KLAIPEDA (FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 European Qualifiers) - The excellent play of Neptunas Klaipeda forward Arnas Butkevicius has turned plenty of heads around Europe with a breakout season not many expected.

One of the people impressed with the leap the 25-year-old player made over the summer was Lithuania head coach Dainius Adomaitis, who opted to include the Klaipeda-born player into his plans for the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 European Qualifiers.

As a testament to his strong performances, Butkevicius picked up LKL Player of the Month honors in October and his play in the Basketball Champions League has been nothing short of impressive as well, averaging 12.3 points, 7.5 rebounds and 4.5 assists. 

He was named Gameday 6 Player of the Week after recording a triple-double with 19 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists in Neptunas' 82-69 win over PAOK.

"It was hard to expect anything like before the season. We had a lot of incoming players at Neptunas and coach Kazys Maksvytis returned. I had my personal goals that I wanted to accomplish and had been working towards without ever really thinking this could be a stand-out season it has been so far," the player told FIBA.basketball.

"RECEIVING A CALL-UP TO THE SENIOR NATIONAL TEAM IS A HUGE PERSONAL ACCOMPLISHMENT AND, REALLY, A DREAM COME TRUE." ButkeviciusButkevicius

Part of Lithuania's 1992-born golden generation that won at every single age category at youth level, Butkevicius has gold medals from the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup 2011 and the FIBA U20 European Championship 2012 in his trophy cabinet, but being named to the 15-player senior national team squad was a new milestone.

Arnas Butkevicius won gold with Lithuania at the FIBA U20 European Championship 2012, defeating Rudy Gobert and France in the Final

"Representing Lithuania has always been a bit of a surreal experience for me, even playing for the youth national teams. Receiving a call-up to the senior side is a huge personal accomplishment and, really, a dream come true. It is also carries a lot of extra responsibility," Butkevicius said.

"I feel thankful to absolutely everyone who I have worked with along the way. All of the lessons learned were invaluable and I would not have had made it to the national team without them."

A couple of his teammates from the youth teams, Jonas Valanciunas and Edgaras Ulanovas, who have already become important players on the senior squad, were among those sending words of encouragement after the national team was announced.

"We still keep in touch with the players from the youth teams, we talk before games or catch up social media. Our coach Kazys Maksvytis and other players all congratulated me after the national team list was announced," the Klaipeda-native shared.

"THE COACH AND I KNOW EACH OTHER WELL. I THINK THE SYSTEM AND THE PHILOSOPHY THAT THE COACH IMPLEMENTED IN NEPTUNAS WILL BE SOMEWHAT SIMILAR, WHICH SHOULD MAKE IT EASIER FOR ME." ButkeviciusButkevicius

Before the 2017-18 campaign started, the national team seemed something unfathomable for Butkevicius, but it did not take long for the realization that it was a real possibility to emerge.

"I started to think about the national team, when my friends started saying 'you are going to get called up, you have to be called up', so those thoughts did swirl around somewhere," offered the all-round forward, known for his contributors on both ends of the floor.

"Then, I really did find out I was on preliminary squad and received a phone call from coach Dainius Adomaitis a couple weeks later, who told me I'm invited to the training camp in Palanga."

Having played for coach Adomaitis in Neptunas last season and the year before, Butkevicius will likely have an easier time adjusting to the national team than your average newcomer.

"The coach and I know each other well. I think the system and the philosophy that the coach implemented in Neptunas will be somewhat similar, which should make it easier for me, as I know what to expect. But there will be new things to learn as well in a short period of time," he summarized.

"THE PEOPLE IN KLAIPEDA REALLY LOVE BASKETBALL. I THINK WE CAN EXPECT A FULL ARENA OF PASSIONATE, EMOTIONAL FANS, WHO WILL CREATE AN EXCELLENT ATMOSPHERE IN THE QUALIFIERS." ButkeviciusButkevicius

An injury-riddled season off-railed Butkevicius last year and did not allow him to play to up his potential, but the health issues are no longer holding him back.

"When I came back from the injury and started training with the team, I really did think it would be more difficult. I had spent a long time without basketball, but coach Adomaitis got me back into the system and everything clicked. The most difficult thing was the rehab after the injury – the uncertainty and the long wait really weighed on me," the now-healthy player recalled.

Arnas "@RajonRondo" Butkevicius 🔃#BasketballCL @BC_Neptunas pic.twitter.com/iZkPPa97vV

— #BasketballCL (@BasketballCL) November 1, 2017

Lithuania will host their first home game against Poland in the port city of Klaipeda on November 26 and Butkevicius, as a hometown favorite, knows exactly what to expect from the local fans.

"The people in Klaipeda really love basketball. I think we can expect a full arena of passionate, emotional fans, who will create an excellent atmosphere in the Qualifiers," the Neptunas forward concluded.

Before facing Poland at home, Lithuania will begin their qualifying campaign for the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 in Prishtina against Kosovo on November 24.

FIBA