By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Fourteen players, including six attached to Turkish Airlines EuroLeague clubs, were called up by the head coach of Lithuania’s senior national team Kazys Maksvytis.
The Lithuanian Basketball Federation, LKF, revealed the preliminary list on Tuesday.
Heading to the Qualifiers of the 2025 EuroBasket, Lukas Lekavicius, Tomas Dimsa, Vaidas Kariniauskas, Margiris Normantas, Dovydas Giedraitis, Deivydas Sirvydis, Gytis Radzevicius, Rokas Giedraitis, Osvaldas Olisevicius, Edgaras Ulanovas, Azuolas Tubelis, Laurynas Birutis, Martinas Geben, and Gabrielius Maldunas were called up. Depending on recovery from surgery on his left hand, Mindaugas Kuzminskas was listed as a candidate for a late addition to the squad.
FIBA and Euroleague Basketball reaching an agreement on respective schedules prevented conflicts between club and international duties for players competing in the EuroLeague. Consequently, Rokas Giedraitis of Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet alongside Zalgiris members Dovydas Giedraitis, Ulanovas, Birutis, Lekavicius, and Dimsa got in the mix.
The national team coached by 46-year-old Maksvytis is set to battle Estonia and North Macedonia for the two advancing spots of Group H. Completing the group, Poland received an automatic berth as one of the EuroBasket hosts, leaving the remaining three countries in a race for two tickets to the final stage of the tournament.
Tipping off the six-game double-legged round-robin schedule, Lithuania takes on Poland in Vilnius on February 23 and travels to Tallinn to face fellow Baltic country Estonia on February 26. The second international window with EuroBasket Qualifiers will be held in November, early in the 2024-25 winter schedule.
Photo Credit: FIBA.BASKETBALL