The hosts of EuroBasket 2011 started their preparations for the country’s most important sporting event. Eighteen out of twenty candidates had their first training session yesterday in Druskininkai.

Two players will join the team a bit later – Rimantas Kaukenas is expected to arrive today while Sarunas Jasikevicius should join the team in a week after agreeing with coach Kestutis Kemzura.

Jonas Maciulis who will miss the tournament is currently in his rehabilitation process. Still, he joined the first training session.

All eyes are on the national team and understandably there were plenty of journalists buzzing around.

The team will move to Palanga next week to continue training. Lithuania’s first warm-up game will played in Klaipeda on August 4th.

Lithuanian national team’s preliminary squad:

PlayerHeightPosAgeTeam
Mantas Kalnietis1.96PG24Žalgiris
Šarūnas Jasikevičius1.93PG35Fenerbahce Ulker
Tomas Delininkaitis1.90SG30Žalgiris
Martynas Gecevičius1.93SG23Lietuvos Rytas
Rimantas Kaukėnas1.94SG34Montepaschi Siena
Martynas Pocius1.96SG25Žalgiris
Renaldas Seibutis1.96SG26Lietuvos Rytas
Mindaugas Lukauskis1.98SG32EWE Baskets
Simas Jasaitis2.01SF29Turk Telekom
Mindaugas Kuzminskas2.05SF21Žalgiris
Artūras Jomantas2.00SF26Lietuvos Rytas
Deividas Gailius2.00SF23Virtus Bologna
Paulius Jankūnas2.06PF27Žalgiris
Donatas Motiejūnas2.13PF20Benetton Treviso
Kšištof Lavrinovič2.10PF31Montepaschi Siena
Darius Songaila2.06PF33Galatasaray
Marijonas Petravičius2.09C31Emporio Armani Milano
Darjuš Lavrinovič2.12C31CSKA Moscow
Robertas Javtokas2.11C31Žalgiris
Jonas Valančiūnas2.13C19Lietuvos Rytas

Lithuania’s preparation games

August 4LithuaniaSloveniaKlaipėda, Lithuania
August 6LithuaniaCzech RepublicKlaipėda, Lithuania
August 10RussiaLithuaniaMoscow, Russia
August 14SpainLithuaniaMadrid, Spain
August 18LithuaniaSpainKaunas, Lithuania
August 19LithuaniaRussiaPanevėžys, Lithuania
August 20LithuaniaLatviaPanevėžys, Lithuania
August 24SloveniaLithuaniaLjubljana, Slovenia
August 27LithuaniaGeorgiaVilnius, Lithuania

“Baltic Giants” were drawn into Group A and will face Spain, Turkey, Great Britain, Poland and second placed team from the Additional Qualifying Round (one of Portugal, Hungary and Sweden).

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