Another to be looked- for team in FIBA World Cup.

Fourth from the list of the strongest national basketball team in the world is another country from Europe which composes of averaging in towering 6’8” team squad, the Lithuanian basketball team.

Basketball team profile of this country is indeed a proof of their credibility to sit at the 4th spot in the FIBA World Ranking. For the total of six Olympic competitions they had competed in, three of those were given the team the bronze laurel for their country. They had bagged home two EuroBasket Championship Title during 1937 and 1939 competitions which inevitably made the sport basketball inside their country popular for all sport enthusiasts. The person to take credit for the spread of basketball sensation in Lithuanian soil and who also led their national team to win the 1939 EuroBasket Cup was Frank Lubin who his fellow countrymen considered as the “Grandfather of Lithuanian Basketball”.

For being once colonized country, Lithuania had been able to attain their independence on the year 1990 which was also the year when their national team had been revived to let them win another three bronze medals in Olympic tournament during the years 1992, 1996 and 2000.

The following Olympic seasons, 2004 and 2008, they had stepped down one rank in those competitions and carrying with them the fourth place, and becoming 8th during the last Olympic 2012.

To secure their ticket to Spain for them to be able to compete this year’s FIBA World Cup, and made their 5th appearance in the said competition, Team Lithuania won the 2nd place in 2013 FIBA EuroBasket Championship.

Team management will be the work to be pondered by Coach Jonas Kazlauskas.

Inside the court to instruct and spread their coach’s order will be the job to be done by their team’s point guards Tomas Delininkaitis of Selcuv Univ. in Turkey Basketball League and Mantas Kalnietis of Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar in PBL in Russia.

Guards and forwards position had been given to Paulius Jankunas, Simas Jasaitis, Mindaugas Kuzminskas, Jonas Maciulis, Martynas Pocius and Renaldas Seibutis.

To rebound failed-to-in baskets, team centers Jonas Valanciunas of Toronto Raptors, Donatas Motiejunas of Houston Rockets, Antanas Kavaliauskas, Robertas Javtokas and the Lavrinovic twins, Kristof and Darius, will cover the area near the basket.

With their experiences in the world stage of basketball, Team Lithuania cannot be indeed ignored in the list of the expected teams to win this season’s World Cup.

 

 

 

 

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