Jonas Kazlauskas, one of the best basketball coaches in Europe was has been selected to coach the Greek National Team.

“We have agreed on the small details and they are now preparing the contract,” Kazlauskas told the Baltic News Service on Thursday.

From Lithuania, Kazlauskas will replace longtime coach and legendary player Panagiotis Yannakis, whom left the team in late December 2008 to coach Greek club Olympiacos.

Yannakis (Giannakis), known as the Dragon, started coaching in 1997, a year after he ended his sensational playing career.  Starting out as the coach of the Hellenic National Team, Yannakis moved on to coaching the Euroleague with  Panionios, Maroussi, returning to coach the national team in 2004.  During his second tenure as the coach of the National Team, Yannakis led Greece to a second place finish in the 2006 World Championships, defeating USA 101-95, before losing to Spain in the finals.

Kazlauskas has spent the last four years, from 2004-2008, leading the Chinese National Team to unprecedented heights including the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Kazlauskas started his coaching career with the Lithuanian National Team from 1997-2001 when he won the Bronze Medal in the 2000 Olympic Games.   He also had successful tenures coaching Lithuanian clubs.  He coached Žalgiris Kaunas from 1994-2000 where he won the 1998 Eurocup and the 1999 Euroleague title.  Kazlauskas’ next move saw him as the Lietuvos Rytas’ coach (2000-2004) before leaving to China.

Greeks are familiar with Kazlauskas as he coach Olympiacos from 2004-06.  “For me it’s an honour and a challenge to take the reins of the Greek national team – a great team that always sets high goals.”  (discuss 2009 Greek NT)

Notes: In other national team news, Sergio Scariolo has been selected to take the helm for the Spanish National Team.  Scariolo will have the pressure of living up to the recent success that Spain has experienced of late, including 2006 World Champions, 2007 Eurobasket (2nd),  and 2008 Olympics (Silver). If Spain qualifies for the 2010 FIBA World Championship in Turkey, EuroBasket 2011 in Lithuania, and the 2012 Olympic Games in London, Scariolo will be in charge of those teams.

Links and Resources: Kazlauskas replaces Yannakis at helm of Greece (FIBA), Lithuanian to coach Greek National Team (Baltic Times), It’s official – Scariolo to lead world champions Spain! (FIBA)