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Gytis Masiulis, who recently celebrated his 22nd birthday during the quarantine period, threw it at his home in Palanga.
The tall man maintained his athletic form along with the fitness coach, but had not had the ball in his hands since the end of the season, so the invitation to compete in Germany was truly unexpected for him.
“It was a shock at first” 15 minutes He said the basketball player, who recalled the agent’s first call, did not expect to escape on the parquet floor of the basketball court this season.
The German league, which had been planning a return plan, was the first to decide to return.
It is true that instead of the usual 17 teams they will complete season 10, which are divided into two groups. All matches in this tournament will take place in Munich.
But the first to call was the Fraport Skyliners in Frankfurt, which had never competed in the Euroleague, with which the basketball player finally faced off, and the SCRasta club in Vechta.
“The proposal was very unexpected” 15 minutes says G.Masiulis, who played for Klaipeda’s “Neptune” last season. I was lying in bed and received a call from an agent who informed me that a German team wanted me. The first thought was that I really would not, I will not because it is too dangerous. After a while, I started to think more deeply and came to the conclusion that I needed to get out of the comfort zone. “
The athlete had already decided to accept the offer, but at that time the Vechta club acquired other players and withdrew from Lithuania.
“I thought he was calm. I’m staying in Lithuania,” the basketball player belonging to Kaunas “Žalgiris” smiled.
Photo by Marius Vizbaras / 15min / Gytis Masiulis
However, the next day, the basketball player received another call, this time not from the agent, but from Fraport Skyliners coach Sebastian Gleim.
This strategist saw Gytis up close in the days of the youth national teams: S. Gleimas worked for seven years as assistant coach Harald Stein on the German youth, youth and youth teams.
“He said he wanted to see me on the team and that it would be a great opportunity for me,” G. Masiulis recalls the conversation with the 35-year-old strategist.
The 207cm tall basketball player didn’t have much time to consider the new option – he had to make up his mind within 24 hours.
While browsing the team online, the striker also encountered familiar faces: Leon Kratzer and Richard Freudenberg, against whom he had to compete in youth championships.
“I can say that this is a defensive team. From what I saw and verified, he was fourth in the league in terms of defensive effectiveness. I think this will be our main horse, ”said the Kaunas resident.
For a long time, G. Masiulis decided to carry his suitcases and taste the legionnaire’s bread for the first time.
“The main desire is to play, and I will have excellent conditions for that in Frankfurt.” The next thing I can get out of the comfort zone I was in. I have not yet played abroad, I have not yet been very separated from my parents and all my friends. This is a great opportunity to taste the life of a legionary. When you play abroad, everything is different, “said the basketball player.
Have you quietly decided to move to a country that ranks ninth in the world in terms of coronavirus morbidity (over 183,000) and deaths (almost 9,000)?
This is an opportunity that I really can’t miss a thing.
“There really was fear about the virus,” admits the athlete. – But I consulted with my parents and decided to go. I think it’s a possibility that I really can’t lose anything. If I play well, it will only improve, if not, I won’t lose much. “
The basketball player was also hesitant when he arrived in Germany on the first day.
“A new country, I don’t understand the language, I don’t know the city of Frankfurt. Everything is new, and he’s still tired, not asleep, traveling with a mask throughout the flight. I was wondering if he had made the right decision, but at the The next morning everything was fine. I feel ready for a new challenge, “said the basketball player.
Before accepting the offer from the German club, the basketball player had yet to wait for the blessing of “Žalgiris”, with whom he signed a contract.
“They understood me and lent it to the Skyliners Club. There were no problems,” said Gytis, son of former basketball player Tomas Masiulis.
Sigismund Gedvila photo / 15min / Gytis Masiulis
The basketball player has already managed to feel the German order and the care that the club shows to the players. A newcomer to Fraport Skyliners had to undergo a coronavirus test twice before joining a team training session.
750 thousand. The streets of Frankfurt, which has a population, are not yet crowded, but the hustle and bustle gradually increases.
Masks should be worn at all times, both when walking down the street and when entering the arena for exercise.
Every day, before entering the hall, basketball players are measured by temperature, which is then recorded in the protocol.
There is a strong emphasis on hygiene, calling for frequent hand disinfection. If basketball players feel an ailment, it is necessary to inform the club staff.
“Medical care here is at the highest level. Everything is well cared for, I think everything will be fine, “said G. Masiulis.
The Kaunas resident is already sweating in training sessions where the entire team does not participate: the Fraport Skyliners legionaries from the USA. USA They have to spend two weeks in isolation.
In the regular season, Frankfurt basketball players took 14th place, so there are no very big goals to complete.
Four matches await them in the group stage, and the first match, which will take place on June 7, is against another Lithuanian Rokas Giedraitis, who competes in the German championships, and his ALBA Berlin.
VIDEO: UrBONUS: disturbing changes in the morning and changes in the composition of Žalgiris
Group B also includes MHP Riesen in Ludwigsburg, SC Rasta in Vechta and Brose in Bamberg.
The first four teams from both groups will meet in the quarterfinals, where, as in the semifinals and finals, up to two victories will be played.
“We will try to fight for victory in every game.” I hope that we present sensations and surprises, “said G. Masiulis.
Although the athlete did not lie on the sofa during quarantine and worked with the coach in Klaipeda, he had not held the ball for a long time.
Not to mention the intense basketball workouts in the gym.
“At first my legs hurt and it was difficult, but I got used to it a bit. It is more difficult in the basketball aspect, but the conditions are the same for everyone. We have a week before the first game, during this time we will have to reach the maximum sporting form that we can “, said G. Masiulis.
Photo by Marius Vizbaras / 15min / Edgar Ulanov and Gytis Masiulis
The game in Germany will help you forget about the season in Klaipeda, which has lost several difficulties.
If G. Masiulis’ first season in “Neptune” was excellent, marked by a great game, bronze prizes in LKL and 46 performance points against Panevėžys “Lietkabelis”, then the second season on the beach was brilliant.
“It could have been really better because we didn’t achieve many of the goals we set for ourselves. This is not the season that would be fun to remember,” said the basketball player.
First, G. Masiulis suffered leg injuries: He suffered his first injury even before the start of the season, when he hit the nerve in his back in a friendly match and lost the line for a month.
This is not a season that would be fun to remember.
When Christmas comes, the second injury is when his ankle broke in a Champions League match. Another month without a game.
“It is the first time I play at a higher level when I have suffered so many injuries.” It was psychologically difficult because until then I did not know what rehabilitation meant and what it meant to see a team play from the side. My legs ached, so I tried to strengthen my arms. I tried to find balance in training. These injuries have made me psychologically stronger, I think such an experience will be useful in the future. “
In the second season, in the port city, the player who competed in the LKL championship in the hard-tip and center-forward positions competed for 23 minutes, scored 10.3 points, rebounded 4.1 balls, and recorded 14 profit points.
Klaipėda “Neptūnas” did not achieve his goals this season: he did not enter the second leg of the FIBA Champions League, suffered two painful defeats at home in the final of the King Mindaugas Cup four and took fourth place in the LKL championship , which ended prematurely.
The carousel of changes in the club, from three coaches per season to changes in administration, did not help achieve a positive result.
“It just came to our attention then. I think it all consists in the fact that the result was as it is,” said G. Masiulis.
Against the background of a coronavirus in Germany, the 22-year-old basketball player faces his first professional challenge as a legionary, which will last only a month.
Then back to Lithuania and waiting for Žalgiris’s decision about next season.
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