Macijauskas head coach disappointed with basketball craze in Lithuania – he has comments for both Jasikevičius and Adomaitis

In 1997, Svajūnas Airošius from Klaipėda became the first Lithuanian to win a sniper competition organized by LKL. In 1999, he celebrated the victory again, and then handed over the relief to other basketball players from his country: in 2000-2003, Arvydas Macijauskas dominated the competition, later Petras Šalvis, Marius Kasiulevičius, triumphant Marius Runkauskas and others won the victory. .

Even this year, Osvaldas Olisevičius, who was not from Klaipėda, but was wearing a Neptūnas jersey, won the competition held during the King Mindaugas Cup tournament.

According to S. Kaupis, the success of Klaipeda basketball players in sniper competitions has never been a coincidence, and much of the credit can be taken up by the V. Knašius Basketball School, which is rightly called the Lithuanian Sniper Hill. .

“At Knašius Sports School, a lot of attention has always been paid to long throws. We threw a lot. We threw, threw and threw. Hundreds of throws before training, during training and after training. And of course, all those who were accustomed to that constant throw they won all the competitions. Who could have hit with their eyes closed. Airošius, Macijauskas and the whole paddle after them, “said the well-deserved Lithuanian coach.

With a website Delphi reported S. Kaupys began his coaching career back in 1970. The strategist coached Vilnius substitutes, Lithuanian youth and youth teams, and spent 15 years on the Neptūnas coaching staff. The specialist also received great recognition for being the first coach of the legendary A. Macijauskas.

After leaving A. Macijauskas in Vilnius in 1999, S. Kaupys became the director of the V. Knašius Basketball School and held this position until 2016. Recently, the coach, who has been actively observing the training process of the country’s young basketball players, he regrets having to wait a long time for something like Mac.

“There are these talented kids, they grow up, they are full, but the pitchers are ‘killed.’ Klaipeda lost his good old basketball. There are no snipers anymore, ”the coach said sadly, adding that long-range specialists are no longer trained not only in Klaipeda, but also throughout Lithuania.

“The whole Lithuanian basketball school has changed. No emphasis was placed on emphasizing and developing strengths that would grow exceptional players. Therefore, there are currently no basketball stars in Lithuania. We have not prepared a single star in a decade. Linas Kleiza was probably the last.

Very difficult. In Lithuania, children’s and youth basketball has gone the wrong way: players, screws and bolts are being prepared. No attention is paid to individual preparation and talent development. This is the case throughout Lithuania, ”said S. Kaupys.

Due to the new fashions of the Lithuanian Basketball School, the specialist points a finger at the former Kaunas helmsman “Žalgiris” Šarūnas Jasikevičius.

“It just came to our attention then. It was overseen at Žalgiris in recent years. Everything in Jasikevičius was strictly directed and very few improvisers were allowed. Players have become needed as artists, and there is no need for developers. After all To cultivate talent, you must cultivate it as a creator, for you to create it, for yourself and for others.

Kaunas, Vilnius and all the basketball schools are now training team players. Imagine children from 10 to 12 years old playing combinations in such a way that nobody stands out, everything happens as a team. They are snails. Take a look at the student league stats – how many kids will you find that will earn 30 or 25 points per team? Everyone rolls 8, 6, 4. Anyway. All gray. That is our problem. “

S. Kaupys has no doubt that Lithuanian basketball will suffer greatly from such trends, and the negative consequences of the educational process are still visible today. The coach is skeptical about the best basketball players in the country at the moment, but he admires Rokas Giedraitis and hopes that the new strategists of the Žalgiris and Rytas teams will correct the situation in Lithuania a bit.

“It just came to our knowledge then. We don’t have a single star in 10 years. What do we consider stars? Unless Jonas Valančiūnas. Domantas Sabonis herself is a product of the Spanish basketball school. Not in Lithuania. And do we have snipers? Let’s say that at least one who had won something would have a high percentage and could throw 50 of 50.

Now we see that Rokas Giedraitis is playing well. It seemed that it did not fit in Lithuania. And how did it develop now? There he, Dovydas Giedraitis and Laurynas Birutis shine. Why? Because they have a lot of freedom there, they can create for themselves and create for others. Right?

Rock in general is a man who will play in Spain for another year and will be the highest level basketball player. He’s got speed, he’s got a three-point hitch, and good feed. Most importantly, you don’t have to wait to shoot the basket. Have a chance and goal. And blows. In Lithuania, sadly, he couldn’t do that.

Now, the trends in Lithuania may change something. Donald Kairys offers his players the ability to improvise, create and push. Martin Schiller also gives a lot of freedom. Hopefully this will change the fashion for kids basketball a bit. The child must have freedom, otherwise he will get nothing from him. “

S. Kaupys also has a positive view of the changes in Klaipėda – although “Neptūnas” has obviously weakened, it gives the youth of the city a chance.

“The club was weakened because someone wanted to have a result immediately a few years ago and everything got into debt. It goes bank. Added debts and now no money. But it is good that all Lithuanians play, many young players who get to play a lot. This will be a great advantage in the future. Now there is no money on Neptune. Klaipeda residents play for other clubs, they play abroad. When the money arrives, the debts will be paid and the serious players can return. “

Although S. Kaupys is critical of the education process for young Lithuanian basketball players, Delphi the interlocutor is glad that there is no shortage of talented children in the country. According to the specialist, the most important thing is the talent and the right psychological state of mind in basketball, and the most talented children should receive the most attention and opportunities for individual development.

“Everything is played by psychology and talent. If you don’t have a meticulous psychology, you won’t achieve anything. I wonder when the commenters say “it worked on the launch”. You did nothing. If you have a wooden handle, you won’t do anything. Hands are innate and everything. To be a sniper, you must have innate control and the psychology of a sniper.

If you don’t believe in yourself, how do you hit? The sniper has to think like this: I am free – pilu and there are no problems. And if not, the sniper knows it will be next time. This is the character of the winner. It is usually innate, ”said S. Kaupys.

“There are those talented children in Lithuania. Now I have seen children in both Kaunas and Vilnius. It has such shots .. Gold shots. But … they are locked in the system until they are young, they are only allowed to shoot when the system He allows it. And the player does not create for himself because he cannot throw. Then he does not create for others either, because others cannot stop doing it either.

What to do? Simple. Children from the age of 10 must receive the green light. For them to believe. To go on top of yourself, not the coach to put it all together “you’re like this, you’re there, run-run there, catch the ball, then maybe throw.” The child must now wait four to five attacks for his launch. And after all, not everyone can be the same. The most talented children should be at the top. Create for yourself, create for others. Earn points, have a winning character. “

According to S. Kaupis, basketball players who hit from afar should be given as many opportunities as possible, because it is for them that confidence is the most important thing. To illustrate this idea, the coach presented the example of David Sirvydis, who has not revealed himself in the ranks of Vilnius “Rytas” and now seeks happiness at the “Hapoel” club in Jerusalem.

“It just came to our knowledge then. If you see that a kid can hit 9 out of 10 triples during a practice, or at least 7 out of 8, let him throw it into the game too. Let him shoot as much as you want. Because if you kill, that’s all, there won’t be a sniper, the system is like this, there is no other way.

Look, there was Sirvydis in Dainiai Adomaitis. The couple loses three points and is already planting it. And what is here? Here is the destruction of man. If the coach wants to be meticulous, he can let him hit five 3-pointers in a row. But it will reach the sixth, seventh, eighth or ninth. Or he will lose nine, but at the end of the game, when the result is equal, he will score tenth and win the game, ”said S. Kaupys.

But if a player misses nine shots in a row, is his team likely to fall far behind their opponents?

“So what? (Laughs) Everything happens in basketball. Look, the team leads by 25 points and loses the game. The shots start to fall and things change very quickly. There is no problem here,” said the experienced coach. .

At the end of the conversation Delphi asked how much a basketball player is worth hitting from long range these days. The first coach of A. Macijauskas turned to Š. Jasikevičius.

“Do you see Shara burning with Nick Calathes now? Barcelona have already lost a couple of games in situations where in the final seconds all rivals withdraw from Calatheso, and he squats, catches the ball and misses.

Without triples, now there is nothing to do in basketball. You see, no one covers those who don’t. If a player is not a pitcher, the attack with him is not effective, he can cover 20-30 percent. ability and focus on hitters. There is nothing to do without throwing, basketball is something like that. “