In the second qualifying round, Lithuanians (3 wins and 3 losses) will play in Group J together with teams from Turkey (6 wins), Italy (5 and 1), Serbia (4 and 2), Iceland (3 and 3), and Bosnia and Herzegovina (2 and 4).
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“There is a lot of work, and things to fix as well. We understand that perfectly. Now the most important thing is for everyone to pull together and perform as well as possible what depends on us,” said Lithuania’s national team head coach Rimas Kurtinaitis.
According to him, conversations with national team candidates and their representatives take place daily. Among other basketball players, the top scorer of the first stage of the national team Ąžuolas Tubelis (avg. 18.3 points) has already confirmed his intention to come to Birštonas. Forward Arnas Butkevičius is also returning to the national team, and talks are ongoing with several players from Kaunas “Žalgiris” club. Gytis Radzevičius will also help the team. On Monday, R. Kurtinaitis received a positive answer from Kasparas Jakučionis. The coach met with this point guard at his namesake basketball camp held in Vilnius.
However, K. Jakučionis’s situation still depends on the position of his new club “Milwaukee Bucks.” These matters are being communicated with the NBA club. The coaching staff additions from the NBA are also awaited.
“I won’t hide it, I am, to put it mildly, surprised by some colleagues’ calls for players not to go to the national team. In my opinion, this is completely incomprehensible. This is not about Kurtinaitis’s or Petraičio’s team. Nor about the association’s team. We are talking about the most important team of our country. About a great privilege to defend Lithuania’s honor. It is pleasing that the players understand this,” emphasized R. Kurtinaitis.
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The next official qualifying matches will be played by the national team on August 28 in Istanbul against Turkey and on August 31 in Vilnius against Bosnia and Herzegovina.
According to Kurtinaitis, both the importance of the upcoming matches and the example of other national teams show that it is necessary to gather the maximum possible strength.
“We are watching how other national teams are being formed. Regardless of results, they will call on their leaders, NBA stars. Nikola Jokić will help the Serbian team in this stage. The Turkish national team, despite the excellent tournament situation, also promises to have the strongest lineup. In other groups, the Spaniards are doing the same. The Greeks, who have the same record as ours (3 wins and 3 losses), will be assisted by Giannis Antetokounmpo. Their leaders understand the importance of representing the national team. Therefore, we must also gather a strong core,” said R. Kurtinaitis.
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