Unaware of the club’s decision, Kairys was not going to retire: “There are still many games without playing” / News

Vilnius Rytas team head coach Donaldas Kairys intended to continue his work at the club after the most difficult week of the season and discussed plans for the remainder of the season at a press conference, but was fired. an hour later.

Following the KMT quarter-final defeat, Utena Juventus distributed a message to the “Rytas” team that the 43rd specialist is saying goodbye and will be replaced by assistant Giedrius Žibėnas.

When asked at a post-match press conference if she was retiring, Kairys had no idea she would lose her job.

“No. I don’t have that desire at all. I’m a coach, I’m a fighter, I have a team, I love it. I want to help my club as much as I can. I’m not going to retire, but I understand that there will be a conversation with the coaches.” – Said the former “Rytas” coach after the game.

After a crushing defeat, Kairys was disappointed and admitted that this stab was extremely painful.

“We weren’t expecting such a result at all. After the loss at Utena, we felt we could play a lot better. We knew we could put up a better fight under the basket and we fixed some of that, but Juventus 3s just killed us, he said. the strategist – The main conditions were to bounce the balls and not stop shooting 3s. Unfortunately, the 3s shot too much and hit even more, sometimes illogical.

The opponents played on their bands today. We really miss that feeling. The team has been defeated since the start of the season in brutal gears. Starting with injuries, player exits, changes, and that background prevents you from playing so well and taking some free throws. This is obvious and in some situations I understand men. It is a very painful defeat, too painful. “

Press conference:

– Do you agree that Juventus also hit a lot of light triples, excluding Martynas Gecevičius?
– Maybe half free. You know, I won’t be able to argue with you, because Gecevičius shouldn’t see the bag at all when he’s holding the ball in his hands. Obviously, we didn’t do this job. He threw three more triples.

– In 2 weeks, the objectives of season 2: the KMT Cup and the Champions League. Are you not going to stop being a coach?
– No. I don’t have that wish at all. I’m a coach, I’m a fighter, I have a team, I love it. I want to help my club as much as I can. I’m not going to retire, but I understand that it will be the conversation with the executives. After such a defeat, a meeting with the club leaders is inevitable and if the board decides the opposite of what I want, it will be their decision.

– What is your own motivation to keep working?
– There are still many games without playing. We have healthy men who want to play, who need to train and I need to train.

– Do your players want to play basketball?
– I think they’re working hard. There were passages where they gave it their all. I will not agree that we wanted to earn less today. We bounced balls almost equally from much taller opponents. We were at a disadvantage under the baskets and on the mustache. Juventus has an advantage under the basket and there they played. We hit the rebounds with more balls than our opponents. We wanted that, we emphasized this before the game. We wanted to boldly quit without fear of falling. We have achieved it. I don’t think those numbers lie, and you journalists are creating the big picture – what you write and say.

– Do you think your composition is weaker than Juventus? So weak to lose 30 points?
– See where the points come from. It didn’t really look like it was a 30-point match. We lost 10 penalties, we missed free throws from the corners. There were only 9 points left in the middle of the third quarter. The game broke down in a few moments, in the second half, when I no longer had a minute of rest and could no longer control my players, and at the end, when everything became clear. The team needs to have a stronger spine. Don’t break so easily. That is the point. The team may not be successful in some section, but it is necessary to control everything, have a thorn. We didn’t have it today.

– The party saw Keith Benson using the phone on a bench. Do you tolerate such behavior?
– As I have not seen, I can not comment.

– Is the team looking for backup?
– We have not yet reacted to the changes of the last days and we have not yet made decisions that there will be another player. A meeting awaits, with many decisions to be made, perhaps even very cardinal ones.

– What other potential does the team have?
– You need to look for potential in hard work. They need to work, they need to love each other, they need to talk less about the bad things about others, shut up, close the hall, and work. I would like my students to respond less to what others write, focus on themselves, and respect each player and teammate. That is the coach’s job and I want to do it.

– There are still people for whom this team is important, why do they have to believe in you?
– Because there are still games, the season continues. The team is falling apart and lacks love. I can apologize for the poor performance, but we desperately need support, especially in tough times.