Antanas Sireika facts for kids
Sireika in 2006
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| Head coach | ||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||
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| Born | May 11, 1956 Bazilionai, Lithuanian SSR, Soviet Union |
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| Nationality | Lithuanian | |||||||||||||
| Coaching career | 1995–2023 | |||||||||||||
| Career history | ||||||||||||||
| As coach: | ||||||||||||||
| 1995–2002 | Šiauliai | |||||||||||||
| 2002–2006 | Žalgiris Kaunas | |||||||||||||
| 2006–2007 | UNICS Kazan | |||||||||||||
| 2008 | Lietuvos rytas Vilnius | |||||||||||||
| 2008–2012 | Šiauliai | |||||||||||||
| 2012–2014 | Link Tochigi Brex | |||||||||||||
| 2015–2017 | Juventus Utena | |||||||||||||
| 2017–2023 | Šiauliai | |||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | ||||||||||||||
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Antanas Sireika is a famous Lithuanian basketball coach who was born on May 11, 1956, in Bazilionai. He is known for leading the Lithuanian national basketball team to a gold medal at the EuroBasket 2003 championship. He retired from coaching in 2023.
Contents
Antanas Sireika's Coaching Journey
Starting Out in Šiauliai
Antanas Sireika spent a big part of his basketball life in Šiauliai, a city in Lithuania. He first played for the local team, BC Šiauliai. Later, he became the team's player-coach, meaning he played and coached at the same time! In 1994, he stopped playing and focused only on coaching.
His coaching skills quickly showed results. The Šiauliai team, which wasn't expected to win much, finished third in the LKL, Lithuania's top basketball league.
Coaching the National Team
In 1997, Antanas Sireika became an assistant coach for the Lithuanian national basketball team. This was a big step! In 2001, he took over as the head coach.
Under his leadership, the Lithuanian national team achieved something amazing. They won their first EuroBasket gold medal since Lithuania became an independent country in 1991. This was a huge victory for the country!
Time with Žalgiris Kaunas
In the same year, 2001, Sireika made another important move. He left his home in Šiauliai and moved to Kaunas to coach Žalgiris Kaunas, one of Lithuania's most famous basketball clubs.
With Žalgiris Kaunas, he won three LKL titles in a row, from 2003 to 2005. This showed how good he was at leading teams to victory.
At the 2004 Summer Olympics, Sireika coached the Lithuanian team to a fourth-place finish. They even had a memorable win against the strong United States team!
Challenges and New Teams
After a few successful years, Žalgiris Kaunas started to face challenges in the EuroLeague, a big European competition. In 2006, Sireika left the team.
He also coached the Lithuanian national team in EuroBasket 2005 and the 2006 FIBA World Championship. While they didn't win gold in these tournaments, they still played well against top teams. After the 2006 World Championship, Sireika decided to step down as the national team coach.
In 2006, Sireika moved to Russia to coach UNICS Kazan. He helped the team reach the semifinals of the ULEB Cup. They also finished second in the Russian Basketball Super League. However, in 2007, he moved from head coach to assistant coach.
In 2008, he briefly coached Lietuvos rytas Vilnius, another strong Lithuanian team. But after just two months, he returned to coach Šiauliai again. He continued coaching different teams, including Link Tochigi Brex in Japan and Juventus Utena, before returning to Šiauliai for his final coaching years until 2023.
See also
In Spanish: Antanas Sireika para niños
- List of FIBA EuroBasket winning head coaches
