Zalgiris coach Sarunas Jasikevicius was used to demanding schedules when he was a player, having travelled the world with the Lithuanian national side plus jaunting around Europe with his various club sides.
Now Jasikevicius, happily retired and enjoying his coaching role at perennial Lithuanian champions Zalgiris is having to deal with another kind of schedule: that of his and other players around Europe.
In an interview with Lithuanian media, Jasikevicius highlighted that the players that go the distance at Eurobasket will only have a day to join their respective team camps before the season commences. This means that players that have been on international duty will no doubt be rested for the first games of the campaign.
“[The] current European basketball system is a total disaster,” Jasikevicius said. “Eurobasket players could join the team with only one day before the season opener”
Eurobasket is due to finish on September 17, three days earlier than in 2015 and six days earlier than in 2013, which was Jasikevicius’ final stint with Lithuania. This year’s tournament starts August 31, which is earlier than the aforementioned events.
The EuroLeague season begins on October 12, with Zalgiris’ first game on the 13th at home to Crvena Zvezda. The Lithuanian campaign starts on September 19.
