We present the most interesting facts about the performances of Lithuania’s youth national teams this past summer.
The basketball summer began with the FIBA U17 World Cup in Turkey. The right to play among the 16 strongest teams on the planet was earned by Tomas Tarasevičius’ trainees last year, when they won silver medals at the U16 European Championship.
Impressive Kukta performance
The Lithuanian team won as many as 5 victories in 7 games at the championship. In the first stage, the Lithuanians defeated Canada, Cameroon, and China and won the group tournament. In the round of 16, our team confidently defeated Japan. However, the path to the medals was blocked by a loss to the Serbian team in the quarterfinals.
After three quarters, the Lithuanians were still ahead, but an unsuccessful fourth quarter cut off the Lithuanian team’s path to the medals.
Later, the Lithuanians lost after a tough fight to the French team coached by Tony Parker, and finished the championship with a victory against Puerto Rico, taking 7th place among the 16 strongest teams in the world.
Already in the first game against the Canadian team, Jokūbas Kukta was very close to a historic tournament result – only the second triple-double in U17 World Cup history. The Vilnius native was just two rebounds short. The seventeen-year-old scored 29 points, made 10 assists, grabbed 8 rebounds, and collected 36 efficiency points in 26 minutes.
After the World Championship ended, Lithuania’s national team coach T. Tarasevičius said:
“Although we did not manage to achieve all the goals we dreamed of going to the World Championship, we can definitely be proud of the path we have taken. I am very satisfied with the work of the entire coaching staff, the dedication of the players, and how much effort we all put in together. I think it is important to look at this summer not as one championship, but as two years of work. The silver medal won in Europe last year opened the doors to the World Championship for us. This is a tournament where only the strongest teams get in, so just the opportunity to play here is a huge recognition. Our guys had the chance to show themselves to a global audience – scouts, agents, and university representatives. I believe this experience will be an important step in the future career of many of them.”
Solid team at the U20 European Championship
The baton from the U17 boys was immediately taken over by the U20 European Women’s Championship held in Lithuania. For the organizers, as well as some players and coaches, this became a successful dress rehearsal before the 2027 summer European Women’s Championship, which will be held in our country for the first time in history.
Egidijus Ženevičius’ trainees came to the U20 European Championship not only as hosts but also as vice-champions. Last year, this team led by E. Ženevičius defied experts’ predictions and won Lithuania’s first medal in this age group.
Although they did not manage to win medals this summer, the play and the players who emerged brought a lot of positivity.
The Lithuanians already posed a serious challenge to defending champions Spain in the group stage, losing only after overtime.
In the round of 16, the Lithuanian players defeated the German players. In the quarterfinals, E. Ženevičius’ trainees faced the future champions, the French. With two minutes left, the teams were separated by only 4 points. The French, who played the end of the game more successfully, won and later marched all the way to the European Championship crown.
Danielė Paunksnytė was included in the symbolic U20 European Championship five. The Lithuanian averaged 20.3 points (third best in the tournament), 6 assists (third best), and 21 efficiency points (third best). Solid results in the championship were also shown by Sintija Aukštikalnytė and Gabija Galvanauskaitė, who is even three years younger than most participants in the championship.
Lithuanian team coach E. Ženevičius said after the championship:
“We fought for medals and just fell short. I told the girls that they are champions to me because they gave their hearts and fought through ‘I can’t’ in every game. Such championships give players a big push to continue playing and strive for the maximum.”
Record Juzėnas at the U20 Championship
The third to step onto the big basketball stage were the U20 men’s national team players. Darius Songaila’s trainees achieved as many as 5 victories in 7 games but remained far from medals. In the final European Championship ranking, the Lithuanians took 9th place. The reason was an unsuccessful round of 16 against Turkey. After a dramatic fight, the Turks celebrated victory.
Mantas Juzėnas made a historic performance in the winning group stage finale against Poland. The Lithuanian scored 46 points, hit 7 three-pointers out of 13, grabbed 12 rebounds, made 5 assists, and collected 55 efficiency points. M. Juzėnas set the all-time U20 European Championship scoring record, breaking the record held since 2000 by North Macedonia legend Vlado Ilievski (45 points).
Comment from U20 Lithuanian team coach D. Songaila:
“M. Juzėnas’ performance was really impressive, and that result was achieved in just 26 minutes. That is even more impressive. I would rate the result very poorly because we did not even make the top eight. No matter the situation, the guys showed character and fought until the last minute. Many thanks to them for all their efforts and time. I would like to wish all the guys who came good luck in the upcoming season.”
Rising Štombergas star
Gintaras Kadžiulis’ trainees participated in the U18 European Championship. This team achieved 3 victories in 7 games and took 11th place among 16 teams in the final ranking.
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Although the final place is certainly not pleasing, the performance of Ignas Štombergas gave Lithuanian basketball fans some positivity.
The son of the decorated Lithuanian national team player, European champion, and Olympic medalist Saulius Štombergas, Ignas averaged 16.3 points (eighth best), 8.6 rebounds (fourth best), 2.6 blocks (second best), and 22.3 efficiency points (third best) at the U18 European Championship. By the way, Emilis, son of another former Lithuanian basketball player Marius Prekevičius, led the Old Continent championship in assists (avg. 6.6).
Bronze and ticket to Division A
At the European Championship (Division B), the team coached by Edvinas Justa won 5 victories in 7 games and finished third in the final championship ranking.
The bronze medals are even sweeter because they guaranteed a ticket to next year’s U18 European Championship Division A.
The key game was the quarterfinal against the Greek team. With 7 minutes left until the end of the fourth quarter, the Lithuanians had a 15-point deficit, but then they went on an 18:3 run, forced overtime, and later won.
Gabija Galvanauskaitė made it to the symbolic tournament five – she averaged 12.1 points, 14.6 rebounds (second best), and 18.4 efficiency points (fifth best).
U18 Lithuanian girls’ team coach E. Justa:
“We won third place and a ticket to Division A, so we feel especially good. We thank the Lithuanian Basketball Association for the excellent conditions during preparation, thank the parents and all the fans for their support. I also thank the girls and coaches for their hard work. This is a huge joint contribution from everyone. We are very happy with what we have.”
Jasikevičius’ best four
Dovydas Petraitis’ trainees performed successfully at the U16 European boys’ championship. The Lithuanian youth team won as many as 5 victories in 7 games. Both losses were suffered only in the final four – a dramatic semifinal loss to France and a bronze medal game loss to Spain.
By the way, in the bronze game, the Lithuanians managed to come back from a 27-point deficit – with 20 seconds left until the end of the fourth quarter, the teams were separated by just one point.
The son of former basketball player Vytenis Jasikevičius, Danielius, was selected to the symbolic championship five. The sixteen-year-old was second in assists (avg. 6.9), eighth in scoring (16.9 points), and eighth in efficiency (18.3 points). Another Lithuanian team guard, Rapolas Klišauskas, was among the 6 most efficient players (avg. 18.9 points).
Comment from U16 Lithuanian team coach D. Petraitis:
“The emotions are still fresh, so fourth place hurts more than it pleases right now – we were very close to a medal. Of course, we wanted more, but fourth place among 16 teams is not bad. I am proud of the team for the character, unity, and that we went into every game as if it were the last, fighting until the end. The fighting spirit, dedication, and unwillingness to give up shown by the team deserve the highest respect. Thanks to the guys and the entire coaching staff for the great work, and to everyone who was with us and supported us – for the support and belief in the team.”
Grunkytė’s show and preserved place in Division A
The longest wait for their start this summer was for the U16 Lithuanian girls’ team coached by Deimantas Vailionis.
This team took 11th place among 16 teams at the European Championship and preserved their place in Division A.
Although the coach and the team set higher goals for themselves, they were prevented from achieving them by important player injuries during preparation and already during the European Championship.
Kotryna Grunkytė put on an impressive performance at the end of the European Championship. In 29 minutes, she scored 25 points (6/10 two-pointers, 2/5 three-pointers, 7/14 free throws), grabbed 11 rebounds, made 10 assists, stole 3 balls, collected 30 efficiency points, and helped Lithuania defeat Croatia.
This was only the third triple-double in the history of the U16 European girls’ championships and the first since 2009. The first triple-double in this age group championship was recorded by Polish player Ramona Casimirio (2008), and in 2009, the Turkish player Olcay Cakir Turgut repeated the achievement.
Comment from U16 Lithuanian team coach D. Vailionis:
“I have been working with Kotryna at BC „Deivės“ academy for three years. I know how much effort she puts into every training, so such a performance is completely deserved. It is a great proof of her growth and dedication to work. Before starting preparation, the goals were somewhat different, but reality adjusted the plans – injuries, changes in the roster. Despite this, the girls achieved the main goal: we kept the place in Division A for future generations. I want to sincerely thank the whole team for their dedication throughout the preparation period – for the work in training, patience when facing difficulties, and fighting until the end on the court. What they showed in terms of character is more important than any result. Thank you, girls. I am proud of you.”
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