Rimas Kurtinaitis spoke to the media after another Lithuania victory, this time against Finland in “Arena Tampere”.
Lithuania took a win over Finland in a very intense game, and Lithuanian coach said after that.
Regarding the team’s performance despite challenges, Kurtinaitis stated:
“We lost one of the most important players on our team. It happens. We beat one of the good teams at home. I won’t talk numbers; we played very well, and that’s it.”
On Jonas Valanciunas and his limited minutes, he explained:
“Our plan was defense against Finland. The plan was to play defense on everyone. We stopped Markkanen at 20 points. He is a special big player, Jonas, but a little slower, so we used him 15 minutes.”
Addressing the situation with Rokas Jokubaitis, Kurtinaitis was cautious:
“I am not a doctor, I am a coach. We will see tomorrow. Maybe tonight he has to go to the hospital. But if we lose him, it will be a big problem for our team moving forward.”
On standout individual performances, he praised Tubelis:
“He is an excellent player. He found ways to grab rebounds, to score, to run in transition, and to hit threes.”
When asked about Normantas and his performance against Markkanen, he remained strategic:
“Our strategy was like that, and I don’t want to reveal too much about our tactics,” concluded Rimas Kurtinaitis.
Kurtinaitis’ comments highlighted the team’s disciplined defensive plan, the adaptability of key players, and the resilience needed to overcome adversity, particularly in the face of injuries. The press conference gave fans insight into the coaching mindset behind Lithuania’s successful outing.
EuroBasket 2025 – Rosters of all national teams
EuroBasket 2025, starting on August 27, will be the central topic of discussion in the coming period, alongside basketball transfers in Europe and worldwide.
National team gatherings across the Old Continent have already begun, and coaches have announced extended player lists, with only 12 players from each team set to secure their plane tickets for EuroBasket 2025.
EuroBasket 2025 will be hosted by four countries – Cyprus, Poland, Finland, and Latvia.
The final phase of the competition, meaning all national team matches after the group stage, will be played in Latvia, specifically in Riga, with the final scheduled for September 14.
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