Big Shoes To Fill

ISTANBUL (FIBA World Championship) – There are few tougher jobs in Lithuania than taking over from the great Sarunas Jasikevicius as the national team’s on-court leader, something Mantas Kalnietis and Tomas Delininkaitis know only too well.

“Now with Mantas and I in the national team playing the point guard, everybody (says) ‘oh no, they are not good!’ Everybody is just looking if we play like Sarunas, but Sarunas is the great player.”

Jasikevicius represented Lithuania with distinction at five Eurobaskets, three Olympics and one FIBA World Championship, leading them to bronze at the Sydney Olympics and earning the reputation as one of Europe’s greats.

But Kalnietis and Delininkaitis have filled the point guard role with distinction in Turkey, helping their team go undefeated through Group D with big wins over Spain and France, especially with their outstanding defence.

Kalnietis was also brilliant offensively against Spain with 12 points and 5 assists, and said that while not having Jasikevicius on the team lowered expectations of a medal back home, the nation is still watching intently and with high hopes.

“In Lithuania, when we have the basketball (tournament), pressure it is,” he said about his country’s expectations. “When the basketball is on people don’t work, they watch the game.”

“We can play with all teams, and we can beat all teams, but I don’t want to talk about tomorrow or the day after tomorrow, we need to concentrate on this game (against China),” Delininkaitis added.

Kalnietis, who turned 24 today, also said he hopes the great Sarunas will appear again in the famous green of Lithuania. “Maybe he is taking holidays for one year and maybe next year he will come and we’re going to play together.”

FIBA.com