The mobile Juventus quadruple leaves no doubt: “Two Lithuanian teams will soon be the world elite of 3×3”

Photo: FIBA.com

Photo: FIBA.com

Photo: FIBA.com

Photo: FIBA.com

Photo: FIBA.com

Utena’s Juventus, who made their noisy World Trio Tournament debut, have every chance to place another elite team and be among the four strongest in the tournament in Debrecen, believes Dainius Novickas, a 3×3 specialist who is watching closely the events in Hungary.

The ticket that went to Juventus in the quarter-finals on Saturday could also be in the hands of the four-year-old Šakiai “Gulbelė” trained by Novickas, but in the Lithuanian showdown that turned into a fantastic drama at 8:18 p.m., the team of Utena triumphed.

“Of course, it is a shame that the Lithuanians expelled the Lithuanians,” Novickas commented on the BasketNews.lt website with a smile.

The Lithuanian teams, which entered Group D together, lost to NY Harlem with an identical result at 17:21, ranking fourth in the FIBA ​​trio rankings.

The US team finished in first place in the sub-group, but will already face the second world team “Novi Sad” from Serbia in the quarter-finals. At that time, Juventus will face the barrier of the ninth team in the Amsterdam ranking.

The playful tree formed in this way is one more victory for Juventus, who hunted hard in the basketball trio. In the next couple of quarterfinals, the third world team, Riga, will play with Graz.

The Šakiai team that was overboard in this tournament will remain in Hungary, where they will participate in two more Masters-level trio competitions in early September.

The BasketNews.lt website contacted Novickas about his impressions in Debrecen, the fiery Lithuanian battle and other trials.

Photo FIBA.com

– I sang, the Lithuanian match on the first day was probably the most impressive. How was that game when you were near the field?
– Everything is fine. We knew the fight would be point to point. Of course, it is a shame when Lithuanians shoot Lithuanians (laughs), but there is such a basketball player. We had a big head start, but we wasted it, and congratulations to the Utena men. Big. At the crucial moment, they seemed to be more experienced than us. Maybe we are tired. It was a good fight, but we started ourselves. We hope that Utena continues to take revenge on us.

– For the Utena trio team, this is their debut on the world stage. How does Utena see herself in the context of elite teams?
– Good. The greats who quickly adapted to refereeing allowed them to play a bit tougher in Lithuania. Here in the first match, Utena was in shock, but then she recovered. All supports were whistles, uneven barrier stakes, hands close to the body. They are professional 5×5 basketball players, so when (the umpires) don’t give in to play with contact, they make excellent use of it.

– The NY Harlem team was undefeated against the Lithuanians in the group. What went wrong for both teams?
– Both teams started the game in the same way. Despite the 12 fouls, Utena could certainly beat such a referee, sticky, the brilliant. So we ran to the end, which is very strange to me. It seems that we have experience, we should play well in the end. In the same way, we finished badly in the Hoptrans 3×3 final, now we have launched initiatives here at the end of both matches, where we should enjoy the victories. Our own mistakes ultimately led us to rest this time.

Photo FIBA.com

– Amsterdam, which is ranked ninth in the world rankings, awaits Juventus in the quarter-finals. What are the odds of the Utena players?
– Amsterdam did not come from the main formation, one has probably finished his career as far as I am concerned, but now he has brought a sniper. Good team, but definitely outmatched. I was surprised that the Dutch beat Novi Sad. But you can see that Novi Sad has not activated full gear yet. Utena needs to stop main player Aron Roye, who is the brains of the entire game, keeping the entire team on their leaders. If you are not allowed to get angry, the possibility is certainly greater than before Novi Sad. We will try to talk and help the Juventus basketball players, but we are in a bubble and Utena is in another hotel. Our not much and we spend. You will have to communicate more by phone. I think everything will go well and we will have a Lithuanian team in the semi-finals.

– The start of the tournament was postponed on the first day. What happened and what were the impressions from within the tournament?
– Everything moved for an hour because I couldn’t get the answers for all the COVID-19 tests from the players, so I had to wait. The strange thing is that we make contact in the hotel without masks, and in all the other places and in the square they tell us to sit with masks, even if the spectators are without them. From the hotel only to the store, you have to sign so that, God forbid, someone gets sick and can be traced.

– Juventus quadruple – without stop. How long is the expressed midfielder missing?
– They are all the same, drunkards, I don’t see any problem when I change. Maybe they shoot 3-pointers a little less. I spoke with Žydrūnas Urbonas, he told him, as a coach, he missed Žygis, he would like to play more picenrole. But with this four – everything is in order, he changes in defense, he opens up, he recovers balls, he has those forces. Even if I trained a little and spent more time on 3×3 basketball, I think things would be even better. You see, NY Harlem, the fifth team in the world, defeated the Swan, which is sixth, and Juventus fought and won against the Swan. It means that everything is going in the right direction. It can be said that two Lithuanian teams will soon be world 3×3 elites. Very welcome.

Comment from Igno Vaitkaus:

Swan and Juventus duel record: