By Nikos Varlas/ varlas@eurohoops.net
Motum debuted in the EuroLeague among other successes during his two-year run with Zalgiris and Thursday will mark his first time back.
Since penning a two-year deal with Efes over the summer and going from the team that is last in the EuroLeague in alphabetical order to the team that is first, Motum has averaged 8.9 points on 41.2% three-point shooting along with 3.3 rebounds in 18 minutes of play. His last game against Panathinaikos Superfoods Athens was his best yet with 21 points on 3-for-3 shooting from downtown. His career-best remains the 26 points on 11-for-12 shooting he posted against FC Barcelona Lassa for Zalgiris in November 2016 at Palau Blaugrana.
“I gave everything I had for Zalgiris in those two seasons!”
Zalgiris’s home court is one of the greatest in Europe as are the team’s loyal fans! So we asked Motum how he pictured his return to Kaunas.
“I’m excited to return to Kaunas! I have great memories playing for that club and for those fans. I still have many friends in the team and I look forward to seeing how the people will react with me. In those two seasons, I truly gave everything I had for Zalgiris. We won championships, we won the Cup and it’s true that I’m waiting for this night to return to a special place for me.”
“Jasikevicius understands basketball incredibly well!”
Sarunas Jasikevicius is doing an incredible job as Zalgiris head coach and it seems he has the credentials to become a great one. How does his former player see it after working with Saras every day for two years?
“He’s an amazing coach! He was a great player and you know that he played for many great coaches. I’m sure that he learned a lot from them. Like the charismatic point guard that he was, he understands the game incredibly well! The way he prepares and coaches the team is amazing. Already in the time he has been on Zalgiris’s bench as head coach, he has made a big difference and that comes through. As time passes, he will become even better. I have only good things to say about Jasikevicius from my personal experience as his player. He got the best out of me and he has the way of getting the maximum out of all his players.”
“For Lithuanians, basketball is like a… second religion!”
What was it like for an Aussie becoming one with Lithuania’s basketball culture?
“As an Aussie, having that experience was incredible! In my home country, basketball is an important sport, but not one of the top sports. In Lithuania, basketball is in their blood! Like the Lithuanians say, it’s like their second religion. The way they support their teams and the players is unbelievable. You have to watch a game in Kaunas and generally in Lithuania. People’s passion for the game and their team, their knowledge of the sport… Like I said, it’s like a religion. They know how to support their teams.”
“Australians grow up with cricket as a way of life!”
These days mark the start of the Ashes series in Australia, a traditional battle in cricket between England and Australia. In Motum’s home country, this is the top sporting event. We asked him to explain in the simplest way this sporting tradition that started in 1882 and has been going on between the two countries to this day, and the reasons cricket is Australia’s favorite sport.
“It’s funny that you should ask me about cricket. I’m a big fan. I played a little growing up in school. The Ashes are getting underway these days. They are a series of cricket games between Australia and England that take place roughly every year. I think the most important thing around cricket in Australia is these matchups in the big tournaments that take place during our summer. Some games go on for half a day, some for a whole day and some can even last for five days! It’s an interesting concept. Growing up in the summers and watching for days and days, as an Australian you learn to live with this and you make it part of your life. You can play in your backyard, on the beach, and from the moment you understand the philosophy and dynamics of the game, it becomes very interesting and fun.”
Can you compare Australia’smadness for cricket with Lithuania’s madness for basketball?
“The national sports of the two countries”
“I think the only comparison we can make between these two sports is that cricket is our national sport like basketball is for the Lithuanians. Based on my own experience playing for Zalgiris in Lithuania, it was an amazing feeling. I think the teams that play cricket in front of Australian fans feel something similar, but I haven’t experienced that. Fortunately, though, I was lucky enough to experience the basketball atmosphere and culture in Lithuania.”
It is a culture that all European basketball fans admire and one that will certainly cause the Zalgiris fans to give Motum a standing ovation on Thursday night. Besides, they experienced some beautiful moments with him, like winning titles, and so now the Australian is part of Zalgiris’s great history and of the hearts of its fans!