FIBA Basketball
LTU - Waiting game with Sara
VILNIUS (FIBA World Championship) - Lithuania are still in the dark over the availability of national team guard Sarunas Jasikevicius for the FIBA World Championship.The Baltic giants are hoping the 30-year-old, who just finished his first NBA campaign with the Indiana Pacers, will play in Japan and recently named him in their preliminary squad for the tournament."We (federation and Jasikevicius) talked
VILNIUS (FIBA World Championship) - Lithuania are still in the dark over the availability of national team guard Sarunas Jasikevicius for the FIBA World Championship.
The Baltic giants are hoping the 30-year-old, who just finished his first NBA campaign with the Indiana Pacers, will play in Japan and recently named him in their preliminary squad for the tournament.
"We (federation and Jasikevicius) talked in Houston at the (NBA) All-Star Weekend and agreed to talk after the season, but that has yet to happen," national team general manager Algis Pavilonis told PA Sport.
EuroBasket 2005 in Serbia & Montenegro marked a transition for Lithuania with several of their more established players either having retired or not taking part.
Jasikevicius, who was the most valuable player on their gold-medal winning side at EuroBasket 2003 and at the Athens Olympics one year later, did not play in Belgrade as Lithuania finished fifth.
Lithuania's players will not gather for training for a month, and only the newcomers will take part in the first stage of the summer.
"We start from June 8, on the seashore of the Baltics," Pavilonis said.
After 10 days, they will travel to Italy for a friendly tournament with the Italian, Venezuelan and Czech national sides.
The second phase of preparations will get underway on June 28 with the more experienced players taking part, which is when Jasikevicius would show if he is willing to play.
A full-strength Lithuanian team will play in an international tournament that tips off on July 19 in Strasbourg, France.
The French, Chinese and Senegalese national teams - all of who will be in Japan - will take part.
Lithuania will also participate with Israel, Russia and Senegal in the Federations SuperCup tournament in Vilnius, a tournament in Spain then in Seoul.
Players invited to first stage of training camps:
Guards: Vidas Ginevicius, Simonas Serapinas, Mantas Kalnietis, Renaldas Seibutis, Darius Pakamanis, Vytenis Jasikevicius, Martynas Pocius; forwards: Arturas Jomantas, Stepas Babrauskas, Aurimas Kieza, Vladimiras Severovas, Jonas Maciulis, Valdas Vosylius; centers: Darius Silinskis, Povilas Ciukinas, Marijonas Petravicius, Antanas Kavaliauskas.
Players invited to second stage of training camps:
Guards: Sarunas Jasikevicius, Arvydas Macijauskas, Rimantas Kaukenas, Giedrius Gustas, Mindaugas Lukauskis, Tomas Delininkaitis; forwards: Simas Jasaitis, Linas Kleiza, Ramunas Siskauskas, Mindaugas Zukauskas, Darius Songaila; centers: Darjus Lavrinovic, Paulius Jankunas, Ksystof Lavrinovic, Robertas Javtokas.
PA Sport
The Baltic giants are hoping the 30-year-old, who just finished his first NBA campaign with the Indiana Pacers, will play in Japan and recently named him in their preliminary squad for the tournament.
"We (federation and Jasikevicius) talked in Houston at the (NBA) All-Star Weekend and agreed to talk after the season, but that has yet to happen," national team general manager Algis Pavilonis told PA Sport.
EuroBasket 2005 in Serbia & Montenegro marked a transition for Lithuania with several of their more established players either having retired or not taking part.
Jasikevicius, who was the most valuable player on their gold-medal winning side at EuroBasket 2003 and at the Athens Olympics one year later, did not play in Belgrade as Lithuania finished fifth.
Lithuania's players will not gather for training for a month, and only the newcomers will take part in the first stage of the summer.
"We start from June 8, on the seashore of the Baltics," Pavilonis said.
After 10 days, they will travel to Italy for a friendly tournament with the Italian, Venezuelan and Czech national sides.
The second phase of preparations will get underway on June 28 with the more experienced players taking part, which is when Jasikevicius would show if he is willing to play.
A full-strength Lithuanian team will play in an international tournament that tips off on July 19 in Strasbourg, France.
The French, Chinese and Senegalese national teams - all of who will be in Japan - will take part.
Lithuania will also participate with Israel, Russia and Senegal in the Federations SuperCup tournament in Vilnius, a tournament in Spain then in Seoul.
Players invited to first stage of training camps:
Guards: Vidas Ginevicius, Simonas Serapinas, Mantas Kalnietis, Renaldas Seibutis, Darius Pakamanis, Vytenis Jasikevicius, Martynas Pocius; forwards: Arturas Jomantas, Stepas Babrauskas, Aurimas Kieza, Vladimiras Severovas, Jonas Maciulis, Valdas Vosylius; centers: Darius Silinskis, Povilas Ciukinas, Marijonas Petravicius, Antanas Kavaliauskas.
Players invited to second stage of training camps:
Guards: Sarunas Jasikevicius, Arvydas Macijauskas, Rimantas Kaukenas, Giedrius Gustas, Mindaugas Lukauskis, Tomas Delininkaitis; forwards: Simas Jasaitis, Linas Kleiza, Ramunas Siskauskas, Mindaugas Zukauskas, Darius Songaila; centers: Darjus Lavrinovic, Paulius Jankunas, Ksystof Lavrinovic, Robertas Javtokas.
PA Sport