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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Medals
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Antanas Sireika (born May 11, 1956, in Bazilionai) is a famous Lithuanian professional basketball coach who has now retired. He is best known for leading the Lithuanian national basketball team to a gold medal at the EuroBasket tournament in 2003. He also coached many top club teams in Lithuania and other countries.
Contents
Antanas Sireika's Coaching Journey
Starting in Šiauliai and Moving to Žalgiris Kaunas
Antanas Sireika began his basketball journey in Šiauliai, Lithuania. He played for the local team, Šiauliai, and later became their playing head coach. In 1994, he stopped playing and focused only on coaching. His coaching quickly brought success, as the Šiauliai team, which was not expected to do well, finished third in the LKL league.
In 1997, Antanas Sireika became an assistant coach for the Lithuanian national basketball team. He worked alongside the head coach, Jonas Kazlauskas. When Kazlauskas left the national team in 2001, Sireika took over as the head coach. Under his leadership, the Lithuanian national team achieved something amazing: they won their first EuroBasket gold medals since Lithuania became independent in 1991. This was a huge moment for Lithuanian basketball!
In the same year, Sireika made a big move. He left his home in Šiauliai and went to Kaunas to coach Žalgiris Kaunas, one of Lithuania's biggest basketball clubs. He led Žalgiris to win three LKL titles in a row, from 2003 to 2005. At the 2004 Summer Olympics, Sireika coached the Lithuanian team to a fourth-place finish. They even had a memorable win against the United States team.
Challenges and New Teams
After 2003, Žalgiris Kaunas started to face difficulties in the EuroLeague, which is a top European competition. Their results got worse each year. In the 2005–06 season, Sireika faced a lot of challenges because of the team's poor performance in the EuroLeague. Also, their main rival, Lietuvos rytas Vilnius, was leading the Lithuanian league. After a tough loss to Lietuvos rytas in March 2006, Sireika left Žalgiris.
The EuroBasket 2005 tournament also brought challenges. Lithuania was expected to win gold again, but they lost to France in the quarterfinals. This led to more criticism for Sireika. His last chance with the national team was at the 2006 FIBA World Championship. Lithuania finished seventh, and Sireika decided to step down as coach.
In the summer of 2006, Sireika became the new head coach for UNICS Kazan in Russia. He led the team to the semifinals of the ULEB Cup. They also finished second in the Russian Basketball Super League. However, the 2007–08 season didn't start well for UNICS, and Sireika was moved to an assistant coach position.
In 2008, Sireika briefly coached Lietuvos rytas Vilnius. But after just two months, he resigned and returned to his home team, Šiauliai, to become their head coach once more. He continued to coach Šiauliai for many more years, showing his strong connection to the club.
See also
In Spanish: Antanas Sireika para niños
- List of FIBA EuroBasket winning head coaches
