BC Lietuvos Rytas
Encyclopedia
BC Lietuvos rytas is a professional basketball club based in Vilnius
Vilnius
Vilnius is the capital of Lithuania, and its largest city, with a population of 560,190 as of 2010. It is the seat of the Vilnius city municipality and of the Vilnius district municipality. It is also the capital of Vilnius County...

, Lithuania
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...

 playing in the Lithuanian Basketball League (LKL)
Lietuvos Krepšinio Lyga
The Lietuvos krepšinio lyga is Lithuania's premier professional men's basketball league, composed of 12 teams.- History :...

, the VTB United League
VTB United League
VTB United League is an international professional basketball league that was founded in 2008. Its goal is to unite the leading basketball clubs of Eastern Europe and Northern Europe together into one league. The league is sponsored by VTB Bank. In its inaugural 2009–10 season, it featured clubs...

, and the Eurocup. They play most of their home LKL games at the 1,700-seat Lietuvos rytas Arena
Lietuvos Rytas Arena
Lietuvos rytas Arena is a 1,700-seat basketball arena in Vilnius, Lithuania, built close to Siemens Arena. Lietuvos rytas and Perlas play the Lithuanian Basketball League's and the Baltic Basketball League's home matches in the arena....

; high-demand LKL games (such as the national derby against 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...

) and all home games in European competition are held at the 11,000-seat Siemens Arena
Siemens Arena
Siemens Arena, located in Šeškinė elderate of Vilnius, is the second largest arena in Lithuania. It generally hosts basketball games as well as concerts. The arena opened on October 30, 2004...

. Lietuvos rytas has a daughter club BC Perlas
BC Perlas
BC „Perlas“ was a professional basketball club based in Vilnius, Lithuania, played in the Lithuanian Basketball League and the Baltic Basketball League. BC „Perlas“ was a daughter club of the „Lietuvos Rytas“. BC „Perlas“ debuted in Lithuania basketball super league LKL in 2009-2010 season and took...

 which is used for the development of young players.

Statyba

The team now known as Lietuvos rytas began playing as Statyba in 1964. 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...

, Rimas Girskis, and then head coach Rimantas Endrijaitis led Statyba to a third place in the 1979 Soviet Union Championship. Three years later, Šarūnas Marčiulionis
Šarunas Marciulionis
Raimondas Šarūnas Marčiulionis is a retired Lithuanian professional basketball player. He was one of the first Europeans to become a regular in the North American National Basketball Association...

 joined the team and became its leader. In 1987, Artūras Karnišovas
Arturas Karnišovas
Artūras Karnišovas is a retired Lithuanian professional basketball player....

 joined the team at the age of 16.

Statyba becomes Lietuvos rytas

In 1997, the team was renamed to Lietuvos rytas Statyba, then just Lietuvos rytas as the club was bought by the Lithuanian newspaper Lietuvos rytas
Lietuvos Rytas
Lietuvos rytas is a Lithuanian daily newspaper, printed in Vilnius and a TV company. Lietuvos rytas sponsors basketball team BC Lietuvos Rytas and the annual Vilnius Marathon.-External links:*...

. The newspaper's investment helped establish the club as one of two best in Lithuania, the other being 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...

 from the country's second-largest city 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...

.

"Big three"

The first success came in 2000, when Vilnius' side was led by the so called "big three" — Ramūnas Šiškauskas
Ramunas Šiškauskas
Ramūnas Šiškauskas in height and he weighs 220 lbs. . He is currently with CSKA Moscow.-Player profile:Šiškauskas is a physical forward who can easily play, both on offense and defense, at the guard positions, on the wing, and also in the paint...

, Andrius Giedraitis and Eric Elliott, also combined with youngsters Arvydas Macijauskas
Arvydas Macijauskas
Arvydas Macijauskas is a retired Lithuanian professional basketball player. He announced termination of his career after his last club, Olympiacos, released him following a prolonged judicial litigation.-Early years:...

 and Robertas Javtokas
Robertas Javtokas
Robertas Javtokas is a Lithuanian professional basketball player. Javtokas is 2.11 m in height and weighs 122 kg . He plays the center position. He has been a member of the Lithuanian national team since 2000...

. The team was coached by Šarūnas Sakalauskas
Šarunas Sakalauskas
Šarūnas Sakalauskas is a Lithuanian basketball coach. Since 2001 he has been coaching Eisbären Bremerhaven in Germany...

. It was the first time in the history of the Lithuanian Basketball League
Lietuvos Krepšinio Lyga
The Lietuvos krepšinio lyga is Lithuania's premier professional men's basketball league, composed of 12 teams.- History :...

 when 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...

 did not win the LKL title. Also, rytas managed to reach the Saporta Cup semifinal, where it met last season Euroleague runner-up Kinder
Virtus Bologna
-Notable players: Marco Bonamico 9 seasons: '75-'76, '77-'78, '80-'86, '88-'89 Carlo Caglieris 6 seasons: '75-'81 Pietro Generali 6 seasons: '75-'76, '78-'83 Gianni Bertolotti 5 seasons: '75-'80 Terry Driscoll 3 seasons: '75-'78 Eric Luc Leclerc 1 season: '75-'76 Luigi Serafini 2 seasons: '75-'77...

. After an upsetting home win 70-60, Lietuvos rytas lost in Italy 71-83, with Šiškauskas missing a three-pointer which would've won the two-game series for his team.

2001/02 season

Two years later, Lietuvos rytas repeated their triumph, this time in a dramatic seven-game final series with the last game decided in overtime. The team played without center Robertas Javtokas, who was seriously injured in a motorbike crash. Lietuvos rytas also won the NEBL title in 2002, becoming the last team winning the tournament. The team held first place in the group stage of the Saporta Cup
Saporta Cup
Saporta Cup was the name of the second-tier level European professional club basketball competition, where the National Cup winners from all over Europe played against each other. The competition was organized by FIBA Europe...

, but lost in the quarter-finals to Hapoel Jerusalem B.C..

2004/05: ULEB Cup champions

After not winning any title in the two past seasons, Lietuvos rytas won the 2005 ULEB Cup
ULEB Cup 2004-05
The 2004-2005 ULEB Cup season started on November 9, 2004 and officially ended on April 19, 2005. The second-tier level ULEB Cup is the level that is one tier below the Euroleague level. Lietuvos Rytas won the trophy by defeating Makedonikos in the final 78-74....

, granting them a place in the Euroleague, the continent's primary basketball club tournament. Midway through the season, team leader Frederick House
Frederick House
Frederick House or Fredericks House may refer to:Places in the United States*Fredericks House , listed on the National Register of Historic Places in Arizona...

 suffered a season-ending injury, head coach Vlade Djurovic was resigned and replaced by Slovenia
Slovenia
Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...

n Tomo Mahoric, but newcomer Tyrone Nesby
Tyrone Nesby
Tyrone Lamont Nesby is a retired American professional basketball player.Undrafted in the 1998 NBA Draft, Nesby played in the National Basketball Association with the Los Angeles Clippers and the Washington Wizards .In Europe he played for Olympia Larissa , Metis Varese , Reflex and Lietuvos...

, Latvia
Latvia
Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...

n playmaker Roberts Štelmahers
Roberts Štelmahers
Roberts Štelmahers is a retired Latvian professional basketball player, who played at the Point guard position.Štelmahers was a member of the Latvia national basketball team from 1992 to 2005 participating in four EuroBasket final tournaments in 1997, 2001, 2003 and 2005. He has played a total of...

 and an inspirational Lithuanian trio: Robertas Javtokas
Robertas Javtokas
Robertas Javtokas is a Lithuanian professional basketball player. Javtokas is 2.11 m in height and weighs 122 kg . He plays the center position. He has been a member of the Lithuanian national team since 2000...

, Simas Jasaitis
Simas Jasaitis
Simas Jasaitis is a Lithuanian professional basketball player. He is a small forward and currently plays for Türk Telekom B.K.. He also represents the Lithuanian national basketball team.-Pro career:...

 and Tomas Delininkaitis
Tomas Delininkaitis
Tomas Delininkaitis Tomas Delininkaitis Tomas Delininkaitis (born June 11, 1982 in Klaipėda, Lithuania is a Lithuanian basketball shooting guard currently playing for BC Žalgiris. He can also play point guard if needed. He was a member of the Lithuanian national basketball team for the 2010 FIBA...

 led the team and managed to win second place in the LKL and BBL finals.

2005/06: Euroleague debut

Before the 2005–06 season, Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...

n specialist Neven Spahija became the head coach of the team. Lietuvos rytas started the 2005-06 Euroleague season
Euroleague 2005-06
The Euroleague is an international basketball club competition for elite clubs throughout Europe. The 2005–2006 season featured 24 competing teams from 13 different countries...

 well. After losing their first two matches, Lietuvos rytas matched the Euroleague record by winning seven consecutive Euroleague fixtures, defeating such teams as Winterthur FCB, defending champions Maccabi
Maccabi Tel Aviv (basketball)
Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv B.C. is a professional Israeli basketball club based in Tel Aviv. The team plays in three leagues: the Euroleague, the Israeli Basketball Super League, and the Adriatic League....

 (twice) and Efes Pilsen. In the Euroleague, they were able to advance to the Top 16 phase, winning three times of six. After winning the Baltic Basketball League title, Lietuvos rytas won their easiest finals series, crushing Žalgiris 4–0. Despite winning the Lithuanian title, Lietuvos rytas did not acquire the country's spot for 2006-07
Euroleague 2006-07
The Euroleague is an international basketball club competition for elite clubs throughout Europe. The 2006-2007 season featured 24 competing teams from 13 different countries. The draw for the groups was held on September 14, 2006 in Athens. The competition began on October 24, 2006 at the Olympic...

 that was reserved to archrival Žalgiris.

2006/07: ULEB Cup runner-up

Although the coach and three leading players: Robertas Javtokas, Simas Jasaitis and Frederick House had left the team during the interseason, the 2006-07 ULEB Cup season
ULEB Cup 2006-07
The 2006-07 ULEB Cup featured 26 clubs from 15 countries. The second-tier level ULEB Cup is the level that is one tier below the Euroleague level...

 was rather successful for Lietuvos rytas as well, despite that two coaches were replaced during the season: Sharon Drucker from Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...

 was replaced by Slovenia
Slovenia
Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...

n Zmago Sagadin
Zmago Sagadin
Zmagoslav "Zmago" Sagadin , whose first name in Slovene means "winner", is a legendary Slovenian basketball coach. He is also a founder of Slovenia's first national basketball team and co-founder of the Adriatic Basketball League...

 and the latter to his assistant coach Aleksandar Trifunović
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:...

 from Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...

. The roster was strengthened during the season when promising NBA
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...

 player Kareem Rush
Kareem Rush
Kareem Lamar Rush is an American former professional basketball player who last played at shooting guard with the NBA's Los Angeles Clippers...

 arrived to lead the team to the ULEB Cup final where Lietuvos rytas was defeated by Real Madrid
Real Madrid Baloncesto
Real Madrid Baloncesto is a Spanish professional basketball team founded in 1932 as a division of the Real Madrid club. They play in the Asociación de Clubes de Baloncesto ....

. However, Real Madrid's victory at the ACB
Asociación de Clubs de Baloncesto
The Liga ACB, known as the Liga Endesa for sponsorship reasons, is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in Spain. It was founded in 1956 with the name of Liga Nacional. The league changed its name to the current one in 1983. The league is rated as one of the three "A" level European...

 semifinals and of one of four spots reserved for Spain allowed Lietuvos rytas to take part in the Euroleague 2007-08 season
Euroleague 2007-08
The Euroleague is an international basketball club competition for elite clubs throughout Europe. The 2007–2008 season featured 24 competing teams. The Euroleague Regular Season drew was held on 30 June 2007 in the Jesolo, Italy, during the inaugural Euroleague summer league...

 as the ULEB Cup finalist. On April 27, 2007, Lietuvos rytas won their second consecutive BBL title, Kareem Rush was named the Final Four MVP.

2007/08: Back to Euroleague

On October 25, 2007, Lietuvos rytas started its second Euroleague season in Group B
Euroleague 2007-08 Regular Season Group B
Standings and Results for Group B of the Regular Season phase of the 2007-08 Euroleague basketball tournament.Main page: Euroleague 2007-08-Standings:*Lietuvos Rytas take first place over Maccabi by virtue of a head-to-head sweep.-Game 1:...

 with a road victory against Armani Jeans Milano. The team was led by Marijonas Petravičius
Marijonas Petravicius
Marijonas Petravičius is a Lithuanian professional basketball player. He currently a free agent. He is a member of the Lithuania national team...

, who reached a career-high performance index rating of 28 and became the week's MVP runner-up. On November 1, Lietuvos rytas defeated Maccabi
Maccabi Tel Aviv (basketball)
Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv B.C. is a professional Israeli basketball club based in Tel Aviv. The team plays in three leagues: the Euroleague, the Israeli Basketball Super League, and the Adriatic League....

 for a third time in a row as Artūras Jomantas
Arturas Jomantas
Artūras Jomantas is a Lithuanian professional basketball player, currently playing in Lietuvos Rytas since 2006. He also played for Mažeikiai Nafta and Šiauliai .-Pro career:...

 led the team with 19 points and became the week's co-MVP with Erazem Lorbek
Erazem Lorbek
Erazem Lorbek is a Slovenian professional basketball player. He is a forward-center who currently plays with the Liga ACB club FC Barcelona.-Pro career:...

, both having performance index ratings of 29. Lietuvos rytas finished the first round of group competition in the first spot with 5 victories and 2 losses for the second consecutive time, overcoming Cibona Zagreb by 34 points in the final match. The year 2007 ended with two more victories in the second round, allowing Lietuvos rytas to repeat their previous 7-2 record in Euroleague. The last one, the fourth victory in a row over Maccabi, was due to spectacular performances by Hollis Price
Hollis Price
Hollis Price is an American professional basketball player.- College career :Price played college basketball at the University of Oklahoma from 1999 to 2003. He helped to lead the Sooners to the Final Four in 2002...

 (19 points) and Chuck Eidson
Chuck Eidson
Chuck Eidson is an American professional basketball player. He is 2.02 m tall and he plays mainly at the small forward position. He can also play at both the point guard and shooting guard positions as well as a point forward...

 (28 points). On January 23, 2008, Lietuvos rytas proved itself against Unicaja Málaga at own home court, the victory secured the team the first berth in the group with one game remaining, but lost forward Matthew Nielsen
Matthew Nielsen
Matthew "Matt" Peter Nielsen is an Australian professional basketball player.-Pro career:...

 to injury. A road victory against Cibona Zagreb on January 31, 2008 completed the Euroleague regular season for Lietuvos rytas and allowed them to remain at the first spot in the Group B securing a favorable position in the first pool before the Top 16 draw together with CSKA Moscow
PBC CSKA Moscow
PBC CSKA Moscow is a Russian professional basketball team that is based in Moscow, Russia. The club is a member of the VTB United League. It is often referred to in the West as "Red Army" for its past affiliation with the Soviet Army. CSKA has won two titles between 2006 and 2009 in Europe's...

, Real Madrid
Real Madrid Baloncesto
Real Madrid Baloncesto is a Spanish professional basketball team founded in 1932 as a division of the Real Madrid club. They play in the Asociación de Clubes de Baloncesto ....

 and Panathinaikos Athens. Their 11-3 record was the team's best regular-season performance ever, and the best by a Lithuanian team in Euroleague. The team failed to succeed in the Top 16 and did not advance to playoffs. Lietuvos rytas were the runner-up at all: the Lithuanian Basketball League, the Baltic Basketball League and the Lithuanian Cup.

2008/09: ULEB Eurocup champions again

The 2008–2009 season was met by the team with a significantly reduced budget, putting a greater emphasis on young and perspective local players. A single American and two Serbs
Serbs
The Serbs are a South Slavic ethnic group of the Balkans and southern Central Europe. Serbs are located mainly in Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and form a sizable minority in Croatia, the Republic of Macedonia and Slovenia. Likewise, Serbs are an officially recognized minority in...

 remained in the team after Australian Matthew Nielsen was resigned. Nevertheless, Lietuvos rytas managed to win the first ever Baltic Basketball Presidents Cup. They also won their first ULEB Eurocup 2008-09
ULEB Eurocup 2008-09
Eurocup Basketball 2008-09 was the seventh edition of Europe's second-tier level transnational competition for men's basketball clubs, and the first to be contested under the Eurocup name. From the inception of the competition in 2002, it had been known as the ULEB Cup...

 match which proved to be a success defeating ASVEL by a considerable margin. As many other Baltic professional sports clubs, Lietuvos rytas had to face the blow of financial crisis in late 2008 and early 2009. Having lost two of its foreign leaders Lietuvos rytas still managed to reach the second phase of Eurocup finishing second in their group with three home wins and three away losses. The team has started second phase of the Eurocup with only two foreign players, Chuck Eidson (a teammate of Petravičius at South Carolina
South Carolina Gamecocks
The University of South Carolina's 19 varsity sports teams are known as the "Gamecocks". The unique moniker is held in honor of Thomas Sumter, a South Carolina war hero who was given the name "The Carolina Gamecock" during the American Revolution for his fierce fighting tactics, regardless of his...

) and Milko Bjelica on its roster which had been refreshed with promising Lithuanians. Head coach Antanas Sireika
Antanas Sireika
Antanas Sireika is a professional Lithuanian basketball coach.- Coaching career :Lithuanian national basketball team began a strange tradition, after head coach was leaving his post he gave his place to his assistant, this happened when Vladas Garastas was replaced by his assistant coach Jonas...

 has resigned and was replaced by a former Statyba-Lietuvos rytas' player Rimas Kurtinaitis
Rimas Kurtinaitis
Rimas Kurtinaitis is a basketball trainer, head coach of the VEF Riga, retired Soviet and Lithuanian basketball player who was a member of the USSR and Lithuanian national basketball teams. He played as a shooting guard and is the only non-NBA player to participate in the NBA All-Star Three Point...

 for the second half of the season. Lietuvos rytas has finished the Top 16 phase of the cup in a second place after Iurbentia Bilbao. Chuck Eidson was named the ULEB Eurocup regular season MVP.

The Final 8 has started with a victory against Benetton Treviso
Pallacanestro Treviso
Pallacanestro Treviso, more often known by its sponsorship name of Benetton Basket, or Benetton Treviso, is an Italian Serie A League professional basketball club from Treviso, the headquarters city of its longtime owner Benetton Group...

 on April 2, 2009. The team has won semifinals against Hemofarm Vršac
KK Hemofarm
Košarkaški klub Hemofarm is a professional basketball club from Vršac, Serbia. The club currently participates in the Adriatic League and Serbian League...

 and made the third consecutive play in the ULEB Eurocup finals. Mindaugas Lukauskis
Mindaugas Lukauskis
Mindaugas Lukauskis is a Lithuanian professional basketball player.-Basketball career:Lukauskis began his basketball career in the Panevežys youth basketball clubs, being the leader there. He got attention from the LKL, and in 2001, he joined Sakalai...

 has made a decisive three-pointer and that allowed him to become the only player to participate in the final three times in total and the only two-times ULEB Cup champion. The final game against BC Khimki Moscow was won on April 5, 2009 with terrific performances of Steponas Babrauskas
Steponas Babrauskas
Steponas Babrauskas is a Lithuanian professional basketball player who plays for Lietuvos Rytas.His first achievement in basketball came at the 2003 FIBA U-19 World Championships in Greece, where Babrauskas and the Lithuanian U-19 National Basketball Team won silver medals...

 (18 points) and Marijonas Petravičius
Marijonas Petravicius
Marijonas Petravičius is a Lithuanian professional basketball player. He currently a free agent. He is a member of the Lithuania national team...

 (20 points). Lietuvos rytas made an outstanding 15:0 run, having left their rivals empty for 6 straight minutes in the third and fourth quarters. Lietuvos rytas became the first team in history to reclaim the Eurocup title. Marijonas Petravičius became the Final 8 MVP.

By winning the ULEB Eurocup in 2009, they qualified to compete in Europe's strongest league, 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...

 in the 2009-10 season.

Lietuvos rytas won the 2009 Lithuanian Cup over 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...

. The Baltic Basketball League
Baltic Basketball League
Baltic 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...

 final game was won by Lietuvos rytas on April 25, 2009 over its archrival Žalgiris, 97 to 74. It was the third BBL title for the club, compared to Žalgiris' two. Another victory achieved by the fast-rising club Lietuvos rytas was the Lithuanian Basketball League (LKL). Lietuvos rytas swept past all the teams in the playoffs and qualified to the finals. In the finals, the Vilnius team confronted their rival team Žalgiris Kaunas
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...

 and won the series 4 to 1, the final match taking place on May 18. This is the 4th time Lietuvos rytas became the LKL champion. It was the 5th trophy for the team this season from 5 possible ones.

2009/10: Third Euroleague season

Lietuvos rytas, following the leave of team's leaders Marijonas Petravičius
Marijonas Petravicius
Marijonas Petravičius is a Lithuanian professional basketball player. He currently a free agent. He is a member of the Lithuania national team...

, Mindaugas Lukauskis
Mindaugas Lukauskis
Mindaugas Lukauskis is a Lithuanian professional basketball player.-Basketball career:Lukauskis began his basketball career in the Panevežys youth basketball clubs, being the leader there. He got attention from the LKL, and in 2001, he joined Sakalai...

 and Chuck Eidson
Chuck Eidson
Chuck Eidson is an American professional basketball player. He is 2.02 m tall and he plays mainly at the small forward position. He can also play at both the point guard and shooting guard positions as well as a point forward...

, acquired new perspective players. The team began their season with a dramatic loss to their rivals 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...

 78 to 83 in BBL
Baltic Basketball League
Baltic 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...

 Cup finals. Lietuvos rytas also participated in the 2009 Gomelsky Cup
2009 Gomelsky Cup
2009 Gomelsky Cup tournament will be held from October 2 till October 3 in 2009. Four European teams will compete against each other for Gomelsky Cup....

, in which the team claimed third place after a near-loss game against Triumph Lyubertsy
Triumph Lyubertsy
BC Triumph Lyubertsy Moscow Region is a Russian professional basketball team that is located in Lyubertsy, Moscow Oblast, Russia. The club competes in the PBL. Their home court is SH Triumph.-History:...

 94 to 90. Lietuvos rytas took the 5th place in Group B of the 2009-10 Euroleague season and did not advance to the Top 16.

Though Lietuvos rytas did not advance to the Top 16, their fierce battles with 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...

 continued. After winning the LKF cup by the score of 77:65, Lietuvos rytas sufferd a crucial loss, losing to Žalgiris in the BBL Finals, 66 to 73. However, Lietuvos rytas took revenge after such loss and won the LKL trophy, beating Žalgiris after a thrilling series 4-3. Lietuvos rytas won the second consecutive LKL title. After the conclusion of the season, head coach Rimas Kurtinaitis
Rimas Kurtinaitis
Rimas Kurtinaitis is a basketball trainer, head coach of the VEF Riga, retired Soviet and Lithuanian basketball player who was a member of the USSR and Lithuanian national basketball teams. He played as a shooting guard and is the only non-NBA player to participate in the NBA All-Star Three Point...

 left the club to be replaced by Croatian Dražen Anzulović.

2010/11: Fourth Euroleague season

The Euroleague 2010–2011
Euroleague 2010–11
The Turkish Airlines Euroleague 2010–11 was the 11th season of the modern era of Euroleague Basketball and the first under the title sponsorship of Turkish Airlines...

 season was the fourth one for Lietuvos rytas. After an unsuccessful start of the season, Dražen Anzulović was resigned and replaced by the team's former coach Aleksandar Trifunović
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:...

. The result being 5:1 in their Group C
Euroleague 2010–11 Regular Season Group C
Standings and Results for Group C of the Regular Season phase of the 2010–11 Euroleague basketball tournament.-Standings:-Game 1:---------Game 2:---------Game 3:---------Game 4:---------Game 5:---------Game 6:...

, the team signed free agent Lithuanian star and a former team member Šarūnas Jasikevičius
Šarunas Jasikevicius
Šarūnas Jasikevičius is a Lithuanian professional basketball player who plays for Panathinaikos BC. He is a member of the Lithuanian national team, and plays the point guard position.-Early years:...

. After winning 3 of 3 last Euroleague group phase games, rytas qualified for the Top 16 in the fourth berth during their last games. At the New Year's Eve Jasikevičius was replaced by a former member of the team Simas Jasaitis
Simas Jasaitis
Simas Jasaitis is a Lithuanian professional basketball player. He is a small forward and currently plays for Türk Telekom B.K.. He also represents the Lithuanian national basketball team.-Pro career:...

, also a free agent.

The Top 16 phase was the most successful for the team from all its 3 attempts. Playing in the Group E
Euroleague 2010–11 Top 16 Group E
Standings and Results for Group E of the Top 16 phase of the 2010–11 Euroleague basketball tournament.-Standings:-Fixtures/Results:All times given below are in Central European Time....

 Lietuvos rytas defeated Caja Laboral
Caja Laboral
Caja Laboral Popular Sociedad Cooperativa de Credito or Caja Laboral is a Spanish credit union established in 1959 as part of the Mondragon Corporation and headquartered in Mondragón, in the Basque Country of Spain...

 at home, Panathinaikos Athens and Unicaja Málaga on the road. The last round remaining, the team had a chance to finish first in their Top 16 E group.However, Lietuvos rytas lost to Caja Laboral
Caja Laboral
Caja Laboral Popular Sociedad Cooperativa de Credito or Caja Laboral is a Spanish credit union established in 1959 as part of the Mondragon Corporation and headquartered in Mondragón, in the Basque Country of Spain...

 and took the third place in the group. The 9th place in 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...

 is the highest achievement for Lietuvos Rytas in this tournament in whole club history. However, the other side of the season was unsuccessful for the club as Lietuvos Rytas lost in the semi-finalas at the Baltic Basketball League and finished only in 3rd place for the first time in club history. The Coach Trifunovic was resigned and replaced by asssistant coach Darius Maskoliūnas
Darius Maskoliūnas
Darius Maskoliūnas ; born January 6, 1971) is a former Lithuanian professional basketball player. Now basketball coach, politician.Since January 6, 2007 was an assistant coach at Žalgiris Kaunas...

. The game improved, but the team ended up losing to 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...

 in the LKL
Lietuvos Krepšinio Lyga
The Lietuvos krepšinio lyga is Lithuania's premier professional men's basketball league, composed of 12 teams.- History :...

 finals, 4 games to 1.

2011/12: Return to EuroCup

After dismissing Milko Bjelica
Milko Bjelica
Milko Bjelica is a Montenegrin professional basketball player, who plays for Caja Laboral. He internationally represents Montenegro.-Awards and achievements:*Baltic Basketball League Presidents Cup winner: 2008*LKF cup winner: 2009...

, Kenan Bajramovic
Kenan Bajramovic
Kenan Bajramović is an Bosnian basketball player who currently plays for Banvit B.K. in Turkey. Mostly he established himself playing for Lietuvos rytas playing in Euroleague. He is married to Zlata Bajramovic...

, D.J. Strawberry, Cemal Nalga
Cemal Nalga
Cemal Nalga is a Turkish professional basketball player. He currently plays for Bandırma Banvit in Turkish Basketball League.-Jersey scandal:...

 and losing team leader Martynas Gecevičius
Martynas Gecevicius
Martynas Gecevičius is a Lithuanian professional basketball player. He is currently playing with Olympiacos.- Lietuvos Rytas :...

 Lietuvos Rytas tryed to open an new page in club history replacing 8 players, but the beginning of the season was very unsuccessful as Lietuvos Rytas lost all chances to participate in the strongest Europe's basketball league - 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...

. The Euroleague's qualification tournament was organized in Vilnius
Vilnius
Vilnius is the capital of Lithuania, and its largest city, with a population of 560,190 as of 2010. It is the seat of the Vilnius city municipality and of the Vilnius district municipality. It is also the capital of Vilnius County...

. Lietuvos Rytas won the first match against Budućnost
KK Buducnost Podgorica
KK Budućnost Podgorica is a professional basketball club from Podgorica, Montenegro. It is a part of Budućnost Podgorica sport society. The team currently competes in First Montenegrin Opportunity League and regional Adriatic League...

 with result 83:64, also they won the semi-final against Cibona Zagreb with result 88:71. The final game for the ticket to Euroleague was against Galatasaray. During the second quarter Lietuvos Rytas had 9 points lead, however team leader and main Point Guard
Point guard
Point guard , also called the play maker or "the ball-handler", is one of the standard positions in a regulation basketball game. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position – essentially, he is expected to run the team's offense by controlling the ball and making sure that...

 Tyrese Rice
Tyrese Rice
Tyrese Rice is an American professional basketball player. Rice played college basketball with the Boston College Eagles.- Early life and high school :...

 suffered an leg injury. After the Tyrese Rice injury Galatasaray made streak of 15:2. Tyrese Rice returned to the game after the half-time, but he wasn't that effective like before the injury. At the beginning of the fourth-quarter Galatasaray had 16 points lead, but Lietuvos Rytas didn't stoped to play as they made streak of 10:0. However, there wasn't enough time left to win the game as Galatasaray won the qualification tournament final with result 63:71. Because of that Lietuvos Rytas will have to play at the second Europe's league EuroCup.

Roster

Depth Chart

Pos. Starter Bench Bench Reserve Inactive
C
Center (basketball)
The center, colloquially known as the five or the post, is one of the standard positions in a regulation basketball game. The center is normally the tallest player on the team, and often has a great deal of strength and body mass as well...

Predrag Samardžiski
Predrag Samardžiski
Predrag Samardžiski is a Macedonian professional basketball player. He currently plays for BC Lietuvos Rytas in the Lithuanian Basketball League.-Pro career:...

 
Jonas Valančiūnas
Jonas Valančiūnas
Jonas Valančiūnas is a Lithuanian professional basketball player, currently playing for BC Lietuvos Rytas. He is a member of the Lithuanian national basketball team...

 
PF
Power forward (basketball)
Power forward is a position in the sport of basketball. The position is referred to in playbook terms as the four position and is commonly abbreviated "PF". It has also been referred to as the "post" position. Power forwards play a role similar to that of center in what is called the "post" or "low...

Lawrence Roberts
Lawrence Roberts (basketball)
Lawrence Edward Roberts III is an American professional basketball player. Roberts played for two years as a power forward for Lamar High School, alongside Emeka Okafor of Bellaire High School...

 
Mindaugas Katelynas
Mindaugas Katelynas
Mindaugas Katelynas is a professional basketball player, currently playing for Lithuanian team BC Lietuvos Rytas.- Playing career :...

 
Vilmantas Dilys
Vilmantas Dilys
Vilmantas Dilys is a Lithuanian professional basketball player who plays for Lietuvos Rytas.He is 2.08 m tall and can play both power forward and small forward positions....

 
SF
Small forward
The small forward, or colloquially known as three, is one of the five positions in a regulation basketball game. Small forwards are typically somewhat shorter, quicker, and leaner than power forwards and centers, but on occasion are just as tall...

Brad Newley
Brad Newley
Brad Newley is an Australian professional basketball player. He is a 6 ft 7 in tall small forward that can also play at the shooting guard position...

 
Artūras Jomantas
Arturas Jomantas
Artūras Jomantas is a Lithuanian professional basketball player, currently playing in Lietuvos Rytas since 2006. He also played for Mažeikiai Nafta and Šiauliai .-Pro career:...

 
SG
Shooting guard
The shooting guard , also known as the two or off guard, is one of five traditional positions on a basketball team. Players of the position are often shorter, leaner, and quicker than forwards. A shooting guard's main objective is to score points for his team...

Renaldas Seibutis
Renaldas Seibutis
Renaldas Seibutis , is a Lithuanian professional basketball player. He is currently with the Lithuanian Basketball League club Lietuvos Rytas.-NBA career:...

 
Steponas Babrauskas
Steponas Babrauskas
Steponas Babrauskas is a Lithuanian professional basketball player who plays for Lietuvos Rytas.His first achievement in basketball came at the 2003 FIBA U-19 World Championships in Greece, where Babrauskas and the Lithuanian U-19 National Basketball Team won silver medals...

 
Dovydas Redikas
Dovydas Redikas
Dovydas Redikas is a Lithuanian profesional basketball player which position is Point Guard and he is currently playing for BC Perlas team.-International career:...

 
PG
Point guard
Point guard , also called the play maker or "the ball-handler", is one of the standard positions in a regulation basketball game. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position – essentially, he is expected to run the team's offense by controlling the ball and making sure that...

Tyrese Rice
Tyrese Rice
Tyrese Rice is an American professional basketball player. Rice played college basketball with the Boston College Eagles.- Early life and high school :...

 
Aleksandar Rašić
Aleksandar Rašić
Aleksandar Rašić is a Serbian professional basketball player. He is currently playing for BC Lietuvos Rytas in Lithuania.-External links:*...

 
Paulius Dambrauskas 

In

Out



Out on Loan

Notable players

In Statyba

Artūras Karnišovas
Arturas Karnišovas
Artūras Karnišovas is a retired Lithuanian professional basketball player....

 1987–1990 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...

 1968–1983 Šarūnas Marčiulionis
Šarunas Marciulionis
Raimondas Šarūnas Marčiulionis is a retired Lithuanian professional basketball player. He was one of the first Europeans to become a regular in the North American National Basketball Association...

 1982–1988 Rimas Girskis 1968–1983 Algimantas Pavilonis 1973–1985 Alvydas Pazdrazdis
Alvydas Pazdrazdis
Alvydas Pazdrazdis is a former basketball player from Lithuania, who won the bronze medal with the Lithuania national basketball team at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain. He is currently a scout for the Dallas Mavericks. His former clubs include BC Lietuvos Rytas, KK Neptunas and BC...

 1989–1992

In Lietuvos rytas

João Paulo Batista 2006–2008 Tomas Delininkaitis
Tomas Delininkaitis
Tomas Delininkaitis Tomas Delininkaitis Tomas Delininkaitis (born June 11, 1982 in Klaipėda, Lithuania is a Lithuanian basketball shooting guard currently playing for BC Žalgiris. He can also play point guard if needed. He was a member of the Lithuanian national basketball team for the 2010 FIBA...

 2002–2007 Chuck Eidson
Chuck Eidson
Chuck Eidson is an American professional basketball player. He is 2.02 m tall and he plays mainly at the small forward position. He can also play at both the point guard and shooting guard positions as well as a point forward...

 2007–2009 Gintaras Einikis
Gintaras Einikis
Gintaras Einikis is a retired controversial Lithuanian professional basketball player. He stands at 6 ft 10 in and is former Lithuanian basketball center for the Lithuanian national team...

 2004/2005 Andrius Giedraitis
Andrius Giedraitis
Andrius Giedraitis was a Lithuanian professional basketball player.He started his career in LPA Vilnius team, later moved to BC Sakalai. In 1998 became a member of BC Lietuvos Rytas. He was one of the leaders at this team, therefore in 2001 he moved to Basketball Club Oostende...

 1998–2001 Frederick House
Frederick House
Frederick House or Fredericks House may refer to:Places in the United States*Fredericks House , listed on the National Register of Historic Places in Arizona...

 2004–2006 Šarūnas Jasikevičius
Šarunas Jasikevicius
Šarūnas Jasikevičius is a Lithuanian professional basketball player who plays for Panathinaikos BC. He is a member of the Lithuanian national team, and plays the point guard position.-Early years:...

 1998/1999, 2010 Simas Jasaitis
Simas Jasaitis
Simas Jasaitis is a Lithuanian professional basketball player. He is a small forward and currently plays for Türk Telekom B.K.. He also represents the Lithuanian national basketball team.-Pro career:...

 2001–2006, 2011 Robertas Javtokas
Robertas Javtokas
Robertas Javtokas is a Lithuanian professional basketball player. Javtokas is 2.11 m in height and weighs 122 kg . He plays the center position. He has been a member of the Lithuanian national team since 2000...

 1999–2006 Rimantas Kaukėnas
Rimantas Kaukenas
Rimantas "Rimas" Kaukėnas is a Lithuanian professional basketball player. He was also a member of the Lithuanian national basketball team...

 2001/2002 Rimas Kurtinaitis
Rimas Kurtinaitis
Rimas Kurtinaitis is a basketball trainer, head coach of the VEF Riga, retired Soviet and Lithuanian basketball player who was a member of the USSR and Lithuanian national basketball teams. He played as a shooting guard and is the only non-NBA player to participate in the NBA All-Star Three Point...

 1998/1999 Mindaugas Lukauskis
Mindaugas Lukauskis
Mindaugas Lukauskis is a Lithuanian professional basketball player.-Basketball career:Lukauskis began his basketball career in the Panevežys youth basketball clubs, being the leader there. He got attention from the LKL, and in 2001, he joined Sakalai...

 2003–2009 Arvydas Macijauskas
Arvydas Macijauskas
Arvydas Macijauskas is a retired Lithuanian professional basketball player. He announced termination of his career after his last club, Olympiacos, released him following a prolonged judicial litigation.-Early years:...

 1999–2003 Branko Milisavljević
Branko Milisavljevic
Branko Milisavljević is a Serbian professional basketball player. He is a 1.93 m tall point guard who plays for KK Mega Vizura in the Basketball League of Serbia....

 2008/2009 Tyrone Nesby
Tyrone Nesby
Tyrone Lamont Nesby is a retired American professional basketball player.Undrafted in the 1998 NBA Draft, Nesby played in the National Basketball Association with the Los Angeles Clippers and the Washington Wizards .In Europe he played for Olympia Larissa , Metis Varese , Reflex and Lietuvos...

 2004/2005 Matthew Nielsen
Matthew Nielsen
Matthew "Matt" Peter Nielsen is an Australian professional basketball player.-Pro career:...

 2005–2008 Marijonas Petravičius
Marijonas Petravicius
Marijonas Petravičius is a Lithuanian professional basketball player. He currently a free agent. He is a member of the Lithuania national team...

 2006–2009 Hollis Price
Hollis Price
Hollis Price is an American professional basketball player.- College career :Price played college basketball at the University of Oklahoma from 1999 to 2003. He helped to lead the Sooners to the Final Four in 2002...

 2007/2008 Kareem Rush
Kareem Rush
Kareem Lamar Rush is an American former professional basketball player who last played at shooting guard with the NBA's Los Angeles Clippers...

 2006/2007 Dickey Simpkins
Dickey Simpkins
LuBara Dixon "Dickey" Simpkins is an American former professional basketball player best known for his tenure with the Chicago Bulls in the late 1990s...

 2003/2004 Ramūnas Šiškauskas
Ramunas Šiškauskas
Ramūnas Šiškauskas in height and he weighs 220 lbs. . He is currently with CSKA Moscow.-Player profile:Šiškauskas is a physical forward who can easily play, both on offense and defense, at the guard positions, on the wing, and also in the paint...

 1998–2004 Roberts Štelmahers
Roberts Štelmahers
Roberts Štelmahers is a retired Latvian professional basketball player, who played at the Point guard position.Štelmahers was a member of the Latvia national basketball team from 1992 to 2005 participating in four EuroBasket final tournaments in 1997, 2001, 2003 and 2005. He has played a total of...

 2004–2008 Jackson Vroman
Jackson Vroman
Jackson Vroman is a US-born Lebanese professional basketball player. He was naturalized as a Lebanese citizen to play in the Lebanon national basketball team, substituting the other naturalized American Lebanese player, Joe Vogel...

 2007/2008 Kenan Bajramović
Kenan Bajramovic
Kenan Bajramović is an Bosnian basketball player who currently plays for Banvit B.K. in Turkey. Mostly he established himself playing for Lietuvos rytas playing in Euroleague. He is married to Zlata Bajramovic...

 2007/2008, 2010/2011 Khalid El-Amin
Khalid El-Amin
Khalid El-Amin is an American professional basketball player. He was a member of the 1999 UConn men's basketball team that won the NCAA championship. He is originally from Minnesota where he played for North High School in Minneapolis...

 2011 Martynas Gecevičius
Martynas Gecevicius
Martynas Gecevičius is a Lithuanian professional basketball player. He is currently playing with Olympiacos.- Lietuvos Rytas :...

 2007–2011 Jonas Valančiūnas
Jonas Valančiūnas
Jonas Valančiūnas is a Lithuanian professional basketball player, currently playing for BC Lietuvos Rytas. He is a member of the Lithuanian national basketball team...

 2010–present

Championships

  • Baltic Basketball League
    Baltic Basketball League
    Baltic 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...

     champions:
    2006, 2007, 2009
  • Baltic Basketball League
    Baltic Basketball League
    Baltic 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...

     Presidents Cup winners:
    2008
  • ULEB Eurocup champions: 2005, 2009
  • North European Basketball League champions: 2002
  • Lithuanian Basketball League
    Lietuvos Krepšinio Lyga
    The Lietuvos krepšinio lyga is Lithuania's premier professional men's basketball league, composed of 12 teams.- History :...

     champions:
    2000, 2002, 2006, 2009, 2010
  • Lithuanian Cup winners
    LKF Cup
    LKF Cup is Lithuania national cup that was founded in 2006. Zalgiris has won the cup three times and Lietuvos Rytas have won this trophy twice.-Winners:...

    :
    1998, 2009, 2010

External links

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