The ending Lithuanian youth basketball summer gave fans many emotions and revealed more than one talented basketball player who could soon join the ranks of the Lithuanian men’s basketball national team players.
The U16 Lithuanian boys’ national team this summer reached the top four teams of the European Championship for the second consecutive time.
Over the past five years, the U16 generation stands out with particularly high achievements. In the last five years, the Lithuanian youth teams have reached the top four four times, and twice they returned to Lithuania with silver medals.
In the 2022 European Championship, the team coached by Tomas Purlys won gold medals, and in 2023, the players led by Tomas Urbelionis reached the top 4 teams of the U16 European Championship.
However, the 2024 youth championship did not go as successfully – the team coached by Aivaras Grigaliūnas finished ninth among the 16 strongest European teams.
The U16 Lithuanian basketball generation made a loud return to the elite in 2025 when the team coached by Tomas Tarasevičius marched to the title of European vice-champions.
Last week, a solid achievement was also recorded by the team coached by Dovydas Petraitis, who reached the final four in the U16 European Championship.
In the summer of 2027, the young Lithuanian talents born in 2011 will seek to continue the successful series.
One of them is Jokūbas Krikščiūnas from Vilnius. In the 2025–2026 season, representing the “SKM-I Ledvance” team, J. Krikščiūnas posted impressive stats during the U15 Lithuanian Championship regular season.
The 15-year-old averaged 26.5 points, 11.8 rebounds, 7.6 assists, 3.8 steals, and 26.4 efficiency points per game.
All these achievements were noticed and recognized during the Student Basketball League (MKL) season awards.
In the 25th MKL season, J. Krikščiūnas stood on the awards podium four times.
The guard was honored as the top scorer of the U15 Lithuanian Championship, the player with the most assists, and the player with the most steals from opponents.
Additionally, J. Krikščiūnas, along with five other MKL talents, was honored in the Science and Sports Leaders category. This award is given to Student League basketball players who have achieved the highest accomplishments not only on the basketball court but also in the classroom.
Approaching the new 2026–2027 basketball season, “Sporto istorijos” contacted J. Krikščiūnas and interviewed the promising basketball player.
– Jokūbas, how would you describe the ending summer, what did you do during it?
– Lots of sports. The summer was intense, as always. I can’t imagine myself any other way.
– What does your day look like in summer and during the season? Tell us your daily routine so people better understand how much you actually train, how you eat, and take care of your body.
– Everything starts with a big and hearty breakfast from my mom. Then school, team practices. If there are no team practices, then skill or physical training follows. Before each practice, I have my warm-up routine. I also have a corresponding routine before sleep. Of course, I take supplements that my dad takes care of.
– What character traits do you think are necessary for a modern successful basketball player, especially in your position?
– As one coach said – guards have to be “dogs” (English term “dogs” – author’s note). Worldwide, the competition among guards is huge, so this path is definitely full of challenges, but that only makes it more interesting for me. It makes my personality stronger. The fact is that without persistence and self-confidence, it would be difficult to play successfully.
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– Recently you visited Munich, where you played in a control tournament representing one of the best basketball academies in Germany. What impressions did you get?
Yes, I received an invitation to the “Ibam Kickz Munich” academy tryout. It is one of the “Top 4” basketball academies in all of Germany. As I later understood, the coaches did not really plan to put me on the court. During training, I made a good impression on them and was given 8 minutes of playtime.
– Not every 15-year-old gets the chance to compete against Davidson University, represented by NBA superstar Stephen Curry. Did the NCAA student athleticism surprise you?
– I don’t think I was much worse than opponents a few years older. I would like to meet them again on the basketball court in a year (smiles).
Well, yes, sometimes their attacks lasted only a few seconds and ended with a dunk. Opponents seemed to block one of my shots, so the physicality is definitely felt. But as I said, I would like to meet them again in a year.
After the game, when I discussed everything with my dad, we agreed that their defense was the biggest difference – they applied aggressive “stepouts” against our 2×2 play, so their speed and physicality were on another level.
– Do you see yourself studying and playing basketball in the US college system?
– To be honest, there was interest and opportunities to go to a certain school this summer, but we did not consider it very seriously. My parents and I think that for now, I can successfully develop in Lithuania.
In the future, I definitely see myself in the United States, so experiences like the one I had in Munich only show that I will be able to play at a high level in America.
– Wearing SKM jerseys, you became a champion of the European Youth Basketball League (EYBL). Is this so far the most important achievement of your career?
– Yes, probably this is the biggest achievement. I think this victory brought a lot of good emotions and memories to me, the whole team, and the school. By the way, the coach who invited me to the Munich academy tryout first saw me playing at the EYBL championship.
– Last season you already debuted in the third strongest Lithuanian league – RKL, where you were one of the youngest players in the league. Where will you develop and play in the upcoming season?
– Every year I try to take a step forward, so I really hope that this year I will have a bigger role in the RKL team. I don’t want to reveal which team it is yet. The most important thing is that everything will depend on me – how well I can hear and accept the coach’s comments, how I get along with him, teammates, and how I understand the team’s playing style.
– Last season during the MKL awards, you received four individual awards. What does that mean to you?
– I have always believed in myself. My parents have always believed in me. I just try to be the best version of myself. I don’t even know if anyone has managed to be first in points scored, steals, and assists in the same year.
In any case, individual awards fade because we did not win the Lithuanian championship, which was our main goal.
– Did you follow the Lithuanian youth national teams this summer? What would you highlight and are you looking forward to the U16 Lithuanian national team camp?
– I followed the U16 European Championship. It was very interesting because I had to compete many times on the court with these guys. The national team’s results pleasantly surprised me, as did some players’ individual performances.
I want to represent Lithuania. My parents and grandparents are true patriots. My grandfather wears a sweatshirt with Lithuanian attributes and is very proud of it.
– Who has contributed the most to your development so far?
– Since I have seen quite a few coaches in my life, I don’t want to single out any one. I think my family is my biggest partner on this path.
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