Monday, October 18, 2010

Q&A with Lithuanian Eimantas Bendzius. Inspired by dad, he is ready to shine

Eimantas Bendzius is one of the most interesting talent in Lithuania. The 6-8 combo forward has just turned 20 and plays for the Vilnius Perlas in the LKL Lithuanian league and the SEB-BBL Baltic league as well. With a good size and outstanding athleticism Eimantas has a great future as a 3-man, being fast and with great shooting ability. Bendzius is definetely predicted to have a bright career.

Hello Eimantas, you have shined in the recent European Championship U20. How do you feel to be considered a next talent of the Lithuanian basketball for the years to come?

I actually do not think I am such a supertalent. I just have a dream since my early childhood to become as good as possible on the basketball court and I just work hard on daily basis to achieve my goal.

When did you feel you wanted to start playing basketball. When did you fall in love with the game?

My dad was a basketball player when I was a little kid. When I really was just a child I went to the gym to attend my father's practises and so I started to dribble and shoot around to the basket. As soon as I was allowed to join my age team I started to attend practises. I found it very exciting and interesting and since then I don't want to do anything else than playing basketball.

Lithuania is a wonderful country where basketball is very popular. Did you find out the reason why your country, that is relatively small, every year produces big-time talents who become successful in Europe or in the NBA?

We can say that Lithuania is a basketball country. I think Lithuanian guys have adamant character which give us a lot of strength and in my opinion this is one of the most important things if you want to become a basketball player. Moreover there are a lot of good basketball schools with excellent coaches in our youth programs. All these coaches are willing to do their best to train and teach kids and mold them in great players.

Is any top level player who particularly inspired your game?

There are a lot of players! I like Kevin Durant and Reggie Miller either but I think I got inspired a lot by my father.

You are very young, so for sure you have lots of interests off the court. Tell us what you like to do in your spare time.

Last summer after playing with U20 National team I spent a lot of time at the beach, because my home city is very close to the seaside. But when in my hometown Vilnius I like to rest at home also. I like watching movies, and when I go out with my friends or teammates we go for a dinner and afterwards to cinemas. Nice, simple stuff because I like to stay focus on basketball.

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