Darius Maskoliūnas: “Our objective is not the” Baltic Way “tournament, but the selection of the Olympic Games” / News

Photo: BNS

Photo: BNS

Photo: BNS

Photo: BNS

Photo: BNS

The Lithuanian national team, which has been working together for 15 days on a bus from Tallinn to Lithuania, will be in a good mood: the basketball players trained by Darius Maskoliūnas easily beat Latvia in the second match of the Baltic Way tournament.

“For a moment, we didn’t look bad,” Maskoliūnas said after the 82:59 victory against Latvia. – After such a poor game (with Estonia – aut. Past). The most important thing is to find motivation and energy the next day, regardless of whether we had an even shorter training. We managed to divide the minutes for everyone, everyone played with more enthusiasm and enthusiasm. It’s always fun to win, especially the last game, after which we stand out again in the unknown for a while. There will be better humor on the bus. “

Lithuania rotated with 10 basketball players, as Eimantas Bendžius had to leave the team after the first match, and Artūras Gudaitis and Arnoldas Kulboka did not come to Tallinn.

The coach was happy to see the basketball players, and especially the rookies, Tadas Sedekerskis and Marek Blaževičius.

Now he plans to participate in a tennis tournament in Nida, and on August 7 he will leave for Barcelona to prepare for a new stage of his career in Spain.

– What did you learn about the players you wanted to see the most? – the journalists asked Maskoliūnas.
– I really wanted to see rookies in action as they would look in real men’s basketball. None of them was disappointed, they all tried, they all gave something. To the fact that we are missing a lot, I said the same to the players: we need to bite our teeth to work, suffer and, most importantly, believe. We want to win every game, but our goal is not to win the “Baltic Way” tournament. Of course we wanted to and to do that we want to win every game. Windows is waiting for us and you have a great idea of ​​how many players from the current national team will be invited. And again over and over, and again with other players. If we look at the final goals, the most important thing for us is the summer and the selection for the Olympic Games.

Player of the match

– In the third quarter, the Latvians lost the overwhelming advantage of Lithuania. Was the team relaxed then?
– That problem is year after year. We don’t have a murderous mindset. We take the lead by 20 points and then relax, there is unnecessary freedom, and for Latvians, we just give. In modern basketball, three triples and there is practically nothing left of you.

– Which player looked more solid?
– We tested with only two players, Mantas Kalnietis played mainly in second position. Today both Rokas and Lukas looked good. Maybe Rock wanted more peace of mind, he knows the system, he handles the team well, but sometimes he lacked a cool head. And Luke, traditionally.

– If we talk about the main tournament, the selection for the Olympic Games, how close is Rokas Jokubaitis?
– Very close. Such a situation. But what does closing mean? You have to demonstrate even in those matches. You always have to show that you can be on the national team and play with the best. I do not promise to share anything in advance, but to this day it is one of the best in Lithuania.

– What should Sedekersky add to be an equal contender for the national team next summer too?
– I was not surprised in any way with your will and enthusiasm. He always works, works extra, makes an effort. The fact that the result will come. It is difficult for him and we understand it. He does not know his position in the club, he sees him in third position, the coach in fourth. There was a situation in the national team that we pushed him purely to fourth position. Also, a new defense system, a debut for the national team, some excitement. But everything is fine with him. The body has something like this … It needs a more stable shot, better defense work. In time, everything will come. He is still a young player, but very promising.

– Is there any chance of seeing Marek Blaževičius or Rokas Jokubaitis in the national team through the windows?
– We can only guess now. I would really like to, but knowing the situation in the Euroleague, more this year, the Euroleague is ahead, it could be due to a pandemic and a coup … There is nothing to guess here. The fact is, the club will solve your problems first. I don’t know what role they will have under the new coach. All I can say is that I need them and everything will be decided by the club and the coach.

– After such a long break without basketball, does Grigonis seem fully recovered?
– I did not mention yesterday that it must be understood that Marius Grigonis has not played basketball for 10 months. Pitches were released yesterday, where he may have taken too much initiative, but we give him credit up front because he is one of our best attacking players and one of the leaders to this day. Everything is fine with that, you see that you are completely healed, full of bayers.