As Bryant Dunston uses to say there’s no time to reflect too much after a EuroLeague game, win or lose, because another one is coming up right away. With this mindset, Olimpia left Munich around lunchtime to fly to Lithuania and practice in Kaunas by dinnertime ahead of the game against Zalgiris, who also suffered its first loss of the season in Belgrade. The game will be played in a packed arena, as always, with all the issues arising from the double-round schedule and, in Milan’s case, from absences. The history between the two clubs is ancient, dating back to the 1980s, when Zalgiris represented the Soviet Union in European competitions and featured star players such as Arvydas Sabonis, Rimas Kurtinaitis, and Valdas Homicius, the core of the team that won the Olympic gold for the USSR in 1988. Back then, the games were played at the Kaunas Hall, which still exists, while Zalgiris now has its headquarters in an arena that, while it is no longer brand new, remains very modern and elegant. Overcoming the impact of home court advantage – the home team feeds off the crowd energy, but the fans here but are always correct – will be another key to the game, which is also Olimpia’s fourth road game out of five.
NOTE – Zalgiris Kaunas-Olimpia Milano is scheduled to be played on Thursday, October 16th, at 19:00 Italian time at Zalgirio Arena in Kaunas.
REFEREES – Damir Javor (Croatia), Oleg Latisevs (Latvia), Alberto Baena (Spain).
COACH ETTORE MESSINA– “We face a Zalgiris team that has been doing very well so far in the competition and on a basketball arena where the home crowd is playing a role. We are coming off a game plagued by very low shooting percentages that eventually doomed our chances. The defensive effort was there and we need to restart from here. It will be crucial to move the ball better. We are also waiting to know what will be Lorenzo Brown’s conditions, since he came out of the Munich game with some problems.”
ZALGIRIS OUTLOOK – Zalgiris features the traditional mix of quality Lithuanian players, providing depth for Coach Tomas Masiulis, and foreign players. The team appears to be built around the guard duo of Sylvain Francisco, Nigel Williams-Goss, and center Moses Wright. Francisco is a quick, explosive guard who played in the last European Championships with the French national team and had already performed well in the EuroLeague at Bayern Munich before arriving in Kaunas in 2024. Williams-Goss is a veteran, having won a EuroLeague title with Real Madrid and then had his second career stint at Olympiacos. He is a point guard with personality and physicality. Wright is an athletic and strong center who played at Olympiacos before moving to Kaunas, where he had a brilliant first half of the season. Among the guards, Maodo Lo stands out, having built a career at this level by coming off the bench and stepping up when needed. Shooting guard Deividas Syrvidis, who also played in the NBA, has been given limited space so far. Another American-trained player, Ignas Brazdeikis, a poor shooter but a great counterattack player, can also play guard. At small forward, in addition to Brazdeikis, are veteran Edgars Ulanovas, a man with nearly 350 EuroLeague appearances, a left-handed, ever-threatening player capable of playing two positions, and the experienced Arnas Butkevicius, a dangerous shooter as well. The power forwards are American Dustin Sleva, arriving from Besiktas in his first EuroLeague experience, and Azuolas Tubelis, who spent three years in Arizona before returning to Vilnius, Lithuania. He is in his first season in Kaunas. At center, in addition to Wright, there is the veteran Lithuanian Laurynas Birutis, a low-post player who is highly efficient in the minutes he is asked to play.
ZALGIRIS CONNECTION – Zach LeDay played one season in Kaunas, in 2019/20. At the end of that year, he transferred to Olimpia Milano. He played 28 games and scored 329 points. In 2021/22, Josh Nebo played in Kaunas, scoring 245 points and 174 rebounds in 28 games. Bryant Dunston has spent the whole last season in Kaunas, appearing in 34 games 16 of them as a starter with 139 points, 113 rebounds grabbed.
