The
Lithuanian Basketball Federation (LKF) is yet to announce an official verdict
on coach Kestutis Kemzura, whose contract with the federation expired after the
Olympics, but a coaching change is almost inevitable for Lithuania.
Vladas
Garastas, the Honorary President of LKF, was disappointed that the tradition of
making the Olympic semi-finals was broken, but what frustrated him the most was
the team’s display on the court.
“The
thing I didn’t like the most was the gray and monotonic game. I wanted speed,
passing, running. We lacked fire. It seemed as if it was a team of veterans
over 40-years-old,” Garastas said in an interview with Delfi.lt.
Multiple
names have been brought up of who could take over at the helm of the national
team, but Jonas Kazlauskas and Rimas Kurtinaitis have been highlighted as the
main candidates.
However,
certain disagreements between Khimki’s coach Rimas Kurtinaitis and the LKF,
stemming from Lithuania’s poor performance in EuroBasket 2009, have rounded up
the candidate list to a single solid name.
Kazlauskas
returning to the national team is potentially a deal made in heaven, as a
rejuvenated team will benefit from having an experienced coach, who seems to be
interested in returning as well.
“I had
no contact with the federation until Arvydas Sabonis was elected as President.
Now, with Arvydas, things have a potential to change. I respect him a lot and
if he ever asks for help, I will never say no,” Jonas Kazlauskas told BasketNews.lt.
Rimas
Kurtinaitis is fully behind the candidature of Kazlauskas, despite him not the
best season with CSKA Moscow.
“I
don't see myself in the national team in the upcoming years. I would say Jonas
Kazlauskas is the best option. He is experienced and already has been in this
situation in the past,” Kurtinaitis told Russian media.
Vladas
Garastas was cautious about his wording of the issue, but the idea remained the
same – there is no better candidate than Kazlauskas.
“When it comes to choosing the coach, the prerogative belongs to Arvydas Sabonis. First of all, we need to talk with the best candidate. And I think Jonas Kazlauskas is just that. We need an experienced guy like him to rebuild Lithuanian basketball.”
