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Photo: D.Lukšta
Photo D.Lukšta
Edvinas Šeškus drowned the Telšiai team with pinpoint NKL-VIKINGLOTT championship finishes of three points, and after the final siren sounded, he dipped his father in the splashes of Virginia champagne.
This is not the first time that a father and son have enjoyed a trophy. At age 14, Edvinas triumphed with Prienai “Rūdupis” NKL and at that time Virginijus Šeškus was also behind the helm of the team.
According to E. Šeškaus, the trophy won on Saturday is dedicated to Dad.
“In his time he helped me, and today I helped him,” said the Chief Ferret’s son excitedly. – It also played a lot to join Jonava this season because I wanted to thank my dad for his entire career, he helped me a lot. This was important and I am incredibly happy for Dad. “
Jonava’s CBet, who dominated the entire season, won the NKL trophies, and the 26-year-old defender was chosen as the MVP of the four finalists. The defender, who scored 8 points in the semifinals, played the violin in the deciding match and scored 26 points (4/5 doubles, 6/7 trit.) In 29.5 minutes, he bounced 4 and took 3 balls, made 2 assists , made 2 mistakes and scored 31 utility points.
In the final match, Šeškus attacked almost without errors and scored 6 3-pointers of 7. This result surprised many, because in the regular season, Prieniškis made only 6 long shots of 36.
According to the 196cm tall defender, the hands parted in the final.
“It just came to our knowledge then. When I joined Jonava, I got in a little bit of shape and I’m very happy to have discovered my good form in the final four. I can’t say I’m the highest, but the recovery is felt.” , – Šeškus was happy with the recovered form.
The question is, why is it only in the last game of the season that there is talk of the emergence of a player’s athletic form? The ferrets started the season with injuries, then failed to establish themselves in the Israeli chain of Jerusalem’s “Hapoel”, and the returned defender fell ill with coronavirus and returned to the field only in late January.
According to Šeškaus, this period is the darkest of his life.
“This season has been very difficult: many nights without sleep and thinking about what to do. There were thoughts that after this season I would go down and end my career, the NKL champion shared his experiences. – I was surprised thinking what kind of work I would have to do if I couldn’t play basketball. All the injuries and the coronavirus really intersected psychologically, but I straightened up, we won and today I am happy with the last four MVP awards and a gold medal on my neck. “
He told Šeškus on the website “BasketNews.lt” about the pressure from the people, the need for the Jonava club to win the NKL, the title for his father Virginia, recovering from injuries and a hole in his career, and revealed which team you want to spend the next 3 years with.
– You became the NKL champion. What emotions?
– Unreal. The last time I won the NKL Championship was in 2009, also with my dad. Today we were champions again with Virgis. I could not be happier and I repeat it unrealistic.
– You started celebrating in the fourth quarter. How did you feel when you realized that the cup is yours today?
– Personally I got tense because when I got to Jonava, I felt an additional pressure. I just fell into tension and that feeling was: peace and joy.
– You talked about extra pressure. How was he?
– Many people were skeptical that I would go to the National Basketball League and join Jonava, but I am like this: I like to make non-traditional decisions. I had an offer from the French Premier League before the playoffs, but decided to stay here. You can say that I took a risk, but I wanted to win the NKL and go to the LKL with Jonava.
– You were the favorite to win the NKL. How much pressure did you feel?
– There was pressure, especially in the semi-final match with “Sūduva-Mantinga” from Marijampol “. Everything was visible on our faces, but it was good that that tension had turned into concentration and energy on the field. Of course everyone at Jonava is experienced and has played a lot at LKL. It’s good that we showed our best basketball in the last four. Comparing what we played in the regular season, there were definitely a lot of games that we won easily, and in Jonava we showed all our strength, we played 100 percent and I’m very happy about that.
– Papa Virginijus took over the helm of the team last summer and for the first season he led the Jonava team to the title and the LKL. How happy is dad?
– It is tremendous fun, because there is no such coach in Lithuania who would sign for such a thing to go back to the National Basketball League and try to win it. I don’t think most coaches sign for that. I am very proud of him, although sometimes he walks, he yells at everyone, but there is no other coach like that.
Photo D.Lukšta
– Dad helped him take the first steps at the beginning of his career. How much fun is it to give you a refund today?
– In his time he helped me, and today I helped him. It also played a lot to join Jonava this season because I wanted to thank my dad for his entire career, he helped me a lot. This was important and I am unrealistically happy for Dad.
– You became the MVP of the four finalists of the NKL. Did you expect such an evaluation?
– No. I arrived before the final without expecting anything, it is important for me to win, whether I score 4 points or 40, it is simply important for me to win. My goal is to win with Jonava and go to LKL next year. I think Jonava has grown up with the National Basketball League jersey for the longest time. A city like that, an arena and so many people have long since left. I remember before that people love basketball and gather in the gym to support the teams.
– What does this award mean to you?
– Really nothing too much. I played my game, and those critics: there has always been and will always be in Lithuania, it will not close the 3 million. I know who I am, I play my game, I know I can hit well, etc. Sure, my friends were trying hard because I was 20 percent accurate to three points this season, but that doesn’t at all reflect what kind of player I am. I improved today because the rivals looked at my stats before the final and probably said, “Let’s throw it away.” I just got better.
– You hit as many triples today as in the whole season. What made it possible to untie the grid?
– I don’t know, I just arrived, I threw it and everything fell. When I joined Jonava, I got in a bit of shape and I am very happy to have discovered my good form in the four finalists. I can’t say the highest, but the recovery is felt.
– You had a lot of ups and downs during the season. You started without a team, then you couldn’t establish a “Jerusalem” Hapoel and finished everything in Jonava. How did you manage to break up and recover?
– Frankly, it’s brutally difficult because I had an injury a season ago and couldn’t play. That factor also prevented me from considering offers from a couple of LKL teams, but I just declined because I was not healthy at the time. I had to go back to Taiwan later, but it turned out that I wasn’t ready and couldn’t drive. As the form began to improve, I received an offer from Israel, but I must admit that I certainly did not make a full recovery and fully understood why I did not establish Hapoel in Jerusalem. When I returned from Israel, I contracted the coronavirus, fell for 20 days, and the form disappeared again. Then I did some sports with Jonava until I finally made the decision to join.
This season has been very difficult: many sleepless nights and thinking about what to do. There were thoughts that after this season I would come down and end my career. I found myself wondering what kind of work I would have to do if I couldn’t play basketball. All the injuries and the coronavirus really intersected psychologically, but I straightened up, we won and today I am happy with the last four MVP awards and a gold medal around my neck. I still don’t need the medal for Jonava’s team to go to LKL, sign a 3-year contract and can live and play here quietly.
– If CBet goes to LKL, will you really stay?
– I’m really staying. I also told the club president that I was coming with a goal for Jonava to win the NKL and immediately signed a long-term contract. We have unreal sand, all lockers are unreal: we have hot tubs, saunas, ice machines; in reality, all conditions are unreal.
– Jonava this season is full of experienced basketball players who have played LKL for many years. How is this team?
– I can say that it is interesting, because we coincide perfectly and we feel in the field. Of course, it is very difficult, because during the season we play against teams like Mažeikiai “Eagles”, where you will not call it basketball, I can say it bluntly. You get to the game and you know you won, then someone’s relaxation and anger comes. You know, when you have Laimonas Kisieliai, Tomas Delininkaitis, Darius Tarvydas, Gediminas Žalalis, Aurimas Urbonas on the team, who have seen a lot of LKL fights, it can’t be otherwise. The atmosphere in the locker room and the playground is amazing. Sure, there were anger and cheating for everyone, but more importantly, those minimal conflicts didn’t turn into something more serious, and we just sorted everything out between ourselves.
Photo D.Lukšta
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