Exclusive reportage from Lithuania: from Sabonis to the next superstars, the country where basketball is an art

Lithuania is a european country with an area of 25,200 square miles situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea and its population is approximately 3.5 millions. Religion is Catholic..but if you ask any lithuanian what is his religion he will answer: Krepsinis! Needless to translate, it's basketball.

Yes, basketball is the main sport practised with unbridled passion of the people of this country. It's amazing how any person in any place, on the street, at the bars, at work talk about ball. The history of basketball in this country is founded in the first decades of the last century, imported by an aviator, Steponas Darius. If you think that the days in the Baltic region are long and cold and that darkness comes early, we can deduce that this was the ideal sport to keep fit, stay together and have fun in the appropriate facilities.



Arvydas Sabonis

 The Lithuanian National team won two European Championships in 1937 and 1939, just before the II World War. Pranas Lubinas was the coach who helped popularize basketball in the country and was called the "Grandfather of Lithuanian basketball". Meanwhile, Lithuania was annexed by the former Soviet empire but Lithuanian players kept forming the core of the Soviet National team. That was especially for the historical 1988 Olympic where the russian basketball National team won the Gold medal. That fantastic squad had four lithuanian talents such as Valdemars Chomicius, Rimas Kurtinaitis, Sarunas Marciulonis and Arvydas Sabonis. That time the games at international and domestic level between Zalgiris Kaunas and CSKA Moscow were epical. This challenge is still alive nowaday when the teams play at Euroleague level, where Zalgiris and CSKA is like an ultimate fight for upsetting the archrivals on and off the court.

The disintegration of the Soviet empire finally makes Lithuania an independent country in 1990.

Sabonis was in the past and still is a true legend for the Republic of Lithuania. Nicknamed "Prince of the Baltic" he was one of first players with great tonnage (220cm tall and 130kg) with the ability to play like a guard. He was equipped with pianist's hands, had a soft touch and his fundamentals basic movements just comparable to a dancer. Furthermore, his vision of the game was spectacular and his IQ superior.  He was also the first baller to play in the NBA even getting over there maybe after spending his best years of the career in Europe. Unfortunately he could sign in the NBA only at 30 years old.

Once the political situation changed with the dissolution of the former Soviet empire Sabonis was free to go to America, but first he opted to play in the Spanish league for 6 years, 3 at Valladolid and 3 in Real Madrid, where he became a global star. In 1995 Sabonis finally landed in the NBA, and although a 30 years old veteran with no experience of the American basketball he had an impressive impact on the team that hired him, the Portland Trailblazers. He was the first european ever to play as a starter producing big-time numbers, averaging 14ppg, 8.1rpg, 1.8apg and 1.07blk.

Sabonis and the shooting-guard Marciulonis with the Golden State Warriors opened the door to the next talents on the world stage like Sarunas Jasikevicius, Ramunas Siskauskas, Darius Songaila, Mindaugas Zukauskas, Saulius Stombergas and many others.



Zydrunas Ilgauskas

 One thing stands out immediately when you scout the Lithuanians: their basketball is close to perfection in every detail.  But where you can see the lithuanian trademark is shooting: they are deadly shooters. Behind every shot there are hours, months and years of hard work. The accuracy of the Lithuanin players prove that. It does not matter if you are tall 2.30 or 1.50..shooting in Lithuania is a pure art. Yes, over there it is not a fundamental..but art.

They really have dozens of lethal shooters: the most recent names are Sarunas Jasikevicius, Saulius Stombergas, Dainius Adomaitis, Ramunas Siskauskas, Rimantas Kaukenas, Mindaugas Zukauskas, Arvydas Macijauskas, the twins Darius and Ksistof Lavrinovic and even the NBA star Zydrunas Ilgauskas, a 220 giant who runs and plays smoothly like a guard.

Unfortunately nowadays the fundamentals of basketball are no longer treated and trained like in the past. Today we all focus mainly on physical talent and athleticism. But if you are romantic and want to see again the old school basketball fundamentals, the ones that still make the difference in the game, then take a trip to Lithuania. No matter where or which city. Lithuania is a small country, you can easily choose to stay in any city, from the capital Vilnius to Kaunas, from Klaipeda to Siaulai, from Panevezys to Kedainiai..and if you really want to see the fundamentals still taught and practised, you don't need to attend a spectacular game of the Euroleague or of the Lithuanian LKL league..go to any gym where you can attend a practise of some youth program and you will soon realize that the talent, the enthusiasm, is still alive in the Lithuanian kids like it was for the past generations and this way you will see the big-time players of tomorrow!

Dwight Howard is ready to dominate the next NBA season! Adding new moves to his game with Hakeem "The Dream"

Watch the training sessions with former-All Star / Hall of Famer center Hakeem "The Dream" Olajuwon!
An amazing document in which everyone can check how the superstars keep working to perfection.



Here the "old" Dwight Howard. With the new moves he is gonna be unguardable!

Interview with veteran Donte Mathis: what american kids need to make it in Europe

Donte Mathis is a 11 year European leagues veteran. The San Antonio native point-guard just turned 33 and has experiences in Germany BBL, Slovenia and Italy. In his second year with the Lega Due team Snaidero Udine he has been named the team captain. Donte was very kind to talk to Basketball Telegraph columnist Dr FingerRoll about his career in Europe thus far, the transition from American basketball to European ball when just graduated, the NBA dream and what rookies need to make it in Europe.

Donte, when did you fall in love with the game?

Since I was a kid I was a huge fan of the game, I developed a passion for it at a young age, there was some sort of a culture of basketball around me, the older guys that I would look up were playing basketball, and the whole city of San Antonio is passionate about the game.

When did you realize basketball could become more than just a game for you?

When I was about 15/16 years old because I had the opportunity to get a scholarship and that was the first indication that I could use basketball as a tool to have my education paid for and then, if everything went well, I could get paid to do something that I love: the American dream right there.

After college, did you have the "NBA dream"?

Well, to go to the NBA is everybody's dream, but at the same time you have to realize where you are in the big spectrum: everybody wants to go to the NBA, but not everybody can go to the NBA. For me it was always a dream to go to the League, but after college I realized that I wasn't going to play there, so the next step was to prepare myself as best as I could to play in Europe and I have no regrets, I am still a huge fan of the NBA, I watch it all the time but I'm totally happy with where my life is right now.

Tell us about the first experience outside the U.S., was it a culture shock for you?

It was a very huge culture shock, also because I didn't go to a city where there was an outside influence, I went to a small town in East Germany where they kinda forced me to think outside of my comfort zone and, of course, I had to adapt quickly. Thank God I had guys on my team - both Americans and Europeans - that were social and friendly enough to help me adapt.

How important it is to be comfortable in the place where you play?

The older I get the more important it is, because you spend 9 to 10 months in one place so it's good to be comfortable, even in a superficial sense - the city, the house, etc. - but when you go to any place in Europe if you're winning that makes it automatically comfortable; you could be in a village, but if you are winning every game and having fun it's the best experience.

Let's imagine you are talking to a player who's graduating from college this year and wants to play overseas, what would you tell him?

It's funny you ask me this, because this summer with a friend of mine we started a program to help young guys who are finishing college and young players who are in Europe but are trying to get to different areas and to better situations. Well, my advice is, first off, you have to work as hard as you possibily can, because there are so many guys trying to play basketball and very little jobs, so you have to be in the best shape and you don't have to be stuck in your own ways, because a lot of times you're not gonna go into a situation where everything is perfect, so you gotta have a self discipline that will allow you to succeed and also, well, you need some luck to end up in the right situation, or maybe there's a team in need of a player and you're that player or somebody gets hurt and they need a player..it comes down to luck, so you have to be in the right place and the right time but you gotta be ready.

Tell BT readers more about your program.

In Houston everyday during the summer we had some 25-30 guys - some of them out of college, others with one or two years pro experience - with whom we did a lot of player development to get them ready for the European season since the American game is a lot different from the European game. For me it's just a way of giving back, I just give my time and my experience to try to put them in situations where they can better their careers, better their lives. I give them advice on daily basis in the gym. It's really rewarding when a young kid comes to me and can't get a job and I help him and then he gets a contract and he comes back to me saying "thank you, I appreciated it": it's the best reward for me. We'll try to expand it every year and try to help as many kids as we can to fullfill their dreams.

The unparalleled Serbian school. Interview with coach Aleksandar Vrzina

Aleksandar Vrzina is an emerging serbian coach. At only 35 he has an impressive resume so far: in 1999-2000 he was the youngest coach in former-Yugoslavia pro leagues when he took the helm at Sabac. Then he had experiences in Bosnia with Radnik Bjieljina while in the last five years he has been in Ukraine where he was the head coach of Khimik-OPZ Yuzny and Gryfony-Symferopil in the ukrainian Superleague and european cups as well.

Coach, when did you first know what you wanted to do for a career?

I was a promising guard when due to a spinal surgery I had to stop playing when I was only 21 year old. I didn't have any other option, I had to quit my pro basketball career as a player. One year later, I had the chance to talk to my former coach and he asked me if I wanted to start coaching assisting him. It was a fascinating opportunity and that is how I started my new career. Later on that same season I got a chance to coach a team by myself. And in my first game we won. Some veteran players told me it was a great game managing. I had a great feeling during the game and..that was it..I got caught.

Was any top level coach who particularly inspired you at the beginning of your career?

I can't tell there was one coach only who inspired me. We in Serbia have a lot of big-time coaches. The list of great serbian coaches is very long and lasts for decades. So it is hard to tell you only one name. Basketball is more than a game in Serbia and it's like a way of living, I would say. I think I got inspired with that special atmosphere and enthusiasm for basketball. Or, as I often say "I've got infected by everlasting virus"

Aleksandar, tell our readers about your professional experiences so far and also what makes the former-Yugoslavia basketball school so successful at any time?

I have been coaching at high level in the last 8 years. I spent the last five years in Ukraine. It is amazing when when you work abroad, in a foreign country. Your responsibility is much higher than in your home country. And I love coaching young team, with perspective guys with talent and work ethic: in that case you really can focus on trying to improve your players and work hard to develop their basketball skills. But I definitely like to teach my players also how to behave as adult people off the court. We are living in very tough times. Nowadays it's not easy to keep youngsters in the gym: there are so many things, and some of them even dangerous round every corner. Our task as coaches is teaching and point the right way, not only on the court. I can tell you moreover that, in my experience as professional I have coached a lot of great players and they always are very helpful, because they want to improve, they want to work hard and they want above all win. Trouble makers are often average players. To me, not always while building a team you take in mind you do need positive players. You really do not need bad people in the locker-room. Having kids with bad attitude it will be like a cancer, especially when in tough times (and everybody passes through though times) . Choosing players for your team, you have to consider many stuff: every team has players coming from different countries and it is very important to find soon the right chemistry, on the court and also off. You as a coach and your organization must be able to let the player feel themselves like at home. That is the key for a successful season. Our destiny, you know, depends on our players. We should stick all together all the time. But about former yugo school.. hmm.. a lot of people have tried to figure out that success and the reasons and fundamentals around that success is built. First, our coaching school was no doubt the best: our gifted coaches have changed the game, set new standards, rules, methodologies that have become trendy. I think that we are made for basketball. Our people are very strong, tall and creative. Don't forget then that Serbs have built their winning mentality through decades. There is something in our winning mentality, I can't describe it. Each generation has a clutch player, able to decide a game and take the big shots:  in the 70's and 80's they were Kikanovic and Dalipagic, in the 90's and early years of 2000 Djordjevic and Bodiroga and nowadays Teodosic.

One friend of mine has interesting opinion: "we are good in basketball cause it is a highly intelectual game and you have also to cheat both ends, offensive and defensive, to hide your intentions. When it is about cheating, the Serbs are the best in the world! - he laughs - I do not know, but maybe there is a little bit truth in this sentence.

What's your next big challenge as a head coach?

I have a few challenges but the one which attracts me the most is to coach a perspective young team like diamonds in the rough. And help these kids to become great players and good men off the court.