Antanas Sireika
Encyclopedia
Antanas Sireika is a professional Lithuania
n basketball coach.
was leaving his post he gave his place to his assistant, this happened when Vladas Garastas was replaced by his assistant coach Jonas Kazlauskas
, the story repeated in 2001, when the successor of Kazlauskas was his assistant coach Antanas Sireika. He was born in Šiauliai, and a big part of his basketball career was spent there. Sireika was playing for BC Šiauliai
, later he became the playing head coach of the team, in 1994 he ended his career as a player, and started fulltime coaching the team. Big results came fast, the underdog Šiauliai, became LKL 3rd place winners, in 1997 Kazlauskas became a head-coach of Lithuanian National Basketball Team, invited Sireika to join Lithuanian national squad as an assistant. In 2001, Kazlauskas retired from LTU national team, and gave his place to Sireika. With Antanas Sireika, The Lithuanian national basketball team won their first FIBA Europe
Gold medals after Lithuania's independence in 1991, (the first titles came in 1937 & 1939).
The same year, Sireika made an important decision, he left his home Šiauliai
, and moved to Kaunas
, to coach BC Žalgiris
. He won 3 LKL titles in a row in 2003, 2004 & 2005. In 2004 Summer Olympics
in Athens
Sireika coached team of Lithuania won 4rth place. The most memorable win was against United States.
started to fade away from all that Euroleague
glory they had just a few years ago, Žalgiris euroleague results every year were getting worse. In 2005-2006 season Sireika was dealing with a huge criticism aimed on him, because of poor results in Euroleague and BC Lietuvos Rytas
was at the top of the Lithuanian league standings. On March 28, 2006 in a LKL regular season rivalry game, Sireika's coached Žalgiris played against Lietuvos Rytas and Rytas won the match by 30 points. After the game Sireika left the team.
In FIBA Europe
2005 in Belgrade
, Lithuania was named as one of the contenders to win gold & defend their 2003 title, Lithuanian team finished first in the group and entered 1/4 finals, where they lost 47-63 to France led by Tony Parker
. Lithuanian team took 5th place and even more criticism was aimed at Sireika. He had his last chance at an FIBA World Championship
in 2006. Lithuania finished 3rd in the group entering 1/8 finals. in the quarterfinals they were defeated by Spain, and in Fifth through eighth place games they lost to Turkey, Lithuania took 7th place, and Sireika resigned.
introduced Sireika as their new head coach, the Lithuanian trio: Lavrinovič brothers and Saulius Štombergas
led Unics into Uleb cup 1/2 finals, but team lost to Real Madrid and did not entered the final. In Russian Basketball Super League
Unics surprised the league by finishing 2nd. After the Euroleague
champions "CSKA Moscow", and overcoming teams like Dynamo Moscow, Khimki & Triumph. 2007/2008 season started not so well, like Russia's basketball experts expected, Unics was 8th in the Russian Super League, Sireika was dismissed of coaching & moved to assistant.
, a few weeks after their loss in LKL finals, Lietuvos Rytas started to build a new team dismissing many former players, Aleksandar Trifunović (basketball)
was dismissed as head coach, Rytas ended their legioneer head coach era, and signed A. Sireika as head coach. But just after 2 months, he resigned and became the head coach of Šiauliai
.
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
n basketball coach.
Coaching career
Lithuanian national basketball team began a strange tradition, after head coachHead coach
A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches...
was leaving his post he gave his place to his assistant, this happened when Vladas Garastas was replaced by his assistant coach Jonas Kazlauskas
Jonas Kazlauskas
Jonas Kazlauskas is a Lithuanian professional basketball coach and former Soviet professional basketball player. He is not to be confused with the late Lithuanian linguist, also named Jonas Kazlauskas...
, the story repeated in 2001, when the successor of Kazlauskas was his assistant coach Antanas Sireika. He was born in Šiauliai, and a big part of his basketball career was spent there. Sireika was playing for BC Šiauliai
BC Šiauliai
BC „Šiauliai“ is the professional basketball club of Šiauliai, Lithuania. The club competes in the Lithuanian Basketball League, Baltic Basketball League and ULEB Eurocup. It has won the 3rd place award in the LKL a record 9 times.-Club History:The team was head coached by Antanas Sireika for...
, later he became the playing head coach of the team, in 1994 he ended his career as a player, and started fulltime coaching the team. Big results came fast, the underdog Šiauliai, became LKL 3rd place winners, in 1997 Kazlauskas became a head-coach of Lithuanian National Basketball Team, invited Sireika to join Lithuanian national squad as an assistant. In 2001, Kazlauskas retired from LTU national team, and gave his place to Sireika. With Antanas Sireika, The Lithuanian national basketball team won their first FIBA Europe
FIBA Europe
FIBA Europe is a zone within the International Basketball Federation which includes all 49 national European basketball federations.-Division A:-Division B: -Division C:...
Gold medals after Lithuania's independence in 1991, (the first titles came in 1937 & 1939).
The same year, Sireika made an important decision, he left his home Šiauliai
Šiauliai
Šiauliai , is the fourth largest city in Lithuania, with a population of 133,900. It is the capital of Šiauliai County. Unofficially, the city is the capital of Northern Lithuania.-Names:...
, and moved to Kaunas
Kaunas
Kaunas is the second-largest city in Lithuania and has historically been a leading centre of Lithuanian economic, academic, and cultural life. Kaunas was the biggest city and the center of a powiat in Trakai Voivodeship of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania since 1413. During Russian Empire occupation...
, to coach BC Žalgiris
BC Žalgiris
BC Žalgiris is a professional basketball team that is based in Kaunas, Lithuania. It is one of the oldest teams in the Euroleague and plays domestically in the Lietuvos krepšinio lyga , and regionally in the VTB United League...
. He won 3 LKL titles in a row in 2003, 2004 & 2005. In 2004 Summer Olympics
2004 Summer Olympics
The 2004 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, was a premier international multi-sport event held in Athens, Greece from August 13 to August 29, 2004 with the motto Welcome Home. 10,625 athletes competed, some 600 more than expected, accompanied by 5,501 team...
in Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
Sireika coached team of Lithuania won 4rth place. The most memorable win was against United States.
Upset
Since 2003, BC ŽalgirisBC Žalgiris
BC Žalgiris is a professional basketball team that is based in Kaunas, Lithuania. It is one of the oldest teams in the Euroleague and plays domestically in the Lietuvos krepšinio lyga , and regionally in the VTB United League...
started to fade away from all that Euroleague
Euroleague
Euroleague Basketball, commonly known as the Euroleague, is the highest level tier and most important professional club basketball competition in Europe, with teams from up to 18 different countries, members of FIBA Europe. For sponsorship reasons, for five seasons starting with 2010–2011, it is...
glory they had just a few years ago, Žalgiris euroleague results every year were getting worse. In 2005-2006 season Sireika was dealing with a huge criticism aimed on him, because of poor results in Euroleague and BC Lietuvos Rytas
BC Lietuvos Rytas
BC Lietuvos rytas is a professional basketball club based in Vilnius, Lithuania playing in the Lithuanian Basketball League , the VTB United League, and the Eurocup...
was at the top of the Lithuanian league standings. On March 28, 2006 in a LKL regular season rivalry game, Sireika's coached Žalgiris played against Lietuvos Rytas and Rytas won the match by 30 points. After the game Sireika left the team.
In FIBA Europe
FIBA Europe
FIBA Europe is a zone within the International Basketball Federation which includes all 49 national European basketball federations.-Division A:-Division B: -Division C:...
2005 in Belgrade
Belgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
, Lithuania was named as one of the contenders to win gold & defend their 2003 title, Lithuanian team finished first in the group and entered 1/4 finals, where they lost 47-63 to France led by Tony Parker
Tony Parker
William Anthony "Tony" Parker is a French professional basketball player who currently plays for the San Antonio Spurs of the NBA....
. Lithuanian team took 5th place and even more criticism was aimed at Sireika. He had his last chance at an FIBA World Championship
FIBA World Championship
The FIBA World Championship is an international basketball competition contested by the men's national teams of the members of the International Basketball Federation , the sport's global governing body...
in 2006. Lithuania finished 3rd in the group entering 1/8 finals. in the quarterfinals they were defeated by Spain, and in Fifth through eighth place games they lost to Turkey, Lithuania took 7th place, and Sireika resigned.
Unics
In 2006 summer, Unics KazanUNICS Kazan
UNICS Kazan is a professional basketball club in Kazan, Russia playing in the PBL. Their home arena is Basket Hall Arena.Though officially the professional club was founded in 1991 , UNICS traces its origin back to KSU's college team Burevestnik which participated in USSR student championships...
introduced Sireika as their new head coach, the Lithuanian trio: Lavrinovič brothers and Saulius Štombergas
Saulius Štombergas
Saulius Štombergas is a retired Lithuanian basketball player for the Lithuanian men's national basketball team....
led Unics into Uleb cup 1/2 finals, but team lost to Real Madrid and did not entered the final. In Russian Basketball Super League
Russian Basketball Super League
The Russian Basketball SuperLeague is a men's professional basketball league that was the pre-eminent league of Russian professional basketball until 2010...
Unics surprised the league by finishing 2nd. After the Euroleague
Euroleague
Euroleague Basketball, commonly known as the Euroleague, is the highest level tier and most important professional club basketball competition in Europe, with teams from up to 18 different countries, members of FIBA Europe. For sponsorship reasons, for five seasons starting with 2010–2011, it is...
champions "CSKA Moscow", and overcoming teams like Dynamo Moscow, Khimki & Triumph. 2007/2008 season started not so well, like Russia's basketball experts expected, Unics was 8th in the Russian Super League, Sireika was dismissed of coaching & moved to assistant.
Lietuvos Rytas
In 2008 season Lietuvos Rytas haven't won anything, all domestic leagues were given away to BC ŽalgirisBC Žalgiris
BC Žalgiris is a professional basketball team that is based in Kaunas, Lithuania. It is one of the oldest teams in the Euroleague and plays domestically in the Lietuvos krepšinio lyga , and regionally in the VTB United League...
, a few weeks after their loss in LKL finals, Lietuvos Rytas started to build a new team dismissing many former players, Aleksandar Trifunović (basketball)
Aleksandar Trifunovic (basketball)
Aleksandar Trifunović is a Serbian professional basketball coach.-Managing career:Trifunović was the manager of the Serbian League club Red Star Belgrade during the 2001-02 season.-Coaching career:...
was dismissed as head coach, Rytas ended their legioneer head coach era, and signed A. Sireika as head coach. But just after 2 months, he resigned and became the head coach of Šiauliai
BC Šiauliai
BC „Šiauliai“ is the professional basketball club of Šiauliai, Lithuania. The club competes in the Lithuanian Basketball League, Baltic Basketball League and ULEB Eurocup. It has won the 3rd place award in the LKL a record 9 times.-Club History:The team was head coached by Antanas Sireika for...
.
Teams Coached
- 1995-2002: ŠiauliaiBC ŠiauliaiBC „Šiauliai“ is the professional basketball club of Šiauliai, Lithuania. The club competes in the Lithuanian Basketball League, Baltic Basketball League and ULEB Eurocup. It has won the 3rd place award in the LKL a record 9 times.-Club History:The team was head coached by Antanas Sireika for...
- 2002-2006: Žalgiris KaunasBC ŽalgirisBC Žalgiris is a professional basketball team that is based in Kaunas, Lithuania. It is one of the oldest teams in the Euroleague and plays domestically in the Lietuvos krepšinio lyga , and regionally in the VTB United League...
- 2006-2007: UNICS KazanUNICS KazanUNICS Kazan is a professional basketball club in Kazan, Russia playing in the PBL. Their home arena is Basket Hall Arena.Though officially the professional club was founded in 1991 , UNICS traces its origin back to KSU's college team Burevestnik which participated in USSR student championships...
- 2008: BC Lietuvos RytasBC Lietuvos RytasBC Lietuvos rytas is a professional basketball club based in Vilnius, Lithuania playing in the Lithuanian Basketball League , the VTB United League, and the Eurocup...
- 2008–present: ŠiauliaiBC ŠiauliaiBC „Šiauliai“ is the professional basketball club of Šiauliai, Lithuania. The club competes in the Lithuanian Basketball League, Baltic Basketball League and ULEB Eurocup. It has won the 3rd place award in the LKL a record 9 times.-Club History:The team was head coached by Antanas Sireika for...
- 2001-2006: Lithuania national basketball teamLithuania national basketball teamThe Lithuanian national basketball team is the representative for Lithuania in international men's basketball. Lithuania won bronze medals in three out of five Olympic tournaments it participated in....
Wins
- Champion of Eurobasket 2003Eurobasket 2003-5th to 8th place:-Awards:-All-Tournament Team : Tony Parker Šarūnas Jasikevičius Saulius Štombergas Andrei Kirilenko Pau Gasol-Top scorers :# Pau Gasol 25.8# Andrei Kirilenko 23.1# Dirk Nowitzki 22.5# Mehmet Okur 18.7...
- Olympic Bronze medalist - 2000Basketball at the 2000 Summer Olympics-Group B:-Championship bracket:-Classification matches:-Preliminary round:The four best teams from each group advanced to the quarterfinal round.-Group A:-Group B:-Championship bracket:...
- LKL champion - 2003, 2004, 2005
- SEB BBLBaltic Basketball LeagueBaltic Basketball League is a Baltic states basketball league founded in 2004.Currently, the league is divided into two: the Elite division and the Challenge Cup division. The 10 strongest Baltic basketball clubs participate in the Elite division. The rest of the teams compete in the Challenge Cup...
champion - 2005