Basketball in Lithuania
Since then, despite Lithuania's small size, with a population of just almost 2.9 million, the country's devotion to basketball has made them a traditional force of the sport in Europe.
After the restoration of Lithuanian independence in 1990, the national team was resurrected, with their first official tournament being the 1992 Olympics, where they won a bronze medal.
[15] Basketball was introduced in Lithuania indirectly through the European variety of Netball, featuring a smaller ball and no boards, brought by the Germans.
It took place on 23 April 1922 when Lietuvos Fizinio Lavinimo Sąjunga (English: Lithuanian Physical Education Union) played a game against Kaunas team, winning 8–6.
The audience heartily rejoiced at the gameplay of the excellent basketball players and applauded after shots and passes by Steponas Darius and Viktoras Dineika.
The delegation included a full basketball team, which included University of Notre Dame star Moose Krause (Edward Kriaučiūnas) and his brother Phil (Feliksas Kriaučiūnas); basketballers Benedict Budrikas, Anthony Lauraitis, Victor Yanzanaitis and Julius Petrulaitis; and multi-sport athletes Konstantinas "Konnie" Savickus, Juozas "Joseph" Zukas, Peter Barskis, Michael A. Lukas, and Kazys "Charles" Sedvilas.
Going by the Lithuanian name Pranas Lubinas, he spent five months there and served as the country's first knowledgeable coach, helping spread various basketball techniques.
[34] At first, it was decided that the national team at the tournament would not include any Lithuanian Americans; however the decision was reversed with only one month remaining, once a Latvian newspaper Sporto pasaule had printed an extensive article about the second European championship considering Lithuania the weakest of all contestants.
[34][35] After a telegram was sent to the USA, two players arrived one month prior to the tournament, Pranas Talzūnas and Feliksas Kriaučiūnas, the latter of whom was designated as player-coach.
[34][35] To keep secrecy on how Lithuanian Americans were strengthening the team, all preparation games were cancelled and instead prolonged training sessions before the trip to Riga were held behind closed doors.
[35] Also, Baltrūnas pointed out that unlike other foreign basketball teams the Lithuanians when their train arrived in Riga were not greet with an orchestra and by none of the representatives of EuroBasket 1937.
[36] Following the final victory over Italy, the famous Lithuanian tenor Kipras Petrauskas even interrupted his performance at the State Theatre to joyfully announce the triumph of the national basketball team.
[37][35] The team returned to a warm reception, with thousands gathering at a train station in a way Kriaučiūnas compared to "like we, here in America, greet the president.
[35] As a result of the success in EuroBasket 1937, basketball regained its ground in Lithuania immediately, and had its popularity rise abruptly, especially among students.
Our Veršvai Primary School teacher K. Požemecka built two poles, made hoops from a willow and said: 'We will play basketball'.
[42] Lubinas, who was the designated player-coach, lead Lithuania to a second continental title, even scoring the buzzer-beater in the decisive game against Latvia, which warranted a 37–36 victory.
[35] Immediately after the final game versus Italy the closing ceremony was held and Lithuanians were awarded with Smetona's gift – a dowry chest made from silver and decorated with ambers.
[47] Instead, Lithuania only hosted a Baltic states tournament organized at Kaunas Sports Hall in April 1941, beating Latvia 38–33 in front of 6000 spectators.
Juozas Butrimas, Siberia deportations survivor, once said: "Our whole sports club was falsely accused of participating in an anti-Soviet Lithuanian resistance organization.
[48] During the rest of the war, with the Germans occupying Lithuania in November 1941 and the Soviets taking it back three years later, all the basketballers who did not escape the country went through difficult times.
[54][52] The Lithuanian basketball clubs were established in Soviet gulags which were located in Komi, Mordovia, Kazakh SSR, Omsk Oblast, Irkutsk Oblast and were named with patriotic names such as Geležinis vilkas, Tauras (depicted in the coat of arms of Kaunas), Pilėnai, Žalgiris, etc.
The first Soviet Union national basketball team was formed in 1947 to participate in EuroBasket 1947, immediately winning gold medals.
The Soviets got a silver medal, losing only two games against the United States, who had a height advantage—the shortest of their players was still taller than the highest Soviet—and would soon become the USSR's biggest rival.
Basketball club Žalgiris Kaunas, established in 1944 (just a few years after the country's occupation) with a name commemorating the Battle of Grunwald, became one of the main non-violent resistance ways.
[66] Games between Žalgiris and CSKA Moscow, a military basketball team mostly formed from best Soviet Union basketball players, were de facto games between Lithuania and the Soviet Union, and led to mass rallies of sorts once Lithuanians went to receive Žalgiris' players at airports after victories.
The 1981 students sport games in Vilnius had the locals attending in the Lithuanian green and yellow colors to see the national youth team led by Arvydas Sabonis and Šarūnas Marčiulionis defeat the Moscow squad.
[66] Žalgiris also won the 1986 Intercontinental Cup in Argentina, receiving much support from the home crowd against the Yugoslavs of Zagreb Cibona.
Their return to Europe attracted a huge crowd, with Žalgiris captain Valdemaras Chomičius stating that in Aleksotas Airport "it seemed that the whole Kaunas gathered that early morning.
Lithuanian team defeated the Americans, I was telling to the media..." In 1988, Atlanta Hawks which included its major star Dominique Wilkins became the first NBA club to visit Lithuania and played friendly game with the Soviet Union national team in the Vilnius Palace of Concerts and Sports.
[70] Vytautas Landsbergis, the first head of state of Lithuania after its independence declaration from the Soviet Union, once said: "The majority of the team was made up of Lithuanians.
