LTU - Tough preparations for a tough first round

VILNIUS (EuroBasket/FIBA Basketball World Cup) - Lithuania's bid to reach the podium at the last summer's Olympic Games in London came to a screeching halt in the Quarter-Finals when Russia beat the Baltic giants.

David Blatt's side took command in the fourth quarter and won 83-74, thus bringing an end to Lithuania's long streak of reaching Olympic Semi-Finals.

The country had finished no lower than fourth in the Olympics since the 1992 Summer Games, the first time they played in the tournament following their independence from the former Soviet Union.

As part of their EuroBasket preparations, Lithuania will host Russia in Vilnius on 22 August.

They will also go up against The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (MKD) on 17 August in Skopje, a friendly that could have an edge since that is the very national side that stunned the Lithuanians in the Quarter-Finals of EuroBasket 2011 in Kaunas.

Jonas Kazlauskas, now in charge of Lithuania for the second time, says taking on MKD is not ideal since both teams meet each other in the opening round of EuroBasket 2013 on 5 September.

"I didn't really want to play against them as they will be in the same group," Kazlauskas said.

"But this fixture was decided in advance."

On the other hand, Lithuania will need as many hard games as they can get since they are going to be in Group B with Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and Latvia.

Lithuania, whose first training camp will be on home soil from 15-22 June, will also have preparation games against Belgium, Sweden, Finland, the Czech Republic, Italy, Greece, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Georgia.

Jonas Valanciunas of the Toronto Raptors, meanwhile, will be a late arrival in the preparations since he is competing in the NBA Summer League.

"We know that in advance, so no reason to panic," Kazlauskas said.

Valanciunas had a very impressive first season in the NBA and was named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team.

He finished the season ranked third among NBA rookies in rebounds (6.0), blocks (1.26) and field goal percentage (.557).

Valanciunas also ranked seventh among first year players in scoring, averaging 8.9 points.

Kazlauskas is hopeful that Martynas Pocius of Real Madrid will have fully recovered from the operation on his stress fracture and be with the team, but Paulius Jankunas is a big uncertainty because of the shoulder injury he suffered back in February while playing for Zalgiris Kaunas.

Jankunas needed surgery after getting hurt and may not have be ready to help when the EuroBasket tips off 4 September.

FIBA