On the eve of the tournament, it became clear who will represent our country’s honor at the world championships.
In the women’s team will play Justina Miknaitė, Kamilė Nacickaitė-van der Horst, Gabrielė Šulskė, and Giedrė Labuckienė.
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The men’s team quartet this time will consist of Aurelijus Pukelis, Evaldas Džiaugys, Ignas Vaitkus, and Rokas Jocys.
While the first three men already have vast experience in top-level competitions, the tournament in Warsaw will be R. Jocys’s debut in the men’s team. According to I. Vaitkus, the 22-year-old from Palanga is already mature enough for this step.
“It’s time for Rokas to rise, he has gone through all the youth teams, won and proven himself. It’s time to step onto the big stage. He is unemotional, calm, does his job. He can play with the ball and shoot, probably has the best hand in our quartet and perfectly complements the game. Regarding preparation, we squeezed the maximum out of the time we had and are heading out to fight,” said the MVP of the last European Championship.
The men’s team, seeded fourth, was placed in Group D along with France, Belgium, Puerto Rico, and Brazil. The women ranked 18th also ended up in Group D, where their opponents are the French, Canadians, Japanese, and Ukrainians.
“There will be a lot of contact and a lot of fighting,” stated I. Vaitkus. “This kind of basketball suits us, with more contact, less speed, more intelligent decisions, and finding situations. We must admit – basketball also requires luck. Everything that happened is already in the past; now we need to look forward. The factor will not be tactical things, because there is never enough time to prepare, but energy – how we handle the nerves, how we fight for every ball, and how we give our all. We will treat every game as if it were the last.”
In the group stage, both Lithuanian teams will play on Tuesday (1:30-5:00 PM) and Thursday (2:45-3:45 PM and 5:30-7:30 PM). If successful, the path from the round of 16 to the final awaits on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
The men have already had a test of strength this year. Unfortunately, the first tournament of the year did not go well – in the Champions Cup, where eight teams competed, ours finished sixth.
“After the loss to Thailand, there were immediate thoughts that there must be a reaction to how we play. We came back down to earth after the European Championship. Now everyone who gathered at the camp came focused, prepared, fully concentrated on what we are doing. No jokes – everyone understands that they no longer want to feel that way. We got a harsh lesson and must react. I see that the reaction has come from all sides – players, coaches, managers, scouts. This will only be beneficial,” said I. Vaitkus about the tough experience.
The tournament format is usual. Both men’s and women’s competitions will feature the top 20 national teams in the world. The winners of the four groups will go directly to the quarterfinals, while the teams finishing 2nd and 3rd will face off in the round of 16 matches.
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Last year, the men’s tournament was won by the Spaniards, while the Dutch were unbeatable among the women. Our tournament in Mongolia did not go well – the men did not make it to the playoffs and finished 16th overall, and the women did not qualify for the competition at all.
Historically, the most successful at the world championships are the Serbs: in nine attempts, they have won six gold medals, one silver, one bronze, and one fourth place. Among women, the Americans dominate a bit more, having three gold medal sets and one bronze.
The most successful tournament for Lithuanians was in 2022, when the men won silver, and the women were just one step away from a bronze medal. At that time, I. Vaitkus played an impressive tournament and was included in the symbolic team. The player says lessons from that successful tournament can be taken for this championship.
“I remember that at the beginning the game was stuck, but with each match it improved. We went all the way to the final undefeated. Here, I also hope for the same – that with each game we will not stand still, will take a step forward, and reach our best form in the playoffs.
Now the emotions are good, but a new season has started for all teams, everyone wants to prove something, everyone is in shape, no one is tired. What was, was, but in my mind, I only think about the final result. That result is gold – if you don’t think that way, there’s no point in going there,” said I. Vaitkus.
The World Championship has never been held so close to Lithuania. This is a great opportunity to see the best basketball players on the planet with your own eyes and support your own on the brightest stage.
The event will take place in one of the most dynamic and greenest cities in Europe – right in the center of Warsaw, next to the famous Palace of Culture and Science, one of the tallest buildings in Europe and a symbol of the Polish capital.
The team members also expect strong support from compatriots in the stands.
“Relatives will definitely come to watch, want to dress in our colors and support us. We hope to see as many Lithuanians as possible because the tournament is very close to Lithuania, where it’s easy to travel. Those who want to – I have no doubt they will get help, just to have support in the stands. We always feel it. It’s always nice when someone comes up, wants to shake hands and wish us luck. Those things add both energy and motivation,” said I. Vaitkus.
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