Lithuania is in mourning. Jonas Kazlauskas, coach of the Lithuanian national basketball team, handed in his resignation upon the team's return Sept. 5.
As he did so, at Vilnius Airport, the players were met by a crowd of teenagers booing, whistling and chanting, "Shame, shame!" Some of the fans had tomatoes and eggs in their hands, but decided not to use them.
"I would like to apologize to the fans for the team, which demonstrated that kind of game. The team was in some kind of trance," Kazlauskas said taking the blame.
The Lithuanians were sent packing by the Latvian team 76-94 in an early round in Ankara on Sept. 3. Latvia defeated Lithuania in an official game for the first time ever.
Kazlauskas admitted that the participation of the Lithuanian team in a journey to Buenos Aires on the eve of the European championship was a mistake. He said that his players were tired from the trip.
He also complained that during a friendly game with Latvia on the eve of the departure for Ankara two key players, Saulius Stombergas and Darius Maskoliunas, were injured. This was a harsh blow to the team game.
Algimantas Pavilonis, president of the Lithuanian Basketball Federation, defended Kazlauskas, a highly respected coach in Europe. Kazlauskas was awarded the title of best European coach when his Kaunas Zalgiris club became champions of the Euroleague in 1999.
"The high expectations of the Lithuanian fans about gold medals were too big a psychological pressure on the players," said Pavilonis.
The Lithuanians went home having lost the chance to qualify for the World Basketball Championship in Indianapolis in 2002.
"I don't know what happened to me. I gave 100 percent, but with no profit. We all tried hard," said Sarunas Jasikevicius, one of the leading players of the Lithuanian team.
He said the national team needs players like Zydrunas Ilgauskas of the NBA. Ilgauskas and his NBA colleague Arvydas Sabonis and Barcelona Club player Arturas Karnisovas could not go to Turkey due to poor health.
Saulius Stombergas, another star player, who sat out the first two games, shared the onus with everyone. "It's hard to look anyone in the eye now. It's a real shame."
Mindaugas Timinskas, one of the best players in the tournament, claimed the experience would teach everybody a lesson. "We played terribly, but we'll never be able to find out why. It was the result of too many small things. It will urge us to have a rethink. If we learn the lesson, we'll be able to stand up after this knockout, and go out and win again," he said.
In the Sydney Olympics, Lithuania was the only team who could challenge the American Dream Team. Lithuania lost 83-85 to the Americans in the semi-final.
Lithuanian fans were devastated by the poor performance of their national team. TV sets showing basketball had been the main attraction in many bars across the country. But after the defeat against Latvia, almost all Lithuanians lost any further interest in the championship.
More than 500 Lithuanians had booked tickets for the finals in the European championship and were going to fly on Sept. 5 with specially arranged charter flights to Turkey. Many fans tried to return their tickets to the travel agencies. But the requests came too late. The majority of the fans who went to Turkey said they would support the Latvian team.
But Latvia was defeated in the quarterfinals by Yugoslavia, 114-78. Latvia came eighth overall.
Lithuanian President Valdas Adamkus was asked about his impressions of the Lithuanian disaster in Turkey during a press conference on political issues in the coming fall. Adamkus said he got very agitated watching another unsuccessful game, this time against France. "But later I decided it was not worth committing suicide," he said with a smile.
He said he remembered perfectly the final game of the European championship in Kaunas in 1939. It was Lithuania vs. Latvia, which finished with the result 37:36. Lithuania became Europe's champion for a second time.
"We won by one point. There was talk about ceasing Lithuanian-Latvian diplomatic relations then. But it didn't happen and I don't believe it will happen now," Adamkus said.
Lithuania won in Turkey against Ukraine and Israel, but lost to France and Latvia. Estonia left the European championship at the earliest stage. On Sept. 9, Yugoslavia, Lithuania's eternal basketball enemy, became European champions.
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