LTU - No guarantees as Gecevicius, Seibutis exit

VILNIUS (EuroBasket 2011) - Martynas Gecevicius and Renaldas Seibutis were so important to the cause last summer when Lithuania made a surprising run to the bronze medal at the FIBA World Championship in Turkey that it seemed inconceivable either would miss out on this year's EuroBasket.

But the two have had their dreams of playing in front of the home fans dashed by coach Kestutis Kemzura.

Donatas Motiejunas, who worked as hard as any Lithuania player this summer, also was released from the squad.

Lithuania coach Kestutis Kemzura had so many options to choose from ahead of the EuroBasket that did what few had expected.

"We took an unusually long time to reach the final decision," Kemzura said.

"It's always hard to cut players.

"To be fair, we didn't even have the same views on the coaching staff - we discussed, even argued and talked about it every day."

One big reason that both have been discarded has been the form of veteran shooting guard Rimantas Kaukenas, who has been sharp in training.

Kaukenas hasn't played since the Beijing Olympics.

Another reason is the return of playmaker Sarunas Jasikevicius.

Tomas Delininkaitis' ability to play the point guard position also led the coaches to believe they could move forward without Gecevicius and Seibutis.

If Lithuania reach the Final of the EuroBasket, they will book a place at the London Games.

Otherwise, Lithuania would need to finish third, fourth, fifth or sixth to receive an invite to the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament.

FIBA