Lithuania head coach Algirdas Paulauskas has announced his 17-name roster for Eurobasket Women but was unable to include three big names.
Paulauskas did not include Rima Valentiene, Sandra Linkeviciene or Egle Sulciute in his squad, and has opted for a youthful feel as he gears his side up for next month’s tournament in France.
Both Valentiene and Linkeviciene haven’t called time on their careers just yet. The latter chose not to play club basketball last season after helping Lithuania qualify for this year’s Eurobasket Women, where the guard led her side in assists and steals.
Suiciute, meanwhile has stressed that she needs a summer off to regain her fitness after a succession of injury problems.
Paulauskas has another issue as well. Despite being picked in the preliminary roster, the question remains as to whether Ausra Bimbaite will confirm her intention to suit up this summer. She didn’t participate in the qualifiers and the playcaller, along with the rest of the team will hope that she decides to play.
Lithuania will play warm-up games in Latvia and France before heading home to play in a four-team tournament in Panevezys, including Japan, China and Sweden before playing in Group D against Belarus, Croatia and the Czech Republic.
The full roster is as follows:
Gabriele Gutkauskaite (Fortuna Klaipeda)
Inesa Visgaudaite (Toulouse)
Greta Sniokaite (Kibirkstis Vilnius)
Marina Solopova (Edremit)
Mante Kvederaviciute (Laisve Kaunas)
Ausra Bimbaite (Dynamo Kursk)
Kamile Nacickaite (CUS Chieti)
Kristina Vengryte (Kibirkstis Vilnius)
Giedre Paugaite (USO Mondeville)
Lina Pikciute (Kibirkstis Vilnius)
Gintare Petronyte (Taranto)
Kristina Alminaite (Kibirkstis Vilnius)
Rasa Zemantauskaite (Sirenos)
Monika Grigalauskyte (Fortuna Klaipeda)
Laura Svaryte (Aistes-LSU Kaunas)
Iveta Salkauske (Sirenos)
Egle Siksniute (Fortuna Klaipeda)
