the top three teams earn a place in the 2012 Olympics basketball tournament. It will be held on 2–8 July 2012 in Caracas, Venezuela.
It was the second Eurobasket tournament Lithuania hosted after 72 years. By numerous officials and other European basketball specialists and pundits, it was regarded as the best Eurobasket organized ever. Though it certainly wasn't the best for the domestic team, which finished in 5th - respectable, but, according to many Lithuanian fans, an overwhelmingly disappointing place. Lithuanian point guard star Šarūnas Jasikevičius pointed out that this championship will be remembered for the tragic loss in the quarterfinals against Macedonian national team. The only consolation being, secured place for the 2012 Olympic Qualifying Tournament.
The effort to mould future prospects and the past stars was counterproductive. It wasn't that supersonic team, sweeping everyone in the last years FIBA World Championship but rather arrhythmic body, which in the end yielded to relentless national pressure and unfounded expectations.
On December 12, 2009, Lithuania was granted a wild card to participate in World Championship in Turkey the following year.[1]
Lithuania started the tournament against New Zealand. After a tough first quarter, Lithuanians took control of the game and kept ahead by a comfortable lead till the final buzzer, which signaled Lithuania's victory 92:79. The second game was against Canada. After reducing the 17 point deficit in the fourth quarter, Lithuanians finally gained a small lead towards the end of the game. Canada had a chance to win the game, but Jermaine Anderson's game winning three rimmed out at the last second and Lithuania celebrated their second victory 70:68. The next match was against the defending champion Spain, and after another comeback from an 18 point deficit, the Lithuanians won the upsetting game 76:73, Linas Kleiza's free-throws sealing the victory.
Victory against Spain ensured Lithuania's qualification to the eighth finals. Lithuania's next match was against France, which held a perfect 3–0 record. France quickly gained momentum in the first half and forced Lithuania to a double-digit deficit. However, in the second half, Lithuania deftly reduced the deficit and cruised past the French defense, outscoring them 45–25 to win the game 69:55. The French were forced into second place as Lithuanians took Group D's leadership spot. Lithuania won the last game against Lebanon without much difficulty 84:66 and finished with a perfect 5–0 record in the preliminary round.
After sweeping China (78:67) in the eighth finals and crushing Argentina in a blowout game (104:85) in the quarterfinals, Lithuania lost to Team USA by 15 points. They captured the bronze medal after winning against Eurobasket's silver medalist Serbia 99:88. This was Lithuania's best World Championship result.
2010 FIBA World Championship bronze medalist team roster:
| No | Position | Player | Year of birth | Club before 2010 FIBA World Championship |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | Guard | Renaldas Seibutis | 1985 | Olin Edirne Basketbol |
| 5 | Point guard | Mantas Kalnietis | 1986 | Žalgiris Kaunas |
| 6 | Forward | Jonas Mačiulis | 1985 | Olimpia Milano |
| 7 | Guard | Martynas Pocius | 1986 | Žalgiris Kaunas |
| 8 | Guard | Martynas Gecevičius | 1988 | Lietuvos Rytas Vilnius |
| 9 | Guard | Tomas Delininkaitis | 1981 | PAOK B.C. |
| 10 | Forward | Simas Jasaitis | 1982 | Galatasaray Café Crown |
| 11 | Forward | Linas Kleiza | 1985 | Toronto Raptors |
| 12 | Forward | Tadas Klimavičius | 1982 | Žalgiris Kaunas |
| 13 | Forward | Paulius Jankūnas | 1984 | Žalgiris Kaunas |
| 14 | Center | Martynas Andriuškevičius | 1986 | CB Lucentum Alicante |
| 15 | Center | Robertas Javtokas | 1980 | Valencia BC |
Winning the third place game at Eurobasket 2007 against Greece allowed Lithuania to qualify for the Olympic basketball tournament at Beijing 2008 without competition at 2008 Pre-Olympics Tournament.
Lithuania basketball team of 2008 finished Beijing 2008 with an 5–3 record taking 4th place.
Team Lithuania for Eurobasket 2007:
| No | Position | Player | Year of birth | Club before Eurobasket 2007 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | Guard | Rimantas Kaukėnas | 1977 | Montepaschi Siena |
| 5 | Shooting guard | Mindaugas Lukauskis | 1979 | Vilniaus Lietuvos Rytas |
| 6 | Forward | Jonas Mačiulis | 1985 | Žalgiris Kaunas |
| 7 | Center | Darjuš Lavrinovič | 1979 | UNICS Kazan |
| 8 | Forward | Ramūnas Šiškauskas | 1978 | Panathinaikos BC |
| 9 | Forward | Darius Songaila | 1978 | NBA Washington Wizards |
| 10 | Forward | Simas Jasaitis | 1982 | Maccabi |
| 11 | Forward | Linas Kleiza | 1985 | NBA Denver Nuggets |
| 12 | Forward | Kšyštof Lavrinovič | 1979 | UNICS Kazan |
| 13 | Point guard | Šarūnas Jasikevičius | 1976 | NBA Golden State Warriors |
| 14 | Forward | Paulius Jankūnas | 1984 | Žalgiris Kaunas |
| 15 | Center | Robertas Javtokas | 1980 | Panathinaikos BC |
The Lithuanian basketball team of 2007 finished the Eurobasket 2007 with an 8–1 record, winning their first ever bronze medal in Eurobasket tournaments. Winning the third place game in the tournament against Greece allowed Lithuania to qualify for the Olympic basketball tournament at Beijing 2008.
In the 2006 FIBA World Championship, Lithuania finished 7th. This equaled their best ever finish, achieved in 1998, but some saw this as an under-achievement.
They started the tournament with a narrow 2-point loss to Turkey. In their second match they lost to, eventual finalists, Greece in overtime. In that game they made 25 turnovers, which was one of a couple of matches where they made a large number of mistakes. Their third game against Qatar was an easy victory 106:65. This restored some confidence ahead of the must-win match against Australia, as they won it 78:57. Their last group match against Brazil was close in the end, as Brazil lost it by 5 points 79:74. This ensured Lithuania's advance to the eighth-finals to face Italy. They won the match by 3 points 71:68, although Arvydas Macijauskas fouled an Italian player during a 3-point attempt in the dying seconds which gave Italy the chance to level the score, but all 3 free throws were missed. They lost their quarter final match against the eventual champions, Spain by 22 points. Lithuania turned the ball over 28 times during that match. They lost to Turkey in over-time of the 5th–8th place classification round, in which they wasted a 12-point lead in the last 3 minutes of the fourth quarter to take the match into over-time and eventually lost the 5-minute over-time 20:9. The final result was 95:84 to Turkey. They won their last match against Germany 77:62.
Sireika resigned soon after the championship. On December 28, 2006, Ramūnas Butautas was announced as the new coach of the team.
| Name | Position | Years | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pranas Lubinas | Center | 1939 | Popularized the sport in Lithuania in the late 1930s. |
| Arvydas Sabonis | Center | 1992, 1995–1996, 1999 | One of the best known Lithuanian basketball players that helped Lithuania to win two bronze medals at the Barcelona 1992 and Atlanta 1996 Olympics and was one of the key players in 1995 European Championships where Lithuania won silver. He was a large contributor to the successful Portland Blazers teams from 1995–2003. He was inducted into the FIBA and Naismith Hall of Fames. |
| Šarūnas Marčiulionis | Point guard Shooting guard |
1992, 1995–1996 | One of the key players in the Barcelona 1992 and Atlanta 1996 Olympics and 1995 European Championships. |
| Rimas Kurtinaitis | Small forward Shooting guard |
1992, 1995–1996 | Outstanding three-point shooter. He is the only non-NBA player which participated in the NBA All-Star Three Point Contest. |
| Valdemaras Chomičius | Point guard | 1992, 1995 | Famous Soviet Union basketball player. He won most of this titles with Soviet Union, however he also helped Lithuania to win Silver medals in EuroBasket 1995 and Bronze medals in Summer Olympics 1992. |
| Artūras Karnišovas | Small forward Power forward |
1992, 1995–1999 | Notable for his appearance in the Barcelona 1992 and Atlanta 1996 Olympics and 1995 European Championships. Later he participated in 1998 World Championship and 1999 European Championships. He averaged 16.4 points per game in all of his tournaments combined. |
| Saulius Štombergas | Small forward Power forward |
1995–2001, 2003–2004 | One of the best three-point shooters in Lithuania basketball history. He also was team captain in EuroBasket 2003 where Lithuania became champions of Europe. |
| Mindaugas Žukauskas | Small forward Power forward |
1996, 1998–1999, 2001, 2003–2006 | |
| Eurelijus Žukauskas | Center | 1996–2001, 2003–2004 | Outstanding defender and shoots blocker. He was an member of Lithuania team in EuroBasket 2003, where Lithuania won Gold medals, he also was Žalgiris member in 1999 when they won Euroleague tournament. |
| Šarūnas Jasikevičius | Point guard | 1997–2001, 2003–2004, 2007–2008, 2011 | One of the most famous Lithuania players in the history. He led Lithuania to the third Gold medal in EuroBasket 2003 and was named MVP of that tournament. He also led Lithuania to win against USA in 2004 Summer Olympics as he scored 28 points (7/12 three-pointers). |
| Ramūnas Šiškauskas | Point guard Shooting guard Small forward |
2000–2001, 2003–2005, 2007–2008 | A long time Lithuania national basketball team captain. |
| Arvydas Macijauskas | Shooting guard | 2003–2004, 2006 | Outstanding three-point shooter and one of the key players in EuroBasket 2003. |
| Kšyštof Lavrinovič | Power forward Center |
2003–2009, 2011 | |
| Linas Kleiza | Power forward | 2006–2010 | True team leader in FIBA World Championship 2010. |
| Jonas Valančiūnas | Center | 2008–2011 (Under-age teams), 2011 (man's team) | Being only 19 year old he led Lithuania to three Gold medals and was named MVP of all three tournaments. He's also the highest ever NBA drafted Lithuania basketball player in the history. In 2011 NBA Draft, Raptors selected him #5. The same year he debuted in Lithuania man's national team and was one of the key players in EuroBasket 2011. |
There have been only few coaches on Lithuania basketball team roster since Lithuania's independence in 1991.
There have been couple of notable assistants for Lithuania basketball team.
FIBA World Championship
Olympic Games
FIBA Diamond Ball
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EuroBasket
FIBA Under-19 World Championship
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1937 EuroBasket: finished 1st among 8 teams
Arturas Andrulis, Leonas Baltrunas, Pranas Talzunas, Leopoldas Kepalas, Feliksas Kriauciunas, Pranas Mazeika, Eugenijus Nikolskis, Leonas Petrauskas, Zenonas Puzinauskas, Stasys Sačkus, Juozas Žukas, Česlovas Daukša (Coach: Feliksas Kriaučiūnas)
1939 EuroBasket: finished 1st among 8 teams
Pranas Lubinas, Mykolas Ruzgys, Leonas Baltrūnas, Artūras Andrulis, Jurgis Jurgėla, Pranas Mažeika, Vytautas Norkus, Vytautas Budriūnas, Zenonas Puzinauskas, Feliksas Kriaučiūnas, Vytautas Lesčinskas, Eugenijus Nikolskis, Leonas Petrauskas, Mindaugas Šliūpas (Coach: Pranas Lubinas)
1992 Olympic Games: finished 3rd among 12 teams
Arvydas Sabonis, Šarunas Marčiulionis, Valdemaras Chomičius, Rimas Kurtinaitis, Sergėjus Jovaiša, Artūras Karnišovas, Gintaras Einikis, Arūnas Visockas, Darius Dimavičius, Romanas Brazdauskis, Gintaras Krapikas, Alvydas Pazdrazdis (Coach: Vladas Garastas)
1993 EuroBasket: did not qualify
1994 World Championship: did not participate
1995 EuroBasket: finished 2nd among 14 teams
Arvydas Sabonis, Šarūnas Marčiulionis, Artūras Karnišovas, Rimas Kurtinaitis, Valdemaras Chomičius, Gintaras Einikis, Arūnas Visockas, Gintaras Krapikas, Saulius Štombergas, Mindaugas Timinskas, Darius Lukminas, Gvidonas Markevičius (Coach: Vladas Garastas)
1996 Olympic Games: finished 3rd among 12 teams
Arvydas Sabonis, Šarūnas Marčiulionis, Artūras Karnišovas, Rimas Kurtinaitis, Saulius Štombergas, Gintaras Einikis, Darius Lukminas, Rytis Vaišvila, Tomas Pačėsas, Eurelijus Žukauskas, Andrius Jurkūnas, Mindaugas Žukauskas (Coach: Vladas Garastas)
1997 EuroBasket: finished 6th among 16 teams
Gintaras Einikis, Virginijus Praškevičius, Dainius Adomaitis, Artūras Karnišovas, Saulius Štombergas, Darius Maskoliūnas, Kęstutis Šeštokas, Andrius Jurkūnas, Darius Lukminas, Šarūnas Jasikevičius, Mindaugas Timinskas, Eurelijus Žukauskas (Coach: Jonas Kazlauskas)
1998 World Championship: finished 7th among 16 teams
Artūras Karnišovas, Saulius Štombergas, Gintaras Einikis, Virginijus Praškevičius, Tomas Masiulis, Mindaugas Žukauskas, Dainius Adomaitis, Darius Maskoliūnas, Darius Lukminas, Šarūnas Jasikevičius, Eurelijus Žukauskas, Tomas Pačėsas (Coach: Jonas Kazlauskas)
1999 EuroBasket: finished 5th among 16 teams
Arvydas Sabonis, Artūras Karnišovas, Saulius Štombergas, Šarūnas Jasikevičius, Gintaras Einikis, Eurelijus Žukauskas, Virginijus Praškevičius, Mindaugas Žukauskas, Tomas Masiulis, Dainius Adomaitis, Darius Maskoliūnas, Kęstutis Marčiulionis (Coach: Jonas Kazlauskas)
2000 Olympic Games: finished 3rd among 12 teams
Šarūnas Jasikevičius, Saulius Štombergas, Mindaugas Timinskas, Gintaras Einikis, Ramūnas Šiškauskas, Darius Songaila, Eurelijus Žukauskas, Tomas Masiulis, Dainius Adomaitis, Darius Maskoliūnas, Andrius Giedraitis, Kestutis Marciulionis (Coach: Jonas Kazlauskas)
2001 EuroBasket: finished 12th among 16 teams
Šarūnas Jasikevičius, Saulius Štombergas, Ramūnas Šiškauskas, Darius Songaila, Gintaras Einikis, Mindaugas Žukauskas, Mindaugas Timinskas, Eurelijus Žukauskas, Rimantas Kaukėnas, Robertas Javtokas, Donatas Slanina, Andrius Jurkūnas (Coach: Jonas Kazlauskas)
2002 World Championship: did not qualify
2003 EuroBasket: finished 1st among 16 teams
Šarūnas Jasikevičius, Arvydas Macijauskas, Ramūnas Šiškauskas, Saulius Štombergas, Darius Songaila, Eurelijus Žukauskas, Mindaugas Žukauskas, Donatas Slanina, Kšyštof Lavrinovič, Virginijus Praškevičius, Dainius Šalenga, Giedrius Gustas (Coach: Antanas Sireika)
2004 Olympic Games: finished 4th among 12 teams
Šarūnas Jasikevičius, Arvydas Macijauskas, Saulius Štombergas, Ramūnas Šiškauskas, Darius Songaila, Eurelijus Žukauskas, Kšyštof Lavrinovič, Dainius Šalenga, Robertas Javtokas, Mindaugas Žukauskas, Donatas Slanina, Vidas Ginevičius (Coach: Antanas Sireika)
2005 EuroBasket: finished 5th among 16 teams
Ramūnas Šiškauskas, Robertas Javtokas, Mindaugas Žukauskas, Simas Jasaitis, Kšyštof Lavrinovič, Darjuš Lavrinovič, Vidas Ginevicius, Paulius Jankūnas, Simonas Serapinas, Giedrius Gustas, Darius Šilinskis, Mindaugas Lukauskis (Coach: Antanas Sireika)
2006 World Championship: finished 7th among 24 teams
Arvydas Macijauskas, Darius Songaila, Robertas Javtokas, Simas Jasaitis, Mindaugas Žukauskas, Darjuš Lavrinovič, Kšyštof Lavrinovič, Linas Kleiza, Paulius Jankūnas, Giedrius Gustas, Tomas Delininkaitis, Mantas Kalnietis (Coach: Antanas Sireika)
2007 EuroBasket: finished 3rd among 16 teams
Šarūnas Jasikevičius, Ramūnas Šiškauskas, Rimantas Kaukėnas, Simas Jasaitis, Darius Songaila, Kšyštof Lavrinovič, Darjuš Lavrinovič, Linas Kleiza, Robertas Javtokas, Jonas Mačiulis, Paulius Jankūnas, Giedrius Gustas (Coach: Ramūnas Butautas)
2008 Olympic Games: finished 4th among 12 teams
Šarūnas Jasikevičius, Ramūnas Šiškauskas, Rimantas Kaukėnas, Simas Jasaitis, Kšyštof Lavrinovič, Darjuš Lavrinovič, Linas Kleiza, Robertas Javtokas, Jonas Mačiulis, Mindaugas Lukauskis, Marius Prekevičius, Marijonas Petravičius (Coach: Ramūnas Butautas)
2009 Eurobasket: finished 11th among 16 teams
Marijonas Petravičius, Linas Kleiza, Simas Jasaitis, Robertas Javtokas, Tomas Delininkaitis, Artūras Jomantas, Kšyštof Lavrinovič, Darjuš Lavrinovič, Mantas Kalnietis, Jonas Mačiulis, Mindaugas Lukauskis, Andrius Mažutis (Coach: Ramūnas Butautas)
2010 World Championship: finished 3rd among 24 teams
Linas Kleiza, Mantas Kalnietis, Martynas Pocius, Jonas Mačiulis, Simas Jasaitis, Tomas Delininkaitis, Paulius Jankūnas, Martynas Gecevičius, Tadas Klimavičius, Robertas Javtokas, Martynas Andriuškevičius, Renaldas Seibutis (Coach: Kęstutis Kemzūra)
2011 Eurobasket: finished 5th among 24 teams
Šarūnas Jasikevičius, Rimantas Kaukėnas, Darius Songaila, Mantas Kalnietis, Martynas Pocius, Simas Jasaitis, Tomas Delininkaitis, Paulius Jankūnas, Robertas Javtokas, Marijonas Petravičius, Kšyštof Lavrinovič, Jonas Valanciunas (Coach: Kęstutis Kemzūra)
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