Lithuania’s Euro Cup Favorite: Staniškauskas on Betting and American Behavior
Two Lithuanians, Laura Juškaitė and Eglė Šventoraitė, are part of the Mersin CBK team, which is considered the strongest in the EuroCup. They reached the EuroLeague final last season and achieved the same feat in 2023.
This is the first time in 18 years that a Lithuanian women’s club has advanced past the first playoff stage.
“You probably know that this is the top-ranked team. A very talented team,especially in attack. All the players are practically leaders of their national teams,” said Vilius Stanišauskas, the head coach of “Kibirkštis-TOKS,” about the upcoming challenge from the Mersin team. “A very strong team. We are preparing for the duel, emphasizing each of their players and how to stop them. Of course, we want to find situations in attack, because Mersin’s defense is specific, different. We know how we want to play, and the most important thing will be to implement it in the game.”
“Kibirkštis” Schedule in the EuroCup
- January 15: “Kibirkštis” – CBK (Vilnius)
- January 22: CBK – “Kibirkštis” (Mersin)
The first match is in Vilnius, and next week V.Stanišausko’s team will travel to Turkey.
“We are probably already used to it. We started the EuroLeague qualification at home, the playoff stage – also at home. We just need to play well, it will be very important to start the game well and not let the opponents feel good. We expect a good result, after which we will go to fight in Turkey,” commented V.Sanišauskas.
The Mersin team includes two WNBA players: 2024 WNBA champion Kennedy Burke and one of the leaders of the Belgian national team, Julie Vanloo.
But
Before a crucial series in the season, changes are happening within the Vilnius team.
Zaay Green (25 years old, 188 cm), one of the team’s leaders, left the capital last week due to a “violation of internal rules,” and has been replaced by French player Zoe Wadoux (26 years old, 178 cm).
“I don’t want to hide anything,” commented V. Stanišauskas about the separation from Z.Green. “Internal team rules were violated, if we talk about her behavior, outbursts. This wasn’t the first time. I’m not saying she’s a bad player, a bad person, maybe it’s all because she came very young and straight from university. She wanted to show a lot, to prove a lot, and sometimes her ambitions were above the team’s results. These were the reasons.”
FIBA.com nuotr./Zaay Green
“the first impression was shock within the team, as a starting five player who was playing well left,” said the coach about his players’ reaction to Z. Green’s departure.