The conversation with the former national team coach revolved around current issues, but inevitably touched on situations he experienced during his coaching career.
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“It is extremely important for a coach to find common ground with the players, to be able to convince and inspire them. I remember, at the European Championship in Sweden before the historic final against the Spaniards, I told my men in the locker room: now I will not talk about tactics, but about attitude. There are 3 million people left in Lithuania whose hearts are breaking because of us. Can we, 12 men, here and now, make our hearts break on the court for those 3 million people? The national team captain Saulius Štombergas stood up, patted me on the shoulder, and led the team onto the court. You saw the rest yourselves…,” said A. Sireika.
– Coach, how do you assess the situation that developed in the World Championship qualifiers and all the commotion that followed?
– Very simply. I am a free man, so I don’t have to please anyone. Neither the association, nor the national team, nor the media. I say what I think. In my view, the current situation has several components – personal responsibility, i.e. players and coaches, and organizational responsibility – the leaders. Each of them, having analyzed their decisions and actions, would probably find answers as to why this situation arose.
– You yourself sat for many years in the hottest basketball seat in the country. So you can assess more deeply – how much of the blame in this situation lies with the coaches?
– I got the impression that the coaches and national team leaders lacked a deeper approach to the team composition and opponent analysis. Maybe I’m wrong, but it seems to me that we looked down a bit on the opponents. As if we were the group favorites and would easily beat them. The first call with Iceland showed that this was not the case. The qualifiers need to be taken more seriously. Then that miracle by Ignas Sargiūnas against Great Britain. I won’t even talk about the last game in Italy. I missed some tactical decisions, but mostly – adaptation to our NBA players. Rimas played as he was used to. I am more for improvisation. Matas Buzelis in Chicago was never confined to such European basketball frameworks. In my opinion, he should not have been put into set plays but given more freedom on the court, creating more space in the attack.
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– You also mentioned the responsibility of the players and association leaders.
– No one has canceled the players’ responsibility either. It wasn’t Kurtinaitis or Balčiūnas who missed the basket. They didn’t fail to defend. I don’t understand why the loss in Italy sparked accusations and such an attack on the association. The association did what it could – gathered the strongest players. Remember how many doubted that this summer Matas Buzelis and Kasparas Jakučionis would represent the national team? But they came. Yes – the team did not achieve the desired result. Sometimes that happens in basketball…
Now everyone needs to take their share of responsibility and move forward together. Otherwise, after a couple more such games, we won’t see the World Championship. Once again. I think the coaches, national team leaders, and the association should have a very sincere conversation with each player, listen to what was wrong, what was good, and draw conclusions.
– How do you assess the calls by former national team scout Benas Matkevičius and several former national team players urging basketball players to boycott the national team?
– Encouraging a boycott of the national team is a crime! You may hate the national team coaches, association leaders, but you cannot hate Lithuania. Basketball is our religion, the backbone of our nation, once pushing the Lithuanian nation forward, helping to free itself from the Soviets. And the national team is the most important Lithuanian team. If something is wrong in it or in the association’s activities, instead of shouting publicly without arguments, solve it within the basketball community. Meet with representatives of the national team and association, gather specialists, and talk. As men, straightforwardly say what you lack or how you can help Lithuanian basketball. Of course, if your goal is truly to solve those problems.
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