L. Eglinskas started the season at the helm of Kėdainiai “Nevėžis”. The central Lithuanian club, which suffered 8 wins and 17 losses, decided to show the coach the door on April 16. To be fair, after this decision, “Nevėžis” did not win a single game.
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Later, the winds of his career took the Šilutė native to the struggling Utena “Juventus”. L. Eglinskas, who took the helm of the Utena team on April 21, found the club with their noses down and drowning in a puddle of melancholy.
At that time, the team had won only 8 games and suffered 18 losses, and coach Kęstutis Kemzūra had recently been fired. The Utena team was only in eighth place.
Upon his arrival, L. Eglinskas ignited a fire, sparked hope, and the club finished the regular season with 4 wins and 2 losses. The playoffs were already on the horizon, where their opponent was Vilnius “Rytas”, who had just stepped down from the FIBA Champions League winners’ podium.
In the first quarterfinal game at home, “Juventus” delivered the first slap to the capital club, 92:84. Two days later, in Vilnius, the Utena basketball players danced a victory dance, and L. Eglinskas was bathed in the spray of victory. The coach then made a promise – he would finish the playoffs with a win.
In the semifinals, Klaipėda “Neptūnas” awaited them. The port city club expected to clash with “Rytas”, but at first glance, it seemed that the opponent was even more favorable. Nevertheless, “Juventus” did something that Lithuanian basketball history had never seen before.
The Utena club defeated the Klaipėda team 3-1 and won a ticket to the final, where they will compete for the amber-decorated trophy with multiple champion Kaunas “Žalgiris”.
The Aukštaitija club is the biggest surprise of this LKL season and one of the most pleasant surprises, and one of the main architects of this success is L. Eglinskas.
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- 2017-2019 Šilutė “Šilutė” head coach;
- 2019-2023 Panevėžys “Lietkabelis” assistant coach;
- 2023-2024 February: “Gargždai” head coach;
- 2024 February – June: “Jonava” assistant coach;
- 2024-2025 February: New Zealand “Breakers” assistant coach.
- 2025 February – 2025 June: London “Lions” assistant coach
- 2025-2026: Kėdainiai “Nevėžis” coach. He was fired in April and took over Utena “Juventus”.
15min interviewed the coach’s former and current colleagues, who revealed what made Laimis – Laimis.
Aivaras Lileikis, director of Šilutė Sports School, and basketball coaches Robertas Kuncaitis and Steponas Kairys recalled L. Eglinskas’ period in his hometown.
Martynas Purlys, head of the London “Lions” team, and Nenad Čanak, coach of Panevėžys “Lietkabelis”, commented on L. Eglinskas’ period in Panevėžys for 15min.
Paulius Juodis, assistant coach of Utena “Juventus”, and Danas Kriaučiūnas, interim club director and press representative, shared their thoughts on how the coach managed to raise the club, located amidst lakes, as if from the ashes.
“You grew wings and flew to the final”
L. Eglinskas began his head coaching career in 2017 in Šilutė. The young specialist, who grew up in this city, actively played basketball himself, but did not leave a significant mark as a player.
However, it was here that he took his first steps in his coaching career. Initially assisting R. Kuncaitis, he later took over the head coach position himself. In 2017-2019, he led the club to the NKL playoffs.
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“First and foremost, I remember him as a basketball pupil.
