{"id":137452,"date":"2025-05-24T11:35:58","date_gmt":"2025-05-24T11:35:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/jasikevicius-will-the-sixth-time-be-the-charm\/"},"modified":"2025-05-24T11:36:00","modified_gmt":"2025-05-24T11:36:00","slug":"jasikevicius-will-the-sixth-time-be-the-charm","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/jasikevicius-will-the-sixth-time-be-the-charm\/","title":{"rendered":"Jasikevicius, will the sixth time be the charm?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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The Legacy of Sarunas Jasikevicius in European Basketball<\/h2>\n

As one of the most distinguished figures in \u00a0European basketball\u00a0, Sarunas Jasikevicius has significantly contributed to the sport both as a player and a coach. He stands as a testament to excellence, ranking among the elite with \u00a0four continental titles\u00a0 to his name, sharing this achievement with ten other players. His accomplishments place him alongside \u00a0Kostas Sloukas\u00a0, with notable victories across three different clubs.<\/p>\n

Early Achievements on the Court<\/h2>\n

Sarunas began his championship journey in 2003 when he lifted the title with \u00a0FC Barcelona\u00a0 under the guidance of Svetislav Pesic. This was just the beginning of an illustrious career; he repeated this success in the subsequent two years with \u00a0Maccabi Tel Aviv\u00a0, coached by Pini Gershon. His journey culminated in a third championship victory in 2009 with \u00a0Panathinaikos\u00a0, where he played under the legendary \u00a0Zeljko Obradovic\u00a0.<\/p>\n

A Second Career on the Bench<\/h2>\n

After a brief return to \u00a0Barcelona\u00a0 during the 2012-13 season, Jasikevicius decided to retire in his beloved \u00a0Zalgiris Kaunas\u00a0. Soon after, he took a significant step into coaching. His inaugural stint was as an assistant to Gintaras Krapikas in 2014. Following Krapikas\u2019 dismissal in January 2016, Sarunas took over as \u00a0head coach\u00a0, marking the start of his coaching legacy.<\/p>\n

The Foundation of Jasikevicius\u2019 Coaching Philosophy<\/h2>\n

From day one, Jasikevicius emphasized the import of \u00a0defense\u00a0, which became a cornerstone of his coaching philosophy. His passionate demeanor on the bench and a relentless pursuit of excellence set a high standard for his players. During his tenure with \u00a0Zalgiris\u00a0, he secured five \u00a0Lithuanian League titles\u00a0 and three national cups, further showcasing his capability behind the bench.<\/p>\n

Notable Seasons in the EuroLeague<\/h2>\n

In the 2017-18 EuroLeague season, he achieved remarkable success with \u00a0Zalgiris\u00a0, finishing sixth in the regular season\u2014a stunning feat considering the club’s modest budget compared to the competition’s giants. Zalgiris surprised everyone by eliminating \u00a0Olympiacos\u00a0 in the quarterfinals, ultimately finishing third after a hard-fought battle against \u00a0CSKA Moscow\u00a0.<\/p>\n

Following this impressive season, \u00a0Barcelona\u00a0 took notice and hired him in 2020. Although the pandemic led to the cancellation of the previous season, Sarunas drove Barcelona to another splendid season, marked by 24 victories. They advanced to the finals, only to lose to \u00a0Anadolu Efes\u00a0 led by head coach \u00a0Ergin Ataman\u00a0.<\/p>\n

Challenges and Highs in Subsequent Seasons<\/h2>\n

In 2021-22, he brought Barcelona back to the EuroLeague’s decisive weekend, finishing first in the regular season with a record of 21-7 due to the expulsion of three Russian teams. However, after overcoming \u00a0Bayern Munich\u00a0 in the quarterfinals, they faced \u00a0Real Madrid\u00a0 in the semifinals, unfortunately losing that match as well.<\/p>\n

Sarunas\u2019 final season with Barcelona echoed similar sentiments. Even with a robust regular-season performance, the team fell short in the semifinals against Madrid, ending with a dismal loss against \u00a0AS Monaco\u00a0 to finish fourth.<\/p>\n

Transition to Fenerbahce<\/h2>\n

After an unfulfilling exit from Barcelona, marked by an insulting renewal offer, Jasikevicius joined \u00a0Fenerbahce\u00a0. Under his leadership, the club was swift to reach the Final Four, overcoming the odds despite finishing sixth in the regular season.<\/p>\n

Fenerbahce demonstrated resilience, triumphing over \u00a0Monaco\u00a0 in a high-stakes quarterfinal. Although they faced defeat in the semifinals against \u00a0Panathinaikos\u00a0, they pushed through to compete for third place against \u00a0Olympiacos\u00a0.<\/p>\n

Current Season Highlights<\/h2>\n

This season, Fenerbahce has overcome challenges, including injury setbacks, to achieve an impressive second-place finish in the regular season. With 23 victories, they advanced decisively in the playoffs, dispatching \u00a0Paris Basketball\u00a0 emphatically in the quarterfinals and overcoming \u00a0Panathinaikos\u00a0 in the semifinals in a gripping match.<\/p>\n

The stage is set for Fenerbahce as they prepare to face \u00a0Monaco\u00a0, a team historically notorious for challenging competitions. Sarunas exits as a favorite to attain the coveted EuroLeague title\u2014could this finally be the victory he\u2019s been striving for as a coach?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Sport News-1<\/a>
\n<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Legacy of Sarunas Jasikevicius in European Basketball As one of the most distinguished figures in \u00a0European basketball\u00a0, Sarunas Jasikevicius has significantly contributed to the sport both as a player and a coach. He stands as a testament to excellence, ranking among the elite with \u00a0four continental titles\u00a0 to his name, sharing this achievement with […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":137453,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[23826,35985,12727,269],"class_list":["post-137452","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports","tag-charm","tag-jasikevicius","tag-sixth","tag-time"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/137452","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=137452"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/137452\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/137453"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=137452"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=137452"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=137452"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}