He is studying from Kaunas “Žalgiris”, and now he will fight against Lithuania

If it was a brewers game, there probably would have been a lingering fight.

If it’s football, Lithuania would have little chance against 5.8 million. the country, which became European champion in 1992, although in the same year the Lithuanians played in Vilnius with a gold team led by Peter Schmeichel and Brian Laudrup.

Not surprisingly, Aurelijus Skarbalius, who has competed in Denmark for almost two decades and is now Koge’s coach, is still trying to implement the secrets of Danish football in his homeland with his programs.

In water sports, Rūta Meilutytė would remember the 200m world record holder Rikke Moller Pedersen, and Kęstutis Navickas, who has worked at the Badminton Europe Center in Copenhagen for the past few years, would tell a lot about the deep traditions of Danish badminton.

“The national sport is soccer, and other popular ones are handball, cycling, sailing, badminton, hockey, swimming and golf.

And some youngsters also play basketball ”, is a short description of Danish sports on Wikipedia.

Those “few young people” have arrived this week in Vilnius, where four teams will continue to fight in the European basketball team.

---

The Danes have long been ahead of the Lithuanians in basketball

“In Denmark, basketball is maybe 5-6 in the most popular sport. But when I went there, someone surprised me,” said Alan Dzeranov, fitness coach and host of the LRT Plus program “To Health”, who played for the FOG team. at Nestved Denmark, Denmark – Basketball was already organized in a very professional way.

What we see now about LKL was in Denmark ten years ago: copying the style of the NBA, they created a sample of introductions, studies, analysis, statistics, replay and slow motion of the players. In those days, I was surprised.

And the corridors were able to attract crowded stages. Like some Western European venues, the Danes know how to support their teams in a fun and cultural way. “

Dzeranov recalled that the Danish basketball league was not short of foreign basketball coaches and legionnaires of an unusual level, mostly American, who often came to the Nordic countries for the initial stage of their careers in Europe.

And some Danes have traveled to American universities to return from local clubs, including the Bakken Bears and Svendborg Rabbits.

“Bears” with “rabbits” continue to lead in the Danish league, and the Bakken Bears, who have won 10 titles in the last 13 years, are increasingly trying to win in FIBA ​​competition.

A. Dzeranov was reminded that in the Danish basketball league two clubs were basically professionals, and the others were semi-amateurs: his legionnaires train in person in the morning and in the evening together with teammates joining after the game. job.

“The Danes are very strong, like other Scandinavians, they are genetically strong, one of the most important people in the world, true athletes,” Dzeranov said. “What they didn’t have was basketball schools and the basics.”

Basketball systems learn from Kaunas “Žalgiris”

In recent years, the strongest Lithuanian basketball team has been helping the Danes build the foundations of the basketball system.

Three years ago, Kaunas Žalgiris leaders Paulius Motiejūnas and Robertas Javtokas signed an agreement with the Danish Basketball Federation and a basketball academy.

The coaches of “Žalgiris” – Tomas Masiulis, who was still working in Kaunas at the time, as well as the current youth coaches Darius Sirtautas and Gediminas Navickas have gone to Denmark to run a basketball camp there.

Representatives of the Danish Basketball Academy have already visited Kaunas three times, played friendly matches and watched drills led by the coaches of the Žalgiris youth and youth teams.

G. Navickas, the commissioner of the project with the Danes, stated that 10 Danish basketball specialists had come to participate in the Žalgiris training clinics at the same time.

The Žalgiris club is innovative, we are happy to share our experience and the Danes are cultural partners who always keep their word, – said G. Navickas, who works in the youth coaching staff of Žalgiris. – One of your talents came to compete in the Žalgiris youth team.

Of course, the Danes benefit more from the cooperation, but we are also pleased that their level is increasing. “

There would be no possibility, but surprises are possible in the selection

Now Danish basketball players are trying to get where they were not 65 years old.

The Danish national team last played in the European Championship in 1955, and the other two appearances in the Continental Championship took place in 1951 and 1953. Overall statistics: 3 wins and 23 losses.

On the way to the European Championship in 2021, the Danes beat the qualifiers, beating Belarus, Albania and Armenia.

Shavon Shields also joined the Danes in the match with Belarus.

Last week, the Milan Olimpia forward, whose father is a former football professional and his mother is Danish, scored 17 points in the Žalgiris basket.

In addition to Sh.Shields, in Group C’s first game in February this year, the Danes lost to the Czech Republic by just four points (71:75). The 72:88 loss to the Belgians pushed Denmark to fourth place, where the remaining team will be the only team in the group not to enter the European Championship, which includes the Czechs.

During the first two qualifying matches of Group C, the universal defender Gabriel Lundberg of the team Zelion Gora Stelmet (Poland) scored 17.5 points, bounced 6.5 balls and provided 4 assists.

The 207 cm midfielder Kevin Larsen of the second Spanish Palencia scored 15 points and 4.5 rebounds.

Clearly, Israeli basketball specialist Erez Bittman, who is coaching the Danish team, will need more than two leaders this weekend in Vilnius.

Although the Lithuanian team does not have its own NBA and Euroleague basketball players (only Marekas Bleževičius), the team led by Darius Maskoliūnas will hardly allow itself to slide again as it did in Belgium last February.

“The Danish general basketball league is growing, more and more they are adapting something from the model of their other strong sports and they are also learning ‘Žalgiris’. But I hope they will not cause problems for Lithuania on Friday,” said G. Navickas.

“Often, at such a stage, it is not the general level, but the mood and psychology, that we are already convinced of in the Belgium match. And we have received it from the Swedes in the control match at some moment at the beginning of the camp, recalled A. Dzeranov, – The Danes arrived relaxed, with their cold faces and big muscles, they will play as they know and will not worry about anything. And for the Lithuanians, the game and the details will be important again.

At the Euro, already prepared in a completely different way, the Danes would have no chance against Lithuania, and there is a psychological moment in the selection competition. The Danes may be opposed to both halves. But then the Lithuanians should organize and calmly overcome at their top level. “