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A veteran graduate of “Žalgiris” Paul Jananko He does not intend to taste the bread of the coach’s work, but does not promise to differ with the Kaunas “Žalgiris” team.
Paul Jankūnas is already 36 years old, but both Kaunas “Žalgiris” and the Lithuanian men’s team still need him. In the square, the mountains no longer move, but especially useful outside of it, in the wardrobe, is the spiritual leader of the teams.
Paul has won a wide variety of competition awards. With the national team, the striker won the bronze medal at the World Championships in 2010 and at the European Championships in 2007 and 2015. He won silver and bronze medals. The symbol of the Kaunas team won 14 times in the Lithuanian Basketball League (LKL) championship.
This forward is a true legend of the Euroleague. He is the best rebounding fighter in the entire history of this elite continental tournament. Until this season, P.Jankūnas has caught up to 1816 balls.
The captain of “Žalgiris” defends the honor of this club for the seventeenth season! He has represented the team since 2005. Naturally, his playing curve is slowly descending. For example, during 2016-2017. In the Euroleague season, he accumulated 16.8 profit points, in 2017-2018. – 13.7, 2017-2018 – 7.5, and last season – 4.9 points.
Paul’s stats are worse than in earlier times, but he’s still not a statistician in the chart. Build high-quality barriers, effectively fill the gaps in the defense of teammates, throw effective passes.
The Žalgiris veteran answered questions from Vaidas Čeponis, a journalist for the Olympic Panorama.
– Paul, do you think you will also be useful in the square this season? On average, how many more minutes per game could you play effectively?
– It’s hard to say that I’ll try to help my teammates. I won’t tell you how many minutes I’ll play. It will depend on the coach. Anyway I feel good, but due to the coronavirus I had to go a long time without basketball. It’s not good that veterans don’t exercise intensively for five months.
– You have never been famous for speed, jump. You’ve been down a bit more lately. Is it related to the serious leg injury suffered?
– No, it’s age. After all, it is no longer youth.
– How much longer are you going to play?
– Maybe this season will be the last. I have not made a final decision yet.
– What will you do at the end of your career?
– Maybe I’ll try to get a job at the “Žalgiris” club. After all, I’ve been playing for this team for many years, I know the coaches very well.
– Do you dream of a coaching job?
– No, although I cannot know what will happen in the future. I plan to try to get a job at the Žalgiris management.
– Will you keep trying to get into the twelve of the national team, which will participate in the Olympic qualifiers next year and then possibly in the Olympic Games in Tokyo?
– Oh I do not know. Sure, every basketball player dreams of attending games, but I really appreciate my opportunities. I am careful with this. After all, the Olympic tournament has moved on for a year, and for me, a veteran, it is not an advantage for me. If the coaches of the national team still invite me to training camp, I have not decided what to do.
– How would you describe the new Žalgiris coach Martin Schiller? How is it different from Šarūnas Jasikevičius?
– They are different. The Austrian gives much more freedom when attacking, it does not require that one or the other combination is completely completed each time, especially if a player remains free or besieged. In this case, it is advisable to shoot in the basket, but the attacks still do not have to be chaotic, rushed.
Positional attacks are now shorter than when training Šarūnas. Schiller places great emphasis on fast play, a sudden transition from defense to attack. Shar wanted the ball to be played before the so-called actual pitch. We often waited for rival defenses.
– Fast game probably not for the heart?
– Nothing terrible, I’ll try to adapt.
– Will you go ahead with the fast attack?
– Yes, if necessary (laughs).
– When Š.Jasikevičius led the Kaunas club, the team had about 70 combinations. Now, it seems, there are far fewer. M. Schiller also uses the combinations used by Šarūnas?
– And now we have enough combinations. I think there will be more during the season. Yes, some of the same combinations remained. In general, in modern basketball, most teams use similar combinations.
– And the defense?
– The defense is also different. When I was Shar, we often defended against a combination of two-on-two opponents with a step out (a situation where the defender of the attacking team is blocked by a tall man and the midfielder of the defending team slows down the opponent’s attack organizer with the ball and returns to the penalty area – aut.) or we all exchange defenders.
Now we mainly use a defense system: “Ice” (or “Lateral”) (when the opponents make a combination of two against two, the highest defender moves only a little from under the basket forward, and the defender from the opponent, who is positioned on the barrier, helps to defend on the edge of the court or in the middle of the court. the player on the edge – automatic sticking). In this way the new coach wants us not to lose three points from the edges of the field.
– How do you rate this season’s team “Žalgiris”?
– All good. The club acquired the strong midfielder Joffrey Lauvergne, Augustine Rubit. I guess the game often revolves around J. Lauvergne, who is very experienced. There are good pitchers. Also, Rokas Jokubaitis doesn’t seem solid for years.
– Do you have a real chance of entering the Euroleague playoffs?
– We will try and it will be difficult to say if we will succeed. Much will depend on how we play, how we understand each other in the square.
– Donaldas Kairys, the head coach of Vilnius Rytas, his opponent’s main champion in the Lithuanian Basketball League, recently stated that his students can defeat Žalgiris more than once this season. What is the impression of the Morning set?
– I don’t appreciate these languages. And Rytas has strong individual basketball players. It will be a powerful rival. We will have something to do while we play with the Vilnius team.
– What are the specific functions of the teacher? How is leadership manifested in the dressing room?
– Not during the first year in that occupation. The same routine. There are definitely things to do, but Artūras Milaknis and Marius Grigonis help me. After all, we have a lot of new players. Everyone needs to know what can and cannot be done. You have to do, for example, educational work. Let’s say basketball players are not late for training.
Efforts should be made to reassure those who are very excited before the game. Sometimes humor is helpful, but rarely. Some are too relaxed before the game, then I try to be serious. I communicate with the club directors, coaches and pass the necessary information to the players.
– You are left-handed like two other basketball players from the Kaunas team: Lukas Lekavičius and R.Jokubaitis. It was previously announced that such players on the court have certain advantages over other basketball players. How are you now?
– Yes, in the past, when there was not as much analysis of opponents in the game (“scouting”) as now, some experts said that these players are more difficult to cover, that it is inconvenient to defend against them. But now the situation has changed. Teams are analyzed very carefully, so lefties no longer have an advantage.
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