By Antonis Stroggylakis/ info@eurohoops.net
After Jonas Kazlauskas left the helm of the Lithuania with the expiration of his contract, federation president Arvydas Sabonis has been working on finding the new head coach that will lead his country’s national team in future tournaments.
There are three candidates currently linked with the position: Rimas Kurtinaitis (Cantu), Sarunas Jasikevicius (Zalgiris Kaunas) and Tomas Pacesas (Lietuvos Rytas), as FIBA’s website mentions. Kurtinaitis can be considered an obvious choice due to his experience and the inspiration he can transmit to his players.
It goes without saying that the latter quality applies in huge amounts to Jasikevicius. Even though not as seasoned as Kurtinaitis, Saras is perhaps someone with whom the members of the national team can relate to more easily. After all, he was still hooping two years ago.
Pacesas became known in the field of European basketball, as coach of Polish Asseco Prokom, with which he made the Euroleague playoffs in 2010.
However, there is an extra name in the mix, one that might be even considered a favorite. According to Lithuanian website 15Min.lt, Dainius Adomaitis is quite high in Sabonis’ list. The 42-year old coach and former player has been sitting at the bench of Neptunas Klaipeda since 2015, steering the team to the Eurocup Last 32 last season.