By Giorgos Orfanakis / info@eurohoops.net
The beloved Saras has experienced everything in his career. He won the EuroLeague four times, he was the MVP of the Final Four (2005), he tried his luck in the NBA, he won dozens of titles but, above all, he was etched in people’s memory as one of the most fun-to-watch leaders in history.
Now, he continues to serve his favorite sport from a different post but with the same success.
As he draws near to two years as head coach on Zalgiris Kaunas’s bench, Jasikevicius has already celebrated some very important results and has become a reference point for the Lithuanian club.
Eurohoops singled out and presents here coach Saras’s greatest triumphs, the ones that prepare us for what will follow in the years to come!
Zalgiris Kaunas – Olympiacos 75-55
Just one week after he was hired as Zalgiris Kaunas’s head coach, Sarunas Jasikevicius celebrated a great win right off the bat and, in fact, against Olympiacos.
Zalgiris hosted the Red-and-Whites on 22 January 2016 for Round 4 of the Top 16 and got a triumphant 75-55 win! The truth is that a coach doesn’t have enough time to change a lot within a few days but just the presence of such a big personality on the bench gave the players the necessary psychological push.
The result caused a sensation and was essentially the first warning sign for everything that was going to follow in the coming months…
Crvena Zvezda – Zalgiris Kaunas 79-88
What does a team need in order to “escape” from Crvena Zvezda’s fort? Talent, the right plan, character and Sarunas Jasikevicius as head coach!
Zvezda played excellent basketball throughout the 2016/2017 season and lost the qualification for the playoffs in a tie with Darussafaka. Things might have turned out differently if on 2 December 2016 the Serbian club had managed to prevail against Zalgiris.
Saras’s players, however, had something to say about that and, thanks to their amazing defense in the last quarter (22-13), they got their first important away win (79-88) with the Lithuanian legend on their bench.
Anadolu Efes – Zalgiris Kaunas 71-84
Last season, Zalgiris Kaunas proved to be a tough nut to crack for every one of their opponents and Velimir Perasovic’s Anadolu Efes understood this first hand.
On 20 December 2016, Sarunas Jasikevicius and his players got a comfortable 84-71 win for Round 13. This result armed them with confidence for what was to come and filled them with hope that they will manage to be in the competition’s playoffs.
This wasn’t possible in the end but Saras wrote another important page in his book of successes as head coach.
Zalgiris Kaunas – CSKA Moscow 79-74
The day David beat Goliath! On 24 January 2017, Zalgiris Kaunas hosted then European champions, CSKA Moscow, and gave their fans yet another joyful experience in the Zalgirio Arena.
The final score of 79-74 was Sarunas Jasikevicius’s handiwork as he had now passed on his philosophy to the team! Besides, Saras had been one of the greatest leaders/ winners in the history of the EuroLeague and the fact that his team once again raised their level in the 4th quarter for an ideal close to the game should be considered anything but random.
Darussafaka – Zalgiris 66-69
Having now been armed with the necessary confidence from the results of previous weeks, Zalgiris had everything they needed to play away from home and face any opponent.
This is what they did on 27 January 2017 for Round 20 of the regular season. With patience, the right plan and the decisive Pangos on a very good night, Zalgiris overthrew their rivals with the final 66-69.
Sarunas Jasikevicius’s team was no longer just a piece of the EuroLeague puzzle but ready to fight to the end for a playoff spot.
Zalgiris Kaunas – Panathinaikos 64-58
Panathinaikos’s away game on 9 March 2017 turned into… a nightmare and Zalgiris Kaunas were the ones responsible for that.
In what was a low-quality game, Sarunas Jasikevicius proved once again that he has passed on to his players the necessary winner’s spirit so that they can prevail even on a bad day.
The impressive fourth-quarter score of 30-17 gave Zalgiris the win (64-58). However, the positive results against bigger opponents were no longer as surprising for basketball fans since they had become… a habit.
Baskonia – Zalgiris Kaunas 79-84
An unimportant game? Never! For the last round of the 2016/2017 regular season, Zalgiris travelled to Baskonia’s very tough home court without the slightest interest in terms of points.
But any self-respecting coach expects his players to give their best every single night. Sarunas Jasikevicius’s yelling kept his team… on edge for 40 minutes, with the final score of 79-84 writing the ideal epilogue to a very good season for the Lithuanians.