Valanciunas heads Lithuania's EuroBasket 2015 team

VILNIUS (EuroBasket 2015) - Star center Jonas Valanciunas headlines the 12-man roster which will represent the EuroBasket 2013 runners-up Lithuania in the 2015 edition of the show-piece tournament, that tips off on Saturday.

Lithuania's EuroBasket 2015 final squad transpired on Tuesday night, after head coach Jonas Kazlaukas informed that young center Arturas Gudaitis and shooting guard Zygimantas Janavicius were the last two cuts from the players he had at his disposal.

Valanciunas, who has recently signed a contract extension with the Toronto Raptors, will take part in his fourth major tournament in a row despite the fact he just turned 23 in May.

The Raptors big man had debuted with the senior national team at the home EuroBasket of 2011 and went on to play in the 2012 London Games and EuroBasket 2013, in Slovenia.

Last summer, Valanciunas assumed the leader status that everyone knew he was destined for ever since he dazzled fans with his monster tournament double-doubles in the U18 European Championship of 2010 and the U19 World Championship of 2011, propelling Lithuania to gold on both occasions.

At the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup, Valanciunas averaged 14.4 points and 8.4 rebounds to help Lithuania reach the Semi-Finals, where they fell to eventual champions USA.

Veterans Robertas Javtokas, Paulius Jankunas, Jonas Maciulis and Renaldas Seibutis as well as small forward Mindaugas Kuzminskas also played important roles on last summer's team and have also been included in Kazlauskas's roster for EuroBasket 2015.

The frontcourt partner of Valanciunas in the 2014 tournament however, forward/center Donatas Motiejunas, as well as winger Martynas Pocius are both sidelines due to injury and were released from the preliminary squad as early as July.

The Lavrinovic twins, Ksistof and Darjus, who are now two months shy of their 36th birthday have also not been included in the squad.

Lithuania though can count again on their starting point guard Mantas Kalnietis, who had sustained an injury in the last warm-up game last summer and was forced to drop out of the World Cup.

Sharp-shooter Arturas Milaknis and forward Deividas Gailius finally get the chance to make their senior national team debut while veteran center Antanas Kavaliauskas will suit up for Lithuania for only the second time in his career, after playing in the 2012 Olympics.

Last but not least, coach Kazlauskas was convinced by the efforts of two young players during training camp and decided to include them in the EuroBasket team.

Domantas Sabonis joined the senior national team's preparations immediately after topping the rebounders' table in July's U20 European Championship.

The 19-year-old forward/center, who will be one of the youngest players at EuroBasket 2015, is set to make his debut a full 16 years after his father, the legendary Arvydas Sabonis, stepped out in the last international tournament of his glorious career at EuroBasket 1999.

The other debutant on Lithuania's EuroBasket roster is Lukas Lekavicius, who has managed to go up through all the age groups and pull on the national team jersey every summer since the U16 European Championship of 2010.

The 21-year-old point guard made the most of the chance he received by Gintaras Krapikas to play extended minutes in his first senior season at powerhouse Zalgiris Kaunas, earned in May the call-up to the national team's preliminary squad and finally a spot on the EuroBasket team.

Lithuania play their EuroBasket 2015 Group D opener against Ukraine and will then face hosts Latvia, Belgium, Estonia and finally the Czech Republic.

Lithuania final roster for EuroBasket 2015: Deividas Gailius, Paulius Jankunas, Robertas Javtokas, Mantas Kalnietis, Antanas Kavaliauskas, Mindaugas Kuzminskas, Lukas Lekavicius, Jonas Maciulis, Arturas Milaknis, Domantas Sabonis, Renaldas Seibutis, Jonas Valanciunas.

Go to eurobasket2015.org for complete coverage of EuroBasket 2015.

FIBA