Lithuanian basketball has found itself in a difficult position in the qualification for the World Basketball Championship. The team led by Rimas Kurtinaitis, which advanced to the second stage, has 3 wins and 3 losses. In the next stage, Lithuania will face challenges from Turkey, Serbia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
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So, to reach the final battles, these teams will need to be defeated at least several times.
This situation has become unacceptable for the Lithuanian basketball community, which raises questions about R. Kurtinaitis’s ability to lead the team.
“Lithuanian basketball” issued a press release stating that decisions regarding changes in the Lithuanian men’s basketball team are expected to be made by July 24.
“Let’s put it this way, both options are open,” M. Balčiūnas told LNK journalist Nerijus Bliujus about the coach’s replacement or retention. “We are talking with the respected coach – both continuity and change decisions are possible. In any case, we highly respect coach Rimas Kurtinaitis and his staff. We have definitely experienced many good, victorious moments with him.”
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During the conversation with LNK, M. Balčiūnas mentioned that not qualifying for the World Championship might be beneficial due to historical examples.
“Usually, after such shocks, we come out stronger. If you remember the situations in 1994 or 2002, when we failed to qualify for the main stages of the competitions, the following years we achieved very significant victories,” explained the ALK president.
According to 15min journalist Rokas Pakėnas, the long-time team captain Jonas Valančiūnas has already declined to play in the upcoming “window,” and there are also strong doubts about the participation of the other two NBA players who took part in the last “window” – Kasparas Jakučionis and Matas Buzelis.
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However, M. Balčiūnas denies this.
“No player has declined,” the ALK president stated confidently.
