February 08, 2012
The Club Scene: BC Siauliai
Arturas Jomantas with Siauliai (Photo: BC Siauliai)To make a big impression on the basketball-mad country of Lithuania in the short span of 15 years is not easy. BC Siauliai has done just that, however, stamping itself as the country's third major power after a long string of semifinals appearances in the Lithuanian League playoffs. Now, midway through its second Eurocup season, Siauliai is proving that its philosophy of investing heavily in domestic players can pay off in continental competition, too. Just since its founding in 1994, Siauliai can be proud to have launched some of the best Lithuanian players of their generation into the spotlight. Robertas Javtokas, Eurelijus Zukauskas, Arturas Jomantas, Donatas Slanina, Andrius Slezas and Mindaugas Zukauskas - all of whom would eventually get their hands on Euroleague or Eurocup trophies, European or Olympics medals, or some combination of both - have one thing in common: their path to stardom passed first through Siauliai. Now, going into 2010, youngsters like Deividas Gailius and Arvydas Siksnius will try to follow in their footsteps as Siauliai battles for survival in difficult Eurocup regular season Group C, with a pair of must-win games to open the new year. Regardless of those outcomes, however, Siauliai already is doing in Europe what it has accomplished in Lithuania, establishing itself as a modern basketball organization ready to compete anywhere.

Founded on June 22, 1994, Siauliai received a license to play in the second edition of the Lithuanian League. With a young Mindaugas Zukauskas and Giedrius Peciulionis as its first stars and Antantas Sireika as its signature coach, Siauliai quickly earned a reputation for never giving up, for competitive rosters made up almost entirely of Lithuanian players and for its loyal fan base. Siauliai finished the regular season with a 23-17 record and was ranked fourth overall, earning the oppurtunity to make its debut in European club competitions right away. Zukauskas and Peciulionis led the team along with Arvydas Tamkevicius and Alexandre Satyrov as Siauliai knocked off Idea Slask of Poland and KK Beocin of Yugoslavia in the 1996 Korac Cup first and second preliminary rounds, but a strong Adecco Milano, featuring Dejan Bodiroga, Gregor Fucka and Rolando Blackman, stood in the way of its regular season bid. Siauliai went on to finish eighth in the 1995-96 Lithuanian League.

Mindaugas Zukauskas with Siauliai (Photo: BC Siauliai)The seed for success had been planted and Siauliai continued to find and develop some of the best Lithuanian players in the country, such as Eurelijus Zukauskas, Slanina and Slezas. Despite an early exit in the 1997 Korac Cup against Finnish side Luhta, Siauliai ranked fourth at the end of the Lithuanian League regular season with a 20-16 record. Both Zukauskases left that summer – and would become Euroleague champions with Zalgiris in 1999 – but with Slanina, Peciulionis and Audrius Giedraitis as its main players, Siauliai took another step forward in European competitions, surviving the 1998 Korac Cup group stage and downing Unicaja 74-73 in Game 1 of the sixteenth-finals behind 21 points from Oleg Boulantsev. Unicaja ended up reaching the next round, but Siauliai had already shown that great things were on the way.

Siauliai returned to the Korac Cup in the 1998-99 season with sharp shooter Slanina in a leading role. The club once again survived the regular season, but lost against Montepaschi Siena in the first elimination round on point differential. Robertas Giedraitis had 17 points to lead Siauliai to a 69-66 home win against Montepaschi in Game 2, but it was not enough. Siauliai returned to the Lithuanian League semifinals that season - and has since reached that stage for 11 consecutive years. Sakalai beat Siauliai 2-1 in the third-place playoff. Siauliai did even better in 2000, placing third overall in the Lithuanian League and winning its Korac Cup regular season group with a convincing 74-66 home win over Unics Kazan behind 23 points from Vaidas Pauliukenas. Dutch side Watco ended Siauliai's run in the sixteenth-finals. Altready Lithuania's third-best team and now becoming well-known in Europe, Siauliai had yet to sign any American players - a rarity by any measure.

In 2001, Siauliai ranked third again in its domestic competition with Zydrunas Urbonas as its star. Robertas Stankevicius and Arvydas Cepulis rounded out an interesting team with Sireika on the sidelines. Siauliai returned to the 2002 Lithuanian League semifinals with Cepulis, Vaidas Pauliukenas, Darius Pakamanis and Saulius Kuzminskas leading the way. A 2-0 loss against Zalgiris sent the team back to the third-place playoffs, where it lost 3-2 against Alita. Siauliai returned to European competition in the 2002-03 season, taking part in the FIBA Europe Champions Cup with Urbonas back as its main scoring threat. The next summer, Siauliai's contribution to one of Lithuania's biggest successes was evident as Coach Sireika and Siauliai-raised players Slanina and Mindaugas Zukauskas helped the national team win the gold medal at EuroBasket 2003. In 2004, Siauliai was third in the Lithuanian League and has kept that place every single season from that point, always behind European basketball giants Zalgiris and Lietuvos Rytas. Siauliai joined the 2004 FIBA Europe Cup, but after three consecutive losses, the team could not survive the group stage.

With Ramunas Butautas as its head coach, Siauliai returned to the Lithuanian League semifinals in 2005, losing 2-0 against Zalgiris. The club stayed loyal to its philosophy and kept bringing out rising stars such as Jomantas and Michailas Anisimovas while keeping Cepulis, Urbonas, Pakamanis and Pauliukenas. The club played very attractive basketball and registered its best results in European competitions, winning its regular season group - Conference North - at the FIBA Europe Cup and ranking third in the newly formed Baltic League, behind Zalgiris and L. Rytas, by downing Ventspils in the bronze-medal game. By 2006, Jomantas stood out as Siauliai’s franchise player and the club registered similar results, third in both the Lithuanian League and Baltic League, but the team could not survive the group stage at the 2006 FIBA EuroCup. Jomantas joined L. Rytas in 2007, allowing Tadas Klimavicius and Cepulis to step up. Siauliai returned to the Lithuanian and Baltic semifinals and reached the second group stage in the 2007 FIBA EuroCup.

Saulius Kuzminskas in Siauliai (Photo: BC Siauliai)Siauliai made its debut in the Eurocup (then called the ULEB Cup) in the 2007-08 season, the same in which the club unveiled the state-of-the-art Siauliai Arena, host of that season's Baltic League and Lithuanian Cup final fours. Despite facing a tough regular season group with DKV Joventut, Alba Berlin and Turk Telekom, Siauliai finished 4-6, narrowly missing a ticket to the next phase, the Last 32, on a three-way tiebreaker. Donatas Zavackas and Saulius Kuzminskas were the team leaders along with imports Antonio Grant and Jose Olivero. Siauliai missed the Baltic League final four, but was once again third in the Lithuanian League. Last season, Siauliai was swept again in the Lithuanian League semifinals, this time by L. Rytas, lost in the Baltic League quarterfinals and missed out on the Eurocup after losing in the EuroChallenge group stage.

This season, with Sireika back on the bench, Siauliai is again riding high on three fronts. Its Eurocup chances will be decided early in 2010 in the last two games of the regular season, but regardless the results this season, it's clear that with a brand new arena, a wild crowd and an incredible basketball tradition, Siauliai looks to the future hoping to be another flag-carrier for Lithuanian basketball.
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Javier Gancedo, Eurocupbasketball.com
PrintPrint SendSend ShareShare

Submenu