By Aris Barkas/ barkas@eurohoops.net
While Zalgiris Kaunas is the traditional Lithuanian powerhouse, BC Rytas Vilnius still has found its own way to turn heads around Europe.
Founded in 1997, Rytas has already won the EuroCup twice and has produced players like Sarunas Jasikevicius, Ramunas Siskauskas, Arvydas Macijauskas, Jonas Valanciunas and more.
Not bad for a 22-year old institution, which two years ago went through a major ownership change.
With former president Gedvydas Vainauskas cutting his ties with the club and 40% of the ownership ending up on the hands of the local municipality, it’s obvious that the club resources are not what they used to be.
On the other hand, basketball is a very serious affair all over Lithuania, and when former EuroLeague top scorer Linas Kleiza is involved, as part-owner and sports director, good things will ultimately happen.
Still, especially last year with coach Dainius Adomaitis replacing Rimas Kurtinaitis, it was hard to pick Rytas among the contenders even for the 7DAYS EuroCup Top 16.
And while Rytas had a hard time playing against teams like Unicaja Malaga and UNICS Kazan, they managed to get to the Top 16 with a respectable 5-5 record in the first phase.
Martynas Echodas was named the EuroCup Basketball Rising Star and, with the addition of veteran players like Rok Stipcevic and Artsiom Parakhouski, they qualified for the EuroCup Playoffs for the first time since 2015.
Rytas, finding the way to remain competitive by tooth and claw, ended up having a good run.
And this season, they did it again.
In Group B, Lokomotiv Kuban, on paper one of the main favorites to win the trophy, is in danger of missing the Top 16 while Rytas has already qualified thanks to a 4-5 record with one round left in the regular season.
Of course, this has to do with the fact that Rytas is the only team so far to have beaten Lokomotiv Kuban twice, unlike Partizan NIS Belgrade and Umana Reyer Venice.
Plus, Rytas made 18 threes and tied the EuroCup record in its game against Tofas Bursa last week, which not only doubled the team’s season average but decided the qualification to the Top 16!
Simply put, Rytas thrives when it’s considered to be the underdog, and it will always find a way.
As coach Adomaitis put it eloquently after the win over Tofas: “Let’s not look at others. The most important thing is to do our own work, play with the same fervor. And that’s it.”