Lithuanian national team could have a new coach by as early as November 5 after Lithuanian Basketball Federation (LKF) voted to offer the job to Kestutis Kemzura. That date is the deadline for a 39-year-old coach to make a final decision whether to accept the offer or not. Though there's little doubt about the outcome of negotiations since Kemzura already left Latvian national team to compete for Lithuanian national team head coach position.
The other favourite to become a head coach, Rimas Kurtinaitis, stated a couple of days ago that the new coach has already been decided by LKF so he has no chances but will still put his name in the voting. In fact Kuritinaitis was not even considered as an option during LKF board meeting. The explanation of LKF was that Kuritnaitis resigned from his position as an assistant coach of Lithuania NT together with the head coach Ramunas Butautas.
It was a second attempt for Kestutis Kemzura to become a head coach of Lithuania. He also participated in the competition back in 2007 but the job was given to Ramunas Butautas.
During his career as a coach Kemzura had the chance to learn from some of the best coaches in Europe, David Blatt and Jonas Kazlauskas, as he worked with Blatt in Dinamo St. Petersburg and Benetton Treviso as well as with Kazlauskas in Lietuvos Rytas.
Kemzura's coaching career:
2001-2002: Besiktas (Turkey), assistant coach
2002-2004: Lietuvos Rytas (Lithuania), assistant coach
2004: Lietuvos Rytas (Lithuania), head coach
2004-2005: Dinamo (Russia) St. Petersburg, assistant coach
2005-2007: Benetton Treviso (Italy), assistant coach
2007-2008: Khimki (Russia), head coach
2005-2006: Lithuania NT, assistant coach
2009: Latvia NT, head coach
