By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
From being limited to an early exit in 2020-21, Rytas Vilnius returned to the Basketball Champions League and on the second try made it to the next round in spectacular fashion.
The team based in the Lithuanian capital was billed as the underdog in the winner-take-all matchup versus the back-to-back champion Hereda San Pablo Burgos on the road. Prevailing at Coliseum Burgos earned first place in Group H and a direct ticket to the Round of 16.
The hosts jumped to an early nine-point advantage and in the fourth quarter came back from a 10-point deficit to get back in front, 77-76, with 1:31 remaining. Speedy Smith answering with a couple of three-pointers secured the win for Rytas.
“I am just excited for this team. We played together all night. We did not get rattled,” was the immediate reaction of the former Louisiana Tech standout, becoming an expert in Europe over the years, “Honestly, I don’t even know what to say right now. I am just so excited for the team. We work really hard for these opportunities and you can see tonight that we are really gelling together in the greatest way.”
It was the ninth win in a row between the Basketball Champions League and Lithuania’s LKL. An impressive winning streak launched with another triumph in a demanding challenge on the road against Zalgiris Kaunas in early November. Rytas has since improved to 11-1 at the domestic level to rank second, half a game behind Zalgiris in the league table.
On the other hand, Burgos, apart from capturing the last two BCL titles, entered the contest opposite Rytas having won 16 out of its 17 home games through Qualifiers, Regular Season, and Playoffs in FIBA’s premier European club continental competition. Only Elan Bearnais Pau-Lacq-Orthez had managed to get the job done, 82-78, as Nicolas de Jong dropped 35 points in November 2019.
The second home loss was paired with being held to by the Rytas defense to 7/23 from beyond the arc. Burgos averaging 12.6 made three-pointers led the entire league prior to Gameday 6.
“It was one more game we actually finished by the defense. Because we kept Rabaseda, McGee, and Benite, the main guys under control. So, a big job was done defensively by our players,” mentioned head coach Giedrius Zibenas, “But the job is not over. We will continue in the second round. We are now waiting for our opponents.”
The Group H winner will compete in Group L of the Round of 16. Group D winner, Falco Szombathely, along with two more teams surviving a best-of-three Play-In series, will be coming up in a new round-robin double-legged six-game schedule to determine the teams progressing to the Quarterfinals. The new group is set to begin on January 25.
“It’s a big win for our club compared to our result last season,” added Zibenas recalling the poor showing in 2020-21, “The guys showed belief on the court tonight.”
Last year, the Lithuanian club moved to the Champions League returning to a FIBA competition for the first time since the 2002-03 season. However, it was held to fourth place in Group E behind SIG Strasbourg, VEF Riga, and Peristeri. Beat Strasbourg twice but lost the remaining four games. Forward one year, a two-game sweep over Burgos plus home wins opposite Besiktas Icrypex and EWE Baskets Oldenburg earned first place.
Top 2021-22 Regular Season players
With Jarvis Williams on the injury list since the preseason, the remaining imports have been piling up points, rebounds, and assists. BCL November MVP Ivan Buva and Maurice Ndour stand out, but Vilnius-born Gytis Radzevicius leads the team in efficiency rating.
| Player | PTS | REB | AST | EFF |
| Gytis Radzevicius | 10.8 | 7.8 | 1.0 | 16.5 |
| Ivan Buva | 16.2 | 5.8 | 1.2 | 15.0 |
| Maurice Ndour | 12.8 | 5.0 | 1.3 | 14.0 |
| Margiris Normantas | 11.5 | 2.2 | 2.5 | 10.2 |
| Arnas Butkevicius | 6.8 | 5.3 | 1.5 | 10.2 |
| Speedy Smith | 8.8 | 2.7 | 5.3 | 9.3 |
| Tanner Leissner | 5.3 | 3.0 | 0.3 | 6.7 |
| Vaidas Kariniauskas | 8.6 | 1.0 | 3.0 | 6.6 |
Photo Credit: Basketball Champions League