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Photo: BNS
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Kyle Viñales, who started his career in exotic countries, knew a different kind of basketball in Europe. The stage of his career in Lithuania is no exception, where the basketball horizon of legionnaire Panevėžys “Lietkabelis” began to expand before the start of the season.
The 28-year-old American appeared in Lithuania almost a month and a half before the start and for the first time since he began his professional career in 2015, he made the preseason preparations with the team.
Viñales, who had previously played in Europe for two seasons, joined the Larnaca AEK and Kalev / Cramo clubs from Tallinn at the beginning of the official battles, and for the first three years he was debated between countries such as Puerto Rico, Tunisia or Dubai.
In them, almost all the spotlights were directed at Viñales. He generated 22.4 points and 6 assists in Tunisia, won the local league and was recognized as the MVP of the championship and final.
The statistics of the Puerto Rican basketball player were 20.1 points, 3.6 assists and 3.4 rebounds.
But the level of basketball, as Vinales himself admitted on the BasketNews.lt website, differs from that of Europe by light years, where he had to apply not only to a different discipline, but also to change positions.
“Basketball in those countries is not that serious, the training is radically different. I didn’t have to train twice a day until I moved to Europe,” Vinales opened for the website “BasketNews.lt”. – Until then, I used to train once a day and play matches. When I came to Europe, I had to apply more of a different position, as I played as an offensive defender my entire career.
In Puerto Rico, for example, there are no defenders as tall as in Europe, and my height is only 185 cm, so it would be quite difficult to compete in the second number in Europe. The last two years have been a period of adjustment for me. “
Viñales, who shined in the VTB United League last season, was the fifth most successful player in the championship, averaging 17.7 points and 4.6 assists. These indicators caught the attention of Lietkabelis staff, who were looking for a basketball player who could resolve situations individually and create opportunities for other teammates.
The last element of the game has never been so emphasized in an American arsenal during its career, forcing the player to look at attack more broadly.
In the LKL championship, he earns 14.8 points and makes 4.4 effective passes, but at the same time makes a mistake 3.5 times.
On the changing profile of the player, Lietkabelis boss. coach, experience in Europe and ambitious LKL goal – BasketNews.lt website contacted Vinales.
– Is it true that for the first time in your career you have passed the general stage of preparation for the season at Lietkabel?
– This is the first time that I joined the team so early. You’ve never missed this transition during the preseason cycle – jogging outdoors, friendly games, general gym workouts – but it all shows that you’re on a much more serious level of basketball. My body feels good and is stronger than ever. I enjoy these processes and I fully understand that this year it will help me take the steps forward in my career, which is what I want, to move to bigger clubs. If I want to achieve that, I have to work even harder.
– How do you manage to play the role of creative advocate in Nenad Chanak’s schemes?
– I’m still trying to find a balance between involving other teammates in the attack and the opportunity to make a contribution on my own, and I’m also trying to be a leader. For me, this is a challenge. The coach demands it from me every day to be able to maneuver between scoring points and getting more basketball players involved in the attack. I work day after day to achieve it. It is not easy, but I am happy to accept this challenge.
– How does the coach present your requirements?
– From the first day in Panevėžys, the coach speaks to me without curtains. He immediately said that he sees me as one of the main players, expects a lot from me and trusts me. As you mentioned, I see that I would involve teammates in the attack and look for ways to score points myself. The coach makes me stretch. He immediately said it wouldn’t be easy, but trust me. If I couldn’t do that, I wouldn’t be here. I did this test and try to work on it every day.
– How do you manage to handle those tasks?
– In each game, differently, here is a sport in which we do not avoid the hills. But every defeat or worst day is a lesson. Every day I feel more and more comfortable in the coaching system, with my teammates. The team is moving forward, me too.
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– Serbian coaches have a fairly strict working methodology. Do you notice this in Chanak’s work processes?
– In Tunisia I had to work with a Serbian coach (Predrag Badnjarevičius – aut. Pas.), Who was completely different – screaming, screaming like crazy, he was very strict. I like Chanak, he is strict, but much calmer. Nenad doesn’t yell unnecessarily, so he chooses when he needs to. I would say that there is a kind of strategy when taking actions based on the situation. In addition, the coach stands out for mutual respect and I thank him very much.
– It was his debut in the European Cup. What did you learn from that experience?
– I feel like I have received a great lesson from fighting against these teams. We got into the toughest group where we had to compete with high-level rivals and put our strength to the test. Looking now at the LKL, it cannot be said that it is easier for us from the experience we have gained, but if you look at the European Cup, we are convinced that we can play with everyone. We had to compete with some of the best teams in Europe, which allowed us to see how good we are. Those lessons will definitely be useful to us.
– Looking deeper, what do you get stuck playing against one of the best teams in Europe?
– The opponents’ defenders were very experienced basketball players and were prepared differently. Going back to my first game with Monaco, that game showed me a different level of basketball than the one they defended against me; they limited many of my opportunities to excel on the field. This shows that the competitors did their homework well. This impressed me and I personally had a very rewarding experience. The preparation of such opponents was on a completely different level than other teams. We had to experience this both personally and for the whole team, and we can learn from it.
– “Lietkabelis” has absorbed many painful blows in the European Cup. How did the team grow after such experiences?
– Our team is really very young. The experience of wins and losses, everything that constitutes a sport, gives a lot. Those setbacks were very painful, as our goal was to break into the Top 16, and when we didn’t, it crossed our ambitions. The game lost in the locker room gave us an hour for deliberation and obviously it hurt a lot. But you can see it differently: we have a season match with Kaunas “Žalgiris”, so we can mourn those defeats or learn from them and reap rewards at the end of the season. We have to be even more hungry after these failures and reach the goal of the last season, which is to win the title of LKL champion. Nothing happens without a reason and we need to gain experience to move on.
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– You mentioned an ambitious goal. You have already played in the LKL championships with all teams, including the leaders of the classification. How do you assess your chances of reaching the final?
– I really appreciate it, we won both against “Žalgiris” and against Vilnius “Rytas”. Of course, the first two games (lost to Prienai CBet and Kėdainiai Nevėžio-Optibet – aut. Past) did not go so well, but they shook the team and now we are on our way to seven straight wins. We played our best basketball in LKL, which is a bit difficult to explain. I hope to keep that momentum going on Sunday. No matter how the match ends, whether we are in first place in the standings or we are second, our goal remains the same. We have shown that we can fight Žalgiris and I think we can win.
– You mentioned that Lietkabelis’ play in the European Cup and LKL was very different. What could be the reasons for this?
– I wouldn’t say it was a psychological thing, but it’s actually a difficult question. Of course, everything is different: teams, personal duels, the size of the players themselves. In the LKL’s priorities, many of these things prevail in our favor, which immediately makes the party different. In fact, it is very difficult to compare.
– Do you accept the duel with the Lithuanian grandchildren as a personal challenge to show yourself to the best players in the league?
– Of course, with such determination, the whole team enters the field. I didn’t know much about Lithuanian basketball until last year, but before I moved to Europe I had to hear about “Žalgiris”, “Rytas” as well as players like Ryan Boatright, Thomas Walkup. When you play with the strongest teams, you want to show that you are just as good or even better. It includes a good sense of improvement and provides motivation.
– You say you want to resist a bigger club. Where would you see yourself?
– In sport, every day should be the highest goal. My dream has always been to play in the NBA, which is what I strive for every day. It motivates me to work, stay after workouts, and continue to be individually luxurious. I want to learn from my experiences and fight for victory. As I mentioned, my goal with Lietkabel is to win the champion title, because those victories contribute to your success next year, everyone feels: coaches, players, management.
– You competed successfully in Tallinn last season. How would you compare your experience in Lithuania and Estonia?
– The Latvian-Estonian leagues have nothing to compare, but the VTB United League with Euroleague teams and the European Cup is the best national championship. From our point of view, it is even very similar to our group in the European Cup, where we play with teams of similar ability. Before coming to Lithuania, I really thought that the LKL was similar to the Latvian-Estonian league, but after the first two matches it was a bit unpleasant that I was wrong. Now I appreciate LKL much more, I just had a wrong image before that. LKL is a completely different league to Latvia-Estonia, they can’t even be compared.
– How was such an image of LKL formed?
– It’s hard to say, I just didn’t know much about it. Similar countries so I thought leagues would have similar capacity. I did not go into too much detail.
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