Vilnius Rytas Thread

[LuDux]

Should have bought out Javtokas

[Mindozas]

Zavackas addition is just speechless I just couldn't believe these rumors until it really happened. Neptunas reject is good for Rytas... Moreover a guy who should make all major decisions now... Funny, that not long ago club legends like Babrauskas and Gecevicius were very loud about the situation in club, especially Bebras, blamed owners that no club legend is involved in it, all are forgotten... and baam Zavackas is there. Can it be just coincidence that he beat two foreign candidates whoever they were? I guess more like another populist Gudelis move to please others, even tho not all fans bought it. Btw, Babrauskas is also free after failed attempt to make to government. His videos from his election campaign was really breathtaking, surely a great leader in the making

[LuDux]

Didn't Rytas did same thing as Žalgiris? Except Zavackas have some experience

[Mindozas]

Didn't Rytas did same thing as Žalgiris? Except Zavackas have some experience

Not the same. In Zalgiris there is P-Mo, who is running basically everything and Javtokas in under his guidance, the same probably will be with Jankunas next season, he will get some job in Zalgiris office, but none will care much about his qualities as long as there is P-Mo. In Rytas it seems Zavackas will be major guy, pretty much like P-Mo in Z, who will select coaches, players and etc, at least he is seen like that by some other key people in club, who were waiting for new sporting director as some messiah. So it's surely questionable decision to add guy who did nothing notable in smaller organisation and was fired. As I wrote it looks like populist move from Gudelis. I was expecting Rytas to add some much more experienced person there, who has maybe eve international experience, who has contacts and etc, and to not safe money for such important (for them) position. I will take my words back if Zavackas will impress, but so far I saw no reasons why

[Dreamcatcher]

It seems Zavackas will be exactly like Javtokas in Kaunas and a new man will come in summer.

[Mindozas]

It seems Zavackas will be exactly like Javtokas in Kaunas and a new man will come in summer.

Babrauskas? Not that I doubt your sources, or maybe I missed some info, but listening to Gudelis and co latest speeches, how they were selecting sporting manager for so long and who will have to make important decisions, it looks a bit strange to add another person in just few months again and downgrade that saviour sporting manager to minor role in club... Nonetheless, if they'll really sign some experienced person, it would be only for the better for club

[Straight forward]

Well, some plans to make new team in Vilnius...ATM, it's only idea and seems to be complicated business plan, but at least there's something and maybe something better will come out from this because now it's tragedy with Rytas. Ziemelis obviously wants to make money in the first place, while I think Vilnius needs a guy who would be ready to die for the club as Motiejunas did, but who knows. IDK much about Ziemelis, bet he says he loves BB and if he can unite Vilnius BB community than good for Vilnius and Lith BB. We'll see.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jbb36he2AN4

[Mindozas]

Well, some plans to make new team in Vilnius...ATM, it's only idea and seems to be complicated business plan, but at least there's something and maybe something better will come out from this because now it's tragedy with Rytas. Ziemelis obviously wants to make money in the first place, while I think Vilnius needs a guy who would be ready to die for the club as Motiejunas did, but who knows. IDK much about Ziemelis, bet he says he loves BB and if he can unite Vilnius BB community than good for Vilnius and Lith BB. We'll see.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jbb36he2AN4

I did listen to it yesterday too. I'm surprised Tiskevicius didn't spoil it, good job. Overall, I've got an impression that Ziemelis is pushing Rytas to improve or better say waiting if Rytas will resurrect and if they will not to in nearest future, then new club will be founded, cause Ziemelis needs a strong bball club for his ASG arena. While if Rytas will become stable again, I guess Ziemelis understands that it will be very hard to push Rytas away from podium. Bu tmaybe things are little bit different in Vilnius and regular fans won't have much of sentiments.
Btw, I saw that long waited Gudelis podcast also appeared yesterday, but I guess I won't bother to listen to it, I saw that again Rytas' person interviews him, so most likely every question and answer will be well prepared

[Straight forward]

I think Rytas' fans situation is way different than Zalgiris' If some guys would recreate Kaunas Atletas in Kaunas and would even somehow get to EL, we know there's thousands of true Zalgiris fans, like majority of current attendants would still support Zalgiris. In Vilnius most fans are disappointed and there's probably more like hundreds not thousands who are true Rytas fans and narrates heroic times of Vainauskas' era. Besides, this new Gudelis Rytas already had different approach, there was that sense that the club lost it's legacy and swagger. In other words, if there would come new club which would be strong Eurocup or maybe even EL club, Vilnius people would go to this club's games exactly. Maybe some hundred ultras would ban than club and still support Rytas. Besides, we all see how much more fans Zalgiris attracted once became boderline elite club in EL, with all the fancy arena, charismatic coach, ect. IMO, similar push is needed in Vilnius, and suddenly we would actually realise that there's people who love basketball in Vilnius. I mean there's almost 600.000 population in the city, two times more than in Kaunas. The problem is there has been no legit club in Vilnius for a long time now...

[Mindozas]

Hehe, you reminded me of Atletas glory days. 5 Kaunas clubs in LKL, wild early-mid 90s days in our bball. Zalgiris still the best, but financially unstable, no Kalmanovich yet, and young, talented, Garastas led Atletas pushed by some private sponsorship challenging Zalgiris. I remember there were quite a lot guys from my school, the places I used to play basketball with elders who jumped into Atletas bandwagon. Some were just cheering for them in local derbies cause liked to cheer for underdogs and overall that team looked fun with bunch of youngbloods, but some became really hard fans in few years There were even conflicts between fan groups near Sporto Hale. A bit of that real city derby atmosphere. Of course Zalgiris still had majority on their side, but that was one and probably only shot when some other club in Kaunas could challenge them in this area. That's simply impossible nowadays.
Regarding Vilnius, of course situation is way different. Looking at it historically, Kaunas was always breathing Zalgiris, while Statyba even in own city wasn't the top sports club, it was football Zalgiris, which gathered full 15k stadium and people came to watch games from all the Lithuania. It was basically basketball in Kaunas, football in Vilnius. No wonder that lot of Vilnius residents were supporting both Zalgiris and local Statyba stayed in shadow, even when it grabbed bronze in Soviet champ and Zalgiris was about to relegate. Vilnius simply doesn't have such bball culture like in Kaunas, also another important factor is continuity. Looking at whole picture Vainauskas made big mistake IMO by kicking Statyba out of the map. New Rytas tries to bring it back, but it doesn't work, none who knows history will buy it. Vainauskas basically used Statyba to enter LKL easily with his new project, and then bit by bit changed it all - the name, colors, got rid of Statyba's fans, literally, kicking them out of arena and forbidding chanting "Statyba", and finally saying that it's brand new club starting new chapter in Vilnius bball history. He burned all the bridges, I still don't get the need of it, but probably he wanted all the fame for himself. At the same time was very lucky that back then we had lot of talent in LKL, no one moved abroad early due to foreigners limits and afterall Zalgiris was on big hangover after winning EL and having bunch of internal problems. Rytas signed all the talent, no matter the position, even the same Slanina, who was transferred to Zalgiris. Then that surprising LKL win, when even struggling Zalgiris looked like obvious favorite. So it had major push. What didn't work out for Atletas, that happened with Rytas and in Vilnius, a place where Zalgiris didn't have big majority of fans. I guess these were factors that helped to forget Statyba, buy sympathies of lot of Vilnius people and move on, develop with new project. But at the same time factors which will be very hard to repeat now for new club. But again, it's Vilnius, people are not that tied to one club, I know even Zalgiris fans living in Vilnius, who are going to watch Rytas, just for the sake of watching some basketball live, and of course there are much more people who are simply hungry of seeing some top notch bball, so if Ziemelis will come with a bang, tides might be turned

[Straight forward]

I was the one who supported Atletas back then. With friends we were regular visitors of "Kaustos" arena (some of them supported Zalgiris, no problem here)...and off course "Kaunas Sports Hall" too. Remember a lot of chants and aggressive confrontation between Z and A fans, I wasn't the one who would become hardcore fan and would be in the crowd, but basically liked many Atletas players, specially Kavoliunas, Sirtautas, Stombergas, Praskevicius, Ilgauskas. It felt that Atletas had a lot of fans, but Zalgiris still much more. From these days Zalgiris I didn't have much favourite players, I liked Lukminas and Einikis a bit, but just wasn't anything special to me, veteran Kurtinaitis was still huge, but I never was a big fan of him. I liked Stumbrys in some ways, he seemed to be rather modern guard or something

Exactly, Vilnius is much more open and and fuild, flexible. People will go where the show is expected. Besides, I think new club can attract a lot new basketball fans, it's pretty open now and it's a good timing. New club should somehow get those current geeky kids to the arena too. Like you said, some of ex Statyba, Rytas or whatever fans would still come to watch good basketball, even those guys who support BC Zalgiris and lives in Vilnius. I know that when you ask Vilnius' classes in the high school what do they support, majority still answer Zalgiris usually...Which only shows what's left from Vilnius basketball now.

[Mindozas]

I was the one who supported Atletas back then. With friends we were regular visitors of "Kaustos" arena (some of them supported Zalgiris, no problem here)...and off course "Kaunas Sports Hall" too. Remember a lot of chants and aggressive confrontation between Z and A fans, I wasn't the one who would become hardcore fan and would be in the crowd, but basically liked many Atletas players, specially Kavoliunas, Sirtautas, Stombergas, Praskevicius, Ilgauskas. It felt that Atletas had a lot of fans, but Zalgiris still much more. From these days Zalgiris I didn't have much favourite players, I liked Lukminas and Einikis a bit, but just wasn't anything special to me, veteran Kurtinaitis was still huge, but I never was a big fan of him. I liked Stumbrys in some ways, he seemed to be rather modern guard or something

What a traitor (j/k) with classmates we were going to Hale to watch games without parents knowing it, it was easy and fast to access from my part of Silainiai, while Kausta was too far, but I also wasn't among active fans, was still a bit too young to fight, couldn't even get a beer yet, was like more than few years apart from it, so what to say about fighting some older opponent fans, would've got my ass kicked in seconds My fav from Zalgiris was Lukminas, always loved shooters the most. Stumbrys was really talented, very gifted strong guard, who seemed to be a full package, but work ethics weren't that great to fulfill expectations, maybe lacked a bit ambitions, motivation too, cause he was expected to become Zalgiris key player when lot of players moved abroad, but it looked like he always preferred to stay in back-up roles. In Atletas I like Stombergas the most, who was amazing. With Stomba it was pretty much a feeling like with some Macas in Rytas, when they've played against Zalgiris in the peak of rivalries, you want to hate them, but you can't, they were simply great to watch

[LuDux]

Wasn't Atletas at first Zalgiris-2 before splitting away?

[Mindozas]

Wasn't Atletas at first Zalgiris-2 before splitting away?

If to talk about early 90s, before LKL was founded, then no, it was separate club. Atletas played in Lithuanian champs with this name and was quite strong club already, fighting for top positions. That was even before Zigmas Petrauskas took over the club, a well-known businessmen and father of Pieno Zvaigzdes coach Gediminas Petrauskas. But the club itself was founded back in 1960s, I don't know how, since it was always known as students team, maybe it was based on former KKI (LKKA/Sports University) students/workers

[LuDux]

If to talk about early 90s, before LKL was founded, then no, it was separate club. Atletas played in Lithuanian champs with this name and was quite strong club already, fighting for top positions. That was even before Zigmas Petrauskas took over the club, a well-known businessmen and father of Pieno Zvaigzdes coach Gediminas Petrauskas. But the club itself was founded back in 1960s, I don't know how, since it was always known as students team, maybe it was based on former KKI (LKKA/Sports University) students/workers

Maybe bunch of young players left Zalgiris system to join Atletas? Maybe I'm imagining or confusing teams but I remember watching some kind of documentary on TV where that was mentioned