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Photo: BasketNews.lt/D.Lukšta
Photo BasketNews.lt/D.Lukšta
Šarūnas Jasikevičius is one of the few coaches of Kaunas “Žalgiris”, whose era is characterized by victories. From victories in the final of the Lithuanian Basketball League to victories in Madrid, Tel Aviv, Barcelona, Istanbul, Athens or its suburbs in Piraeus.
“Žalgiris” stood up and ran into teams in cities, where before that defeats were counted in turn, if not one, then two fingers.
From the first day in Kaunas, Sharas was convinced that winning anywhere, anytime has finally become an integral part of Žalgiris’ DNA.
This broke the Piraeus Olympia barrier in the Euroleague quarterfinals in April 2018, and a month later he won third place in the Euroleague, paving the way for a series of six wins in the spring of 2019 and a miraculous leap in the playoffs. In the same year’s playoffs, Žalgiris also had a series with the winners of the regular season, Istanbul’s Fenerbahche.
After the victories, Shar clenched his fists and shook them into the stands, his mood at press conferences turned completely different, and the celebrations after the extraordinary victories are still remembered as legendary.
And yet this is all normal. Šarūnas Jasikevičius has been a winner throughout his career, moments of victory and triumph surrounded him as a player, so the winner’s aura is what you expect from him automatically.
You really couldn’t expect Shar to teach those around you to respect and love the losing team.
It was on January 8, 2019, a duel in the “Žalgiris” arena with “Anadolu Efes” from Istanbul.
“Žalgiris”, playing injury-free Leo Westermann and Antanas Kavaliauskas, played the worst game of the season and almost the entire Shar era, leaving 55:79 behind in the last minute of the game.
It was an afternoon when the Kaunas looked as bad in attack as they never had before during Jasikevičius’ training. The third defeat came in a row and was crushed.
At that time, there were already players at the end of the Žalgiris bench on the parquet, who had to stretch the remaining tens of seconds until the final siren. Only those seconds became extraordinary.
Inspired by the main rostrum of Žalgiris fans, soon all the spectators in the arena stood up and started clapping and singing “Žaliai balti”. With the team losing overwhelmingly, it remained as if the score on the scoreboard was the opposite.
It was the fruit of several years of Shar’s education. He defended Antanas Kavaliauskas and Artūras Milaknis when dissatisfaction from the stands was flying. He criticized fans when they didn’t feel like they had given all they could give that night and at the same time thanked them every time the opportunity arose.
Having previously experienced the love and hate of fans, Shar has repeatedly reminded his players in the locker room that these two feelings are separated by one step. Or a victory. While you win, they will carry you, when you lose, you will become a loser.
For Jasikevičius, this was not a sounding phrase. It is with this conviction that he lives every day.
“Don’t forget the moment you say a year later, shoot this fool,” he said at the press conference when “Žalgiris” defeated Olympiacos a third time in the quarterfinals and reached the final four.
He couldn’t miss those quotes through his ears. Hearing this, it is better that you have never realized that the memory of sports fans is short. Heroes quickly become losers, cheers are replaced by whistles, and coaches are replaced after a few losses.
This is the case everywhere and with everyone, but Shar in Kaunas denied it.
That night of January 8, 2019 will be a legacy of Shar bigger in Kaunas than those strong victories in the Euroleague. Gaining love and support when driving hard is rare.
Šarūnas Jasikevičius won that love and support unconditionally in his hometown.
Whats Next?
When Jasikevičius leaves for Barcelona, Žalgiris’ managers would first like to see Darius Maskoliūnas as the head coach. He became Shar’s right-hand man from day one when he assumed leadership of Žalgiris in January 2016, and he became so remarkable that even the assistant coach was entrusted with the helm of the Lithuanian national team.
Maskoliūnas knows the players well, most of whom will remain on the team next season, making this choice of Paul Motiejūnas and Robertas Javtokas understandable. However, this option is unlikely to this day.
It is more realistic that Maskoliūnas will join the Shar team in Barcelona and together with Tomas Masiulis they will form the same coaching staff as in Kaunas.
It is real that Justinas Grainys, Žalgiris’ physical training coach, will take suitcases to the capital of Catalonia.
If Maskoliūnas’ candidacy falls, the eyes of the Žalgiris executives will turn to the other two candidates: Kęstutis Kemzūras and Kazys Maksvytis.
According to the BasketNews.lt website, Kemzūra is coming to Kaunas today to meet with the leaders of Žalgiris and discuss possible cooperation. Meanwhile, Maksvytis is bound by a contract with the Perm Parma team, but Žalgiris’ managers are already interested in the terms of the contract’s redemption.
Žalgiris’ new strategist will have to fill the big shoes that Jasikevičius left behind, but Motiejūnas sends a clear message to fans from the start of the new stage: don’t expect the new coach to be a copy of Shar.
“I don’t think we can copy what Shar did,” Motiejūnas said at a press conference on Thursday. – A unique coach, a unique vision, needs to give the other person what he wants, not try to copy what Shar did.
I never believe that a copy can be real and especially a copy of a unique person like Shar. That vision will definitely change. “
Motiejūnas also revealed that there will be changes to the team. If Jasikevičius chose hungry and undisclosed players, now in Žalgiris there is a place for at least one more experienced legionary, who would bear the heavy burden of wins and losses.
On the other hand, the composition of Žalgiris may not change too much in the coming season. Jasikevičius’s departure for Barcelona instead of Fenerbahce means that Žalgiris’s players will probably not follow him later.
According to the BasketNews.lt website, if Jasikevičius had decided to move to Istanbul, he would have invited Thomas Walkup and Marius Grigonis along with him. Meanwhile, Barcelona have 14 players on contracts for next season and a lineup so solid that there is virtually no need to change or add anything.
Jasikevičius’s departure will mean reduced expenses for the coach’s position, and the hope that the number of spectators at massive events will not be limited since the fall allows Žalgiris to keep most of the team from last season.
“Žalgiris” will change near the field and have a new wizard, but on the parquet, at least for next season, it should be the same family team.
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