Lithuania's Kurtinaitis to have multiple Žalgiris players, NBA guard commits to national team

Lithuania's men's basketball team is set to commence preparations for the second stage of the 2027 World Cup qualifiers on August 10 in Birštonas. Head coach Rimas Kurtinaitis is actively engaging with potential candidates and finalizing other preparatory details.

The team faces a challenging Group J, holding a 3-3 record, alongside strong competitors like Turkey (6-0), Italy (5-1), Serbia (4-2), Iceland (3-3), and Bosnia and Herzegovina (2-4). "We have a lot of work to do, and many things to fix," Kurtinaitis stated, emphasizing the need for collective effort. "Now the most important thing is for everyone to put their shoulders to the wheel and do everything that depends on us as well as possible."

Kurtinaitis confirmed that discussions with candidates are ongoing daily. Players like Ąžuolas Tubelis, who led the team in scoring during the first stage, and Arnas Butkevičius are returning. Conversations are also underway with several players from Kaunas "Žalgiris." Additionally, Gytis Radzevičius has committed, and Kurtinaitis received a positive response from point guard Kasparas Jakučionis, though his participation depends on his new NBA club, the Milwaukee Bucks.

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We have a lot of work to do, and many things to fix. Now the most important thing is for everyone to put their shoulders to the wheel and do everything that depends on us as well as possible.

The coach strongly criticized calls from some colleagues urging players not to join the national team. "I will not hide it, I am surprised, to put it mildly, by the calls from some colleagues for players not to go to the national team," Kurtinaitis said. "In my opinion, this is completely incomprehensible. This is not about Kurtinaitis's or Petraičius's team. And not about the association's team. We are talking about the most important team in our country. About a great privilege to defend Lithuania's honor. It is gratifying that the players understand this."

Lithuania's upcoming official qualifiers are against Turkey on August 28 in Istanbul and Bosnia and Herzegovina on August 31 in Vilnius. Kurtinaitis noted that other national teams are assembling strong squads, including NBA stars like Nikola Jokic for Serbia and Giannis Antetokounmpo for Greece, underscoring the need for Lithuania to field its strongest possible team.

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I will not hide it, I am surprised, to put it mildly, by the calls from some colleagues for players not to go to the national team. In my opinion, this is completely incomprehensible. This is not about Kurtinaitis's or Petraičius's team. And not about the association's team. We are talking about the most important team in our country. About a great privilege to defend Lithuania's honor. It is gratifying that the players understand this.