This time, four teams will compete: the representative club of Klaipėda, LKL bronze medalist “Neptūnas”, “Šiauliai”, Latvian Basketball League prize winners, EuroCup participants Riga “Zelli”, and the four-time Azerbaijani Basketball League champion Baku “Sabah”.
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For basketball fans, this is a great opportunity to evaluate how the clubs are assembled and what to expect from them in the new basketball season.
This year’s event will be marked by special sensitivity – the basketball community will honor not only V. Garastas but also his close friend, longtime Klaipėda “Neptūnas” player, coach, and manager Saulius Vilkas, who passed away on March 21 of the same year. The two friends communicated by phone for hours every day until their deaths, and S. Vilkas was the main organizer of this tournament for many years.
In basketball, Vladas Garastas’s name is part of history, but to his grandson, 41-year-old Vladas Garastas, he was first and foremost a beloved and close grandfather, not a legend or famous basketball coach. This year, the tournament takes on a completely different, personal meaning for him.
“For me, first of all, it is not just a sports event but also an opportunity to preserve what was very important to my late grandfather.
I loved and respected my grandfather very much. Our relationship was close, warm, and sincere. To me, he was first and foremost my grandfather. Of course, I understood the huge significance he had for Lithuanian basketball, but in the family, he was simply our beloved person,” said V. Garastas’s grandson.
According to him, his grandfather often spoke about the future and understood that one day he would no longer be able to be near the tournament.
“He said that the time would come when he could no longer contribute to the tournament himself, and then he would like me to contribute to its organization and nurturing. At that time, I might have thought about it somewhat differently. Now these words of his have taken on a completely different meaning. It is very important to me. You could say this is my promise to my grandfather. If I can contribute even a little to continuing this tradition, it will be very important to me. I will do it not only for basketball. I will do it for the person I loved very much and will always love,” said the late V. Garastas himself in 2012, speaking about the first tournament named after him, noting that he has had close personal ties with Klaipėda since 1972.
Here, he organized basketball camps several times, interacted with the city’s people, and saw the huge potential of Klaipėda in basketball.
Later, he called Klaipėda a true basketball city, emphasizing the special support of Klaipėda fans.
“Grandfather loved Klaipėda very much. This city was close to him, associated with many beautiful memories, people, and basketball stories. I find it very symbolic that the tournament named after him takes place here. This is the city where he felt good, which he respected and felt much warmth for,” emphasized grandson V. Garastas.
The same feeling for Klaipėda is shared by his grandson.
“I personally really like Klaipėda. I like this city, its atmosphere, and most importantly, the people. Klaipėda residents have their own character, their warmth. Therefore, I would very much like the tournament to continue to be held in Klaipėda and become an even stronger basketball tradition of this city,” said Vladas, who lives in Klaipėda.
The tournament is not just about basketball
According to V. Garastas’s grandson, this tournament today is more than just a few basketball games; the support of people becomes especially important in nurturing this memory.
“I want to sincerely thank all the tournament sponsors and people who contribute to it. Thanks to them, this tradition can live on. This is not a given. Every sponsor, every person contributing to the tournament, in part contributes to preserving my grandfather’s memory.
I would like this tournament to continue for many more years. For strong teams to come to Klaipėda, for people to come to watch good basketball, and at the same time remember Vladas Garastas’s name. I think that would be the most beautiful way to preserve what my grandfather created,” said Vladas Jr.
Although the tournament is full of memorial accents, in sporting terms it will be a top-level test for the clubs.
Klaipėda “Neptūnas” head coach Gediminas Petrauskas emphasizes that this is a crucial part of preparation for the start of the new basketball season.
“This is a good-level tournament with strong teams. They all aim for the same: to improve their game and prepare for the season. This is the last tournament right before the basketball season starts, where spectators will be able to see with their own eyes the newly assembled Klaipėda city basketball team for this season for the first time.
I invite spectators to come and create a good atmosphere. One that Klaipėda really knows how to create and always manages to pleasantly surprise us all. After the summer, we really miss that great emotion and warm support, which truly inspires the players and gives them extra emotions,” said G. Petrauskas.
Although the “Neptūnas” coach notes that scouting opponents is not a priority at this stage, he acknowledges the emotional weight of the event.
“This tournament will have additional sensitivity this year. We lost two important personalities, but we must not forget that they were not only basketball people but also someone’s grandparents, parents. The fact is that the tournament will be different – more sensitive, especially to the close circle,” emphasized G. Petrauskas.
Tournament schedule:
September 12 (Saturday)
3:00 PM “Šiauliai” – “Zelli”
5:30 PM “Neptūnas” – “Sabah”
September 13 (Sunday)
3:00 PM Match for 3rd place
5:30 PM Final
