[ad_1]
On Saturday, the Panevėžys Lietkabelis team will continue their struggles in the Lithuanian Basketball League (Betsafe-LKL) match against Vilnius Rytas.
The Nenad Chanak students tested their strength with their opponents 1.5 months ago and then won at home with confidence: 78:59. Since then, there have been many changes to the Rytas team: Donald Kairis was replaced by Giedrius Žibėnas as head coach, Maurice Ndouras, who scored 25 points in Lietkabelis’ basket, left, and the team was joined by Keith Benson and two Lithuanians, Martynas Pacevičius and Rapolas Ivanauskas.
Rytas and Lietkabelis compete directly for second place in the regular season: now the people of Panevėžys have achieved 11 wins in 15 games, and the people of Vilnius have obtained the same number of wins in 16 games.
One of the Lietkabelis leaders, Paulius Valinskas, told the kklietkabelis.lt website that Rytas is now competing with more energy and showing more desire on the field. The Betsafe-LKL defender, who posted averages of 14.3 points and 13.1 utility points, also spoke about his game, fitness, the contribution of George Gagičius, Brother Marius and the final four of the Citadel King Mindaugas Cup.
– What impression does the Rytas team leave?
– When you change the coach, there is always a moment when the team is shocked, more emotions are brought, because the players themselves want to show the coach something. Now Rytas plays with more energy and more desire.
– Do you emphasize that the match is a direct fight for second place?
– Of course, that’s why we started preparing for the game very early. We all know the importance of the match and “Rytas” is always a principled opponent for us. Second place must be earned and established. Every upcoming match is the most important, so Saturday’s match is certainly no exception.
– How many teams lose their rhythm due to the fact that you are going to play with “Dzūkija”, but it turned out that the match would not be played 24 hours a day?
– It beats a lot out of rhythm because there is a training schedule. This season is a reality, so it remains to reconcile and adapt to the situation. Looks like we’ll really be playing East on Saturday.
– Now, after leaving the European Cup, there is no shortage of games, why do most of the players prefer to play than to train?
– I also prefer to play twice a week. It’s a shame that we have withdrawn from the European Cup, because it really is more fun to compete than to train. Now we see that many matches are also moving away in the LKL championships, so the schedule will be more intense later. Now we are trying to concentrate and we have more time to prepare for the game; all that remains is to use that time correctly.
– Why don’t we make it to the next round of the European Cup?
– Game was lacking, a better game was lacking and we did not reach our potential. They didn’t want to apologize to me, but October and November were very difficult as many players had coronavirus. He knocked me out and we couldn’t show a good game. I think Gagičius was too late, we would have achieved better results with him. It all came together in a pile and there were 1-2 wins, but they were to blame.
– As for J. Gagičius, how much easier is it to play with a center who sees the field as a defender?
– This is your biggest advantage. Gagičius is not yet in ideal sports form, but you can see his game by reading both in training and on the field. He can either complete the attack himself or make a pass. If you improve your fitness even more, you will be an even better player.
– You yourself had problems with the road. How do you feel now?
– I came out of cancer due to a trauma because I did not know what to expect. Now I feel ideal and a bit back to my athletic form. I’m satisfied with how I feel, now it’s up to the team and they show a good game for themselves.
– Are you happy with your game this season?
– Compared to last season, I am satisfied. Of course, I never say that I match perfectly because I can always improve. Yes, it is a worn phrase, but it is true. I am happy with how I feel physically. There was an outbreak of cancer due to illness, trauma, but now I hope that everything is in the past and I can show my face even better.
– How satisfied am I with brother Marius, who has been showing a better game lately and is getting more and more minutes on the field?
– It’s fun, because Marius is already going from a very young player to a slightly more serious basketball player. Now he has gained more confidence from the coach and you can see that I feel confident with the ball and with the team. It’s fun, especially when we compete together on the parquet. It’s fun to play together because you don’t know how long it will last; all that remains is to enjoy that time.
– It seems that the loss in Prien against CBet has turned into a very big kick behind, that woke up the team. It was like this?
– We talk a lot among ourselves that we want to be a serious team, and those serious teams cannot come to Prienai and lose 15 points there. We want to be the serious team that handles things with the clubs at the second tournament table and does not suffer unexpected losses. You feel more concentration and humor now. Our objectives are clear: we want to play the final and compete with the best teams, so that there can be no such defeats.
– The last four of the King Mindaugas Cup (KMT) are awaiting February 13-14. Do you already think about it?
– We think a bit, we talk, but when you lose focus and think of a match that will take place in a few weeks or a month, your opponents will punish you immediately. Now we have to be fully prepared for Saturday’s game with Rytas and several games that will take place before the final four. We will still have some time to prepare for the KMT semi-finals.
Help us create good content: become a Krepsinis.net sponsor >>
[ad_2]
