[ad_1]
Photo: BNS
BNS photo
Jonas Mačiulis is one of the first basketball players that comes to mind when thinking about struggle, dedication and the desire to represent his country, writes “Vilniauskm.lt”.
Lithuania National Team / Calendar
Since 2007 The 36-year-old forward, who plays for the representative Lithuanian national team, is currently preparing for the last window of the European Championship, which will take place from 20 to 22 February. will take place in Vilnius.
Saturday at 7:30 pm Lithuania will face the Czech Republic, and on Monday at the same time they will enter a decisive fight with the Danish team.
The Kaunas resident, who has won 4 medals with the Lithuanian national team, is about to increase the pressure and is concentrating on his work on the field.
“We have 4 days to prepare, on the fifth day we are already playing the game,” Mačiulis said at a special Vilnius Basketball School (VKM) show. – If we collected all the best, I think we would not be talking about the results that are now. When you play for the Lithuanian national team, you always feel responsible, you feel the importance of the match. The national team is very often something that there is no tomorrow if you lose ”.
“In the championship, for example, you play 7 games and you know that each defeat can cost you a lot. Team veterans are used to that tension. You know you have to win it all, especially in this situation. We hope for the best, but we can’t predict everything in basketball, ”added the forward.
When asked what a member of the Lithuanian basketball team thinks about virtual fans in the arenas during this pandemic period, the athlete’s face is decorated with a wide smile.
“It just came to our notice then. As you pass by and on the big screen, you see a fan sitting on a tiled shoulder wearing a woolen hat, wondering what’s going on here now (laughs). Those dresses and reactions sometimes squeeze a Smile When the room is full, you don’t see such reactions, and when you throw a person on the big screen, then there is laughter.
Personally, I am amused that people are interested that they can at least participate in some way, see each other and show themselves. It would definitely be more fun to play with real fans in a packed arena and I think that arena would be full. “
BNS photo
June 29 to July 4 The Lithuanian team in Kaunas will compete in the Olympic team, where they will look for a ticket to the Tokyo Olympics.
In the selection for the only entry to the Games, the Lithuanian team will fight against the teams of Slovenia, Poland, Angola, Korea and Venezuela. However, it is still unclear whether we will see the Lithuanian towers of Domantas Sabonis, Jonas Valančiūnas and the Slovenian super talent Luka Dončičius in Kaunas.
Mačiulis, who played alongside Dončičius at Real Madrid, admitted that in this case not everything depends on the wishes of the basketball players.
“I have no doubt that Luke would be very interested in participating in the Olympic team, because I know that he loves his country very much and wants to represent it. Since he lived and played in Spain between the ages of 13 and 14, he could choose to play for the Spanish or Slovenian national team. There was speculation about it, but when it came time to hold elections, he made it clear that he was Slovenian and that he would represent Slovenia.
The next question is, can he come? As far as I’m concerned, the NBA will run until the end of July, so it’s not just Luka’s problem here. The question here is whether our Domantas and John and other NBA players who are important to their national teams will make it. I think the Olympic selection can be done through windows. The good thing is that at least the Euroleague players will be able to get together ”.
The Kaunas citizen, who won the title of champion of the Euroleague, the silver, the bronze and the bronze of the European Championships, does not hesitate when asked about the rest of the dream.
“My greatest wish and the icing on the cake of my career would be an Olympic medal. No ambiguities. That would be a dream and an aspiration, but before that you have to take many more steps: you have to join the team, go through the national team, go to the Olympic Games and try to do something there. “
Speaking about next summer, Mačiulis also mentioned 3 × 3 basketball, which he successfully competed in last year. According to the basketball player, in certain circumstances, we could also see him in 3 × 3 Olympic basketball.
“With 3 × 3 basketball, there is such a thing that you cannot just come and participate. There will also be a selection at the end of May, you have to be included in the selection team. If all goes well, he shouldn’t have finished the season with AEK yet, it’s as if he couldn’t participate.
There are many nuances that will develop throughout the season. I can’t really answer “yes” or “no” right now. Everything will be decided at the end of the season. It may also be the case that I get to be part of a 3 × 3 team, I go to the campus of the national team and, if anything, I have a plan B. Everything can be (smiles) ”.
Photo M. Baranauskas / LKL
Remembering the debut of the Lithuanian national team in 2007, it spreads a hilarious story. He received a call to the national team after a golden triumph in the University World Cup.
“I was sitting in Bangkok after the college game and we were going to celebrate (laughs). I got a message to fly to the Acropolis in Athens in a couple of hours. Previously, this was the last test before the European Championship. I flew from Bangkok to Athens for about 15 hours. I arrived without sleep and being in space. I had to put on a jersey and I remember it was a pretty tense match. They put me on the field and the opponents put pressure on Šarūnas Jasikevičius and Ramūnas Šiškauskas.
I throw the ball and need to kick it (laughs). I was young, like in space, not in my position, I often had to get that ball out (laughs). We went to the Eurocup, I didn’t play many minutes there, but we need energy from the young player in defense, to give the main players a few minutes of rest. That task, I think, was done quite well, and then all the generations of the team followed ”.
Mačiulis admits that the life of a professional basketball player requires sacrifices, but he still enjoys being on the field.
“It just came to our knowledge then. You have to take care of your body. Until I was 24-25 years old, I didn’t even look at my body and the signals it sent. They read something, but you didn’t see anything and went to play. Now you know the weaknesses of your body, what to do If compared to the beginning of the race, many things have changed: leisure, food and sleep.
For example, each season you start a little bit with other tests, searches. He wants the next season to be always better, more successful, with less injuries and pain. You have to sacrifice extra time to care for it, but not everyone can play basketball. It requires a lot of sacrifice, work, patience, will. I enjoy basketball, every day that I spend on the field. Last season was a success for both me and the team. This season so far has played out like a roller coaster. I don’t think too much about the end of my career. Maybe it’s too early, everything is fine (smiling) so far “.
Mačiulis spent his childhood at the Sabonis Basketball Center. Speaking about basketball school times, a member of the Lithuanian team highlights the importance of movement, time with friends and a proper coach:
“It just came to our knowledge then. I don’t know if coach Romualdas Petronis already had pedagogical training at that time, but he really knew how to work with children, his parents trusted him a lot, the coach knew how to play basketball.
Our first trip, when we were ten years old, was a train trip to Moscow. Now, rejecting the pandemic, I would say that a coach with the children flew to Italy would be nothing special. But we are talking about the wild in 1995, when you could leave without returning, and with twelve more decades, ”Mačiulis laughed.
“For all the children, in the first place, it was the simplest activity, the game, the sport, where we could spend time with friends. I played basketball not because I became an athlete. I played until 16-17 because I had an occupation. And that is. We went to exercise to hit friends. Before training, while the weather was still good, we met at the Kaunas “Molas” shopping center on Baršausko street.
There was a stadium there, we ran there an hour before and after training (laughs). There was a lot of energy and we all wanted to train, we all wanted to play sports, but we didn’t think about the future and that day we were happy. You could say it was a real childhood, ”said the basketball player.
Speaking about the Day of Restoration of the State of Lithuania and the children’s photography and drawing contest “Celebrating Freedom” organized by ERM on this occasion, Mačiulis said: “As a player of the national team who takes pride when the Lithuanian anthem is played before international matches, such celebrations are really important. “
“I am happy and congratulate all my compatriots. It is an honor for me to be Lithuanian and I am proud to be able to celebrate all the important dates for our country. It is fun to have such beautiful initiatives that you can participate in and express your citizenship.
It is important to understand what freedom is and how important it is to appreciate it. I wish everyone to continue their efforts, to play basketball, so that there is an aspiration to play for the Lithuanian team, so that they never give up, because it is an honor to represent their country, ”Mačiulis added.
Web themes:
0:47 min .: Greece Cup and spring weather in Athens;
03:08 min .: Details of the European Championship selection windows;
07:02 min .: Situation of the Lithuanian national team and increased pressure;
11:32 min .: Virtual spectators: entertain and help;
14:27 min .: Olympic team in Kaunas: Luka Dončičius, Domantas Sabonis, Jonas Valančiūnas;
16:37 min .: Master plans in 3 × 3 basketball;
18:30 min .: Maximum remaining goal of the race;
19:54 min .: How do you have to change your habits over the years ?;
23:36 min .: Memories of the Sabonis Basketball Center and coach Romualdas Petronis;
29:32 min.: The meaning of February 16;
30:49 min.: First time special: debut in the representative Lithuanian team.
33:40 min. Winners of the ERM # Celebrating Freedom Contest and Congratulations to Mačiulis
[ad_2]
