Jasikevicius to skip Belgrade
08/02/2005
According to the latest announcements, the national team of Lithuania, the Euro Basket defending champion, could be considerably weakened at the forthcoming championship in Serbia & Montenegro. The best player of Maccabi and the Lithuanian team playmaker Sarunas Jasikevicius has revealed in his interview to the Catalonian El Mundo Deportivo that the chances for him to miss this year’s Eurobasket are great.
- At the end of this season, I’d like to have a decent rest and carefully select the club to continue my career with. I don’t think I’ll be ready for the European Championships in Belgrade – Jasikevicius said.
Such an attitude of one of the best European playmakers is not surprising, especially after his recent interview to the Sport News in which he has in a way announced his decision pointing out he has been fed up with basketball.
- It may seem strange, but I am fed up with basketball. As I am a great professional, give my best in every practicing session and in every match I play. In this season, however, I have to admit I am facing difficulties in finding motivation for every match.
Jasikevicius has tried to give an explanation about his present feelings:
- I could count with fingers of one hand the days I have not been involved in basketball in the last two years. I’ve had just two months off, but even then I used to spend the most of time attending basketball youth camps, various seminars, etc. After the great success with Barcelona in 2003, I had to join the national team without delay. We had very tough preparations that were followed by extremely exhausting tournament. We won the title, but at the end of the day, we were completely drained both mentally and physically. After that, I joined Maccabi and practically played an NBA season with no rest at all. Then again the national team preparatory cycle and the Athens Olympic Games… and by now, the tempo has stayed unchanged – Jasikevicius pointed out.