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As the Lithuanian Basketball League (Betsafe-LKL) championship gains momentum, this season’s leaders are beginning to shine. Third place in the tournament table is held by Panevėžys “Lietkabelis”, and this team from Aukštaitija is led by one who is gaining more and more experience and feeling better and better within the team. Paulius Valinskas.
The 25-year-old 191cm tall attacking defender is obviously one of Lietkabelis’ leaders. His average points earned (14.6) is nearly double the league’s overall average, and he is also one of the leaders in the entire LKL championship in terms of average performance points (13.3).
On Tuesday, P. Valinskas shared his thoughts on his career and hobbies with his namesake Paulius Vaitiekūnas and all basketball fans on LKL’s Facebook account. Some of the questions were prepared by the fans.
– Paul, do you still feel like a young basketball player or are you already the one who can teach your younger teammates?
– If it’s open, I sit in the middle. I’m not quite young who came and learned everything. I’m in the middle because I’m not the youngest in the team, but of course I’m not the oldest either. Now comes the gas itself, I feel really good. I can give advice to the little ones, and the veterans are still a long way off. I really have a word in the locker room this year; When I was younger, I always wanted to have a word in the locker room, it’s fun.
– What is the hardest part of your age when it comes to professional basketball? What to give up?
– We are all different: everyone needs to analyze their body and know what they can eat and what not. What you can and cannot do. I never really had and don’t have a problem with being overweight. I can eat what I want “more less”, of course, during the season I eat only what serves, but the most important thing is to know yourself and know what is best for you. It is important to feel good.
– And your team has a tradition of “one hundred”?
– Now I wonder if we have scored a hundred points this season. But tradition really is.
– What can you say about the team captain V. Lipkevičius?
– A person who really has a lot of experience. Definitely one of the best captains I have ever had. I can’t say anything bad about the guy.
– The captain calls you the smartest player on the team. Do you agree?
– When there is an opportunity, I really like to dress up. I have a weakness for shoes, I really like it, I have many, maybe that’s why I named it. I am not a “crazy” seriously, but I am really looking at new trends.
– Which legionnaire this season stands out the most in terms of his position?
– There are no strong legionnaires this year. But Andrew Goudelock still has the most famous name, I remember him from childhood, from the time of the Euroleague. Perhaps this season has not yet been fully revealed, but I think in my position he is the best legionnaire in Lithuania at the moment.
– What games were the most memorable this season?
– Memorize the matches you play against the strongest teams. Let’s be open, there are two teams in Lithuania: Rytas and Žalgiris. It is a game against these teams and it is the one that is most memorized. And in the European Cup, it is not too much to stand out: there were Euroleague teams in our group.
– How does it feel to compete against Žalgiris?
– Those parties are clearly different. Maybe the way I reacted before, I no longer react. In the past, there really was excitement in the chest and things like that. But clearly, the motivation is that a lot of friends left, I know the coaches. There is really no lack of motivation, the emotional mood is a little different.
– Your career as a legionnaire in France did not last a year. Tell me, how was that time abroad?
– I had many suggestions in the summer, I considered the options, that French team showed unrealistic attention. I believed, but I deviated a bit the way I wanted. This is definitely not a league you can’t play in, you can really play. I went there, the season started well, then I signed a new player for my position, we started competing, I was no longer satisfied with the situation, I considered it for a long time and decided to leave the team. Favorable conditions are needed there, but I have failed. I don’t really interfere with a legionnaire’s career if there are opportunities and good deals; there can be anything.
– Let’s remember the game against Holon UNET, where you hit three decisive free throws and took the victory. What thoughts were you having then?
The first thought triggered that here, perhaps here was the moment that he had dreamed of as a child. Then I got together, I stepped aside, I thought I only had to throw three tickets and we would win. It wasn’t easy, because there were a lot of fans there, trying to provoke. But when I released the first one, I knew I was really going to release both.
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