Top Lithuanian Coaches

[macleopard13]

Sorry I meant to say 2003. Was typing to fast.

In the future, you can just edit your post if you want change or add something. It's to the left of the Reply button.

Kazlauskas is a "mathematical genius", as Kunigėlis put it yesterday, but he does have his limitations. He concocts very specific game plans that players must follow and allows little improvisation sometimes. This can be a bad thing, because if other teams can predict what weapons you'll be using, you're toast. That's kind of what happened with yesterday's game - we were too predictable and the Croatians took advantage of us. That's why I don't feel overly confident that we'll grab a medal in this tournament. We need better team chemistry and offensive fluidity to beat teams like Croatia, France, Serbia and Spain than what we've shown so far.

[Modis]

In the future, you can just edit your post if you want change or add something. It's to the left of the Reply button.

Kazlauskas is a "mathematical genius", as Kunigėlis put it yesterday, but he does have his limitations. He concocts very specific game plans that players must follow and allows little improvisation sometimes. This can be a bad thing, because if other teams can predict what weapons you'll be using, you're toast. That's kind of what happened with yesterday's game - we were too predictable and the Croatians took advantage of us. That's why I don't feel overly confident that we'll grab a medal in this tournament. We need better team chemistry and offensive fluidity to beat teams like Croatia, France, Serbia and Spain than what we've shown so far.

He can be to strict with his players,and as I heard in one of his interviews he really hates when players don't follow his directions.Kazlauskas needs to chill sometimes But Kazlauskas is the only coach in Lithuania now who has a chance to reach what Vladas Garastas did. Vladas Garastas has 2 Bronze medals in Olympic Games 1992, 1996, and a Silver in EuroBasket 1995. Kazlauskas has a Bronze medal in Olympic Games 2000, and a Silver in EuroBasket 2013. Kazlauskas was inches away from a Bronze in 2014. No matter how he does this year I hope he stays for Olympics 2016,if we get there of course but its more then likely Is there any other coach who could take over Kazlauskas now ? because the last two tournaments were excellent for him.

[omgsomuchpotential]

In the future, you can just edit your post if you want change or add something. It's to the left of the Reply button.

Kazlauskas is a "mathematical genius", as Kunigėlis put it yesterday, but he does have his limitations. He concocts very specific game plans that players must follow and allows little improvisation sometimes. This can be a bad thing, because if other teams can predict what weapons you'll be using, you're toast. That's kind of what happened with yesterday's game - we were too predictable and the Croatians took advantage of us. That's why I don't feel overly confident that we'll grab a medal in this tournament. We need better team chemistry and offensive fluidity to beat teams like Croatia, France, Serbia and Spain than what we've shown so far.

I actually think Kazlauskas' coaching style is a perfect fit for this type of player personnel we have. We don't have any great individually skilled players but instead quite a few ones that are team-oriented to execute Kazlauskas schemes. If we had guys like Tony Parker then maybe it would be a different story, but as of now there probably isn't a better Lithuanian coach to work with these players. Kurtinaitis could be a nice alternative though.

[Ashtrusis_dantis]

People please throw Sireika away. He has no place in this list. He is a bad (ok max mediocre) coach, who has ZERO knowledges about defence, tactic and has no idea how to play endings of a game. All his victories (actually just one - EC2003) are becourse he coached most talented generation of Lithuanian basketball players at their peak and did it terribely. In year 2003 he used Kazlauskas schemes and Don Nelson junior defensive knowledges, thats why we won. And in year 2004 he showed all his "knowledges" first by not taking Kaukenas because (quoting) "you are a good player, but you dont match my game schemes" and taking Gustas (what a fk? Kaukenas can't dribble or what? Put these schemes in to your hm... if they don't allow you to take Kaukenas, but allow you to take Gustas), second by trying to solve all problems with 3pt shooting. Third by not taking Nelson who was working as defensive coach in our NT for more than decade. With Kazlauskas we would never ever have such defeats like against Italy (2004) or Turkia (2006), or Macabi (2004) and so on. Im even not talking about his famous frases like "who runs fastest in our team" or "men what should we do?" That coach is a parody, not a good coach.

[Straight forward]

Kurtinaitis got fired by Chimki. Well it was a good run for Kurtinaitis with this team. Now I think timing is pretty good for Kurtinaitis to consider NT head coach position if Kazlauskas will retire after Olympics and most likely he will knowing how reluctantly he talked about the future work with the NT just after EB.

[Straight forward]

Which coach would you trust and want to take the wheel of NT if Kazlauskas retires? Unfortunately I have no favourites here. Logically Kurtinaitis, but he tends to say complete nonsense in the media and from time to time you can see that he is still the same Kaunas' thug who can't keep himself away from saying something stupid and acting like unpredictable man (also bad memories when he with Butautas decided to go with Mažutis and Jomantas as PGs in 2009). He is decent coach, but never reached that next step. I only have hopes that Jasikevičius turns out to be flexible, modern coach who doesn't afraid to integrate youngsters, have large scale of ideas. He worked with many good coaches in his career and I pretty like his carriage as a head coach. He didn't become a screaming monkey like Pačėsas as some people expected. Yet he has huge respect by players and overall in the basketball world of Europe and knows when he can and should to fire up. So only Jasikevičius would be my choice in the future if he turns out to be a good coach. If big European clubs are hunting him, maybe we shouldn't wait too long and to try him out. It's not like we have bunch of world class coaches anyway.

[CoachZ]

I would go with a young coach with a lot of talent and promise. Lith and Serbia are so similar in many things regarding to basketball, so in this case I think we have a lot in common, since the pressure on the basketball NT is always unreasonably high. Since you will be entering a new Olympic cycle and now you don't have an imperative of titles and etc (similar like Serbia in 2013/14) and expectations are a bit lower, you should go with a long term solution with the coach that will get you to be a true force for 2019-2020 period of WC (as a test for Olympics) and 2020 OG.

So get someone who is talented but can get the respect of the guys and pull some hard lines and see who you realistically expect to be there for 2020. That might mean cutting ties with some guys that now can still play and be good but long term might take away from team building and developing youngsters and a new core for the NT. I am the first one to tell you that is not easy, I am the first guy that doesn't like Djordjevic as our NT coach (young, unproven, vain, full of himself) but I also have to admit that some of the cuts and changes he made brought us back in contention and created a new core for strong future. So someone like Saras could be great, if he is interested. The key is not to burden him by expectations right away.

[Modis]

Kurtinaitis is a very unpredictable and strong character i am not sure players could fully open up with him especially the younger ones.
Saras is a great guy and i would prefer him to but is he ready to take this huge step i think he would decline an offer himself.

[auris1]

But will he be available by then?Since the qualifiers are being held during the clubs' and the NBA season,everybody needs a full-time coach.We have also the same problem with Itoudis and Bartzokas.A project like this needs time.And I doubt that Saras will find it while coaching Zalgiris.That's something that every Nt needs to consider.

We wont be playing qualifiers ,hopefully, for another few years .
Regarding our coaches other than a head one - MAskoliunas ,Krapikas have been assisting for how many years now ?
Maybe we need some new people besides them . Some fresh blood ,so to speak .
Regarding head coach position - Kurtinaitis-I feel he deserves that role ,but i have my doubts whether he can beneficial for the team .
He has strong opinions and is tough on the players to the point where he can alienate some of them. Then again ,his pedigree as a player and a coach is unquestionable .
I like Maksvytis - i think he should be involved at some capacity .
But even Kazlauskas retires ,we do not have to chose a new head coach straight away .

[Mindozas]

We wont be playing qualifiers ,hopefully, for another few years .

All the teams will play qualifiers for 2019 WC and then for 2021 Eurobasket

[auris1]

All the teams will play qualifiers for 2019 WC and then for 2021 Eurobasket

Yeah,but when ?
I would assume that for 2019 WC it will start in late 2018 .
So not for another 2 years.

[auris1]

...... Logically Kurtinaitis .........He is decent coach, but never reached that next step.

Wait ,what are you talking about ?
Next step for him would be to coach NBA team .
Never reached that next step ? That is ridiculous .
He started his coaching career in a fucking Azerbaijan . Azerbaijan . That is the place where people do not come back in one piece from ,let alone become to have up and coming future .
He has won Eurocup 3 times ! He was coaching Euroleague teams for at least 4 seasons .

[Mindozas]

Yeah,but when ?
I would assume that for 2019 WC it will start in late 2018 .
So not for another 2 years.

November 2017

[auris1]

November 2017

Jesus . Mere 2 months after euro 2017 finishes ? No direct places from that tournament to WC ?
Oh well . Hopefully i will be too old to care anymore once the time comes .

[Straight forward]

Wait ,what are you talking about ?
Next step for him would be to coach NBA team .
Never reached that next step ? That is ridiculous .
He started his coaching career in a fucking Azerbaijan . Azerbaijan . That is the place where people do not come back in one piece from ,let alone become to have up and coming future .
He has won Eurocup 3 times ! He was coaching Euroleague teams for at least 4 seasons .

That's why I say he's decent. Coached solid Euroleague's club for few years, but problems instantly appeared as soon as he faced some high profile players in his team. Pretty similar what happened to Kemzura. That's the difference between Kazlauskas and Kurtinaitis. First, became top European coach, highly respectable coach who could deal with CSKA's stars and so on...Kurtinaitis never became (at least yet) a top coach in Europe. I think personality in coaching career is the key, even more than talent I think. We love Kurtinaitis, but he doesn't have that rock solid authority. Sabonis has it, I think Marciulionis has it, Kazlauskas has it (and respect for that because he wasn't some super player) and Jasikevicius has it. That's why big clubs hunting Jasikevicius, they know he has authority and players will follow his rules.