Zelionis and Echodas called into Lithuania squad for second window
VILNIUS (FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 European Qualifiers) - Basketball Champions League star Edgaras Zelionis and youth standout Martynas Echodas look set to make senior national team debuts this month.
VILNIUS (FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 European Qualifiers) - Basketball Champions League standout Edgaras Zelionis and former youth team player Martynas Echodas look set to play for Lithuania in this month's World Cup Qualifiers.
Zelionis has been terrific for Neptunas Klaipeda, helping them advance to the Round of 16 in the second edition of the European club competition.
Also called into the squad for the first time is Lietuvos Rytas' Martynas Echodas, a member of Lithuania's medal-winning teams at the 2015 FIBA U18 European Championship and 2016 FIBA U20 European Championship.
| Lithuania 14-player squad for FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 European Qualifiers | |||
| Eimantas Bendzius | Laurynas Birutis | Vaidas Cepukaitis | Martynas Echodas |
| Rokas Giedraitis | Mindaugas Girdziunas | Marius Grigonis | Zygimantas Janavicius |
| Adas Juskevicius | Evaldas Kairys | Arnoldas Kulboka | Ksistof Lavrinovic |
| Renaldas Seibutis | Edgaras Zelionis | ||
Zelionis recently spoke in glowing terms to FIBA.basketball about being named in the extended 32-man Lithuania list.
"It's an honor for each player to represent his country on an international level," he said. "And I am not an exception. To my mind, it will be a new turn in my career and, of course, present new prospects."
Lithuania struggled in the first half of their opening Qualifier at Kosovo on November 24 but then blew the game wide open in the second half and won, 99-61. The side coached by Dainius Adomaitis then played Poland in Klaipeda and won, 75-55.
Eimantas Bendzius, one of the top performers in that contest, will also play this month. A 6ft 8in (2.03m) forward on the books of Monbus Obradoiro in Spain, he had 18 points against the Poles.
FIBA