LITHUANIA - Once again - aiming for the medals

Entering a fifth consecutive Olympics, Lithuania go to Beijing with one goal in mind - to reach the podium once again.

"I can't tell you what makes me happier - a bronze medal or the fact that tonight we qualified for the Olympics," Sarunas Jasikevicius said after his country's last game at EuroBasket 2007 in Madrid. "The medal is great, but I am also very happy that we kept our country's Olympic tradition going."

Since 1990, when the country regained its independence, Lithuania's men's basketball team has appeared in every Olympics. They claimed bronze medals in 1992, 1996 and 2000 and barely missed the podium in Athens four years ago when falling to Team USA in the third place game. It's no surprise that expectations are high again, especially with the team's performance at last year's EuroBasket where the Baltic country showed they should be among the favourites in China.

One big question was whether Big Z - NBA center Zydrunas Ilgauskas - would be able to play for his country for the first time since 1995. The Cleveland Cavaliers did not give him their blessing, leaving all of Lithuania disappointed. Even so, the National Team is stocked with talent and the fact that Ilgauskas hasn't played for the team for more than a decade proves they can win without him.

Lithuania are a talented group with NBA forwards Darius Songaila and Linas Kleiza, twin brothers Ksystof and Darjus Lavrinovic, EuroLeague MVP Ramunas Siskauskas and legendary floor general Sarunas Jasikevicius. They have even more players.

Versatility is catchword for this Lithuanian squad. Almost every player on the team can play at least two positions, a fact that gives the coaching staff a lot of possibilities in terms of tactics and rotations. While the 2.22m Ilgauskas would have been the main man under the basket, others have proved they can battle with the best big men in the world. Songaila did so in 2000, while still a college player at Wake Forest. His performances helped Lithuania compete against the likes of Alonzo Mourning of Team USA and almost helped the Baltic country upset the Americans in the semi-finals. Songaila and the Lavrinovic brothers are valuable for several reasons, with their ability to step outside and hit jump shots among the most important.

A year ago, the Lithuanian National Team finished the EuroBasket with an 8-1 record, despite the fact that Jasikevicius had knee and muscle injuries through most of the tournament. The only loss came in the semi-finals against eventual champions Russia. Considering Russia had a day off between their quarter-final and the semi, and Lithuania did not, coach Ramunas Butautus' men were clearly at a disadvantage.

When Lithuania beat the defending European champions Greece in a game for the bronze medal, coach Butautas couldn't hide his joy, mixed with relief. It was the first time the 44-year-old boss had been at the helm of the senior team and he had just passed one of the most important tests of his career - getting the team to the podium and snatching an Olympic spot.

The coach was new, but the style remained the same. Lithuania were always looking for fast-break chances, they played team-oriented basketball and shared the ball while patiently looking for openings in opposing defenses.

Six players from the Lithuanian squad already had Olympic experience. Three of them - Jasikevicius, Siskauskas and Songaila - were in Sydney eight years ago when they won the bronze. For most of the main players of this Lithuanian team, it will be the last Olympics of their careers. This means they will need no additional motivation to give everything in China.

How did they qualify?
EuroBasket 2007
3rd (8W-1L)

Preliminary round
Sept-3rd  Lithuania b. Turkey   86:69
Spet-4th  Lithuania b. Czech Republic   95:75
Sept-5th  Lithuania b. Germany   84:80
Sept-8th  Lithuania b. Italy   79:74
Sept-10th  Lithuania b. France   88:73
Sept-12th  Lithuania b. Slovenia   80:61

Quartefinal
Sept-14th  Lithuania b. Croatia   74:72

Semifinal
Sept-15th  Russia b. Lithuania   86:74

3rd place game
Sept-16th  Lithuania b. Greece   78:69