BC Šiauliai ( lt, Krepšinio klubas Šiauliai) is the professional basketball club of
Šiauliai
Šiauliai (; bat-smg, Šiaulē; german: Schaulen, ) is the fourth largest city in Lithuania, with a population of 107,086. From 1994 to 2010 it was the capital of Šiauliai County.
Names
Šiauliai is referred to by various names in different l ...
,
Lithuania
Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania ...
. The club competes in the
Lithuanian Basketball League
Lithuanian may refer to:
* Lithuanians
* Lithuanian language
* The country of Lithuania
* Grand Duchy of Lithuania
* Culture of Lithuania
* Lithuanian cuisine
* Lithuanian Jews as often called "Lithuanians" (''Lita'im'' or ''Litvaks'') by other Jew ...
. It has won the 3rd place award (behind Lithuanian basketball giants
Lietuvos Rytas
''Lietuvos rytas'' (lit. 'Morning of Lithuania') is a Lithuanian daily newspaper.
History and profile
"Lietuvos rytas" was established in 1990 on a basis of newspaper "Komjaunimo tiesa". The paper is printed in Vilnius
Vilnius ( , ; see also ...
and
Žalgiris) in the
LKL a record 9 times.
History
BC Kelininkas (1982–1994)
The team was formed in 1984 and participated in the second-tier Lithuanian league. Following
Tauras Šiauliai club bankrupt, BC Kelininkas became city's primary basketball club. During the 1994–95 season in
LKAL
LKAL - Lietuvos Krepšinio A Lyga (English: Lithuanian Basketball A League), was the second Lithuanian basketball league until it ceased to exist in the spring of 2005.
The new created league named ''NKL'', Nacionalinė Krepšinio Lyga (Natio ...
, BC Kelininkas played his last season under this name. BC Kelininkas, led by
,
Robertas Giedraitis
Robertas Giedraitis (born August 29, 1970) is a Lithuanian basketball coach and former player. He is currently the assistant coach for Šiauliai of the Lithuanian Basketball League (LKL). He is also a head coach of BC Delikatesas. Robertas Giedr ...
,
Donatas Slanina
Donatas Slanina (born 23 April 1977) is a Lithuanian professional basketball player who plays as a shooting guard in his professional career. He also shortly worked as an assistant coach. After starting his professional career in Šiauliai, he wa ...
and
Mindaugas Žukauskas
Mindaugas Žukauskas (born 24 August 1975 in Šiauliai, Lithuanian SSR, USSR) is a retired Lithuanian professional basketball player, a former captain of the Lithuanian national basketball team. He is a small forward 2.01 m tall. Žukauskas is c ...
, finished with the 18–2 regular season record and advanced into the playoffs. There they successfully completed two stages by overcoming
Banga Kaunas and
SAVY Vilnius. Though, later they were defeated by
Vilnius LPA twice. Then BC Kelininkas, due to the sponsorship reasons, was renamed to BC Šiauliai.
First victories and titles (1994–2003)
In June, 1994
Adomas Klimavičius and
Šiaulių plentas company chief engineer
Algimantas Mikšys participated in the
LKL board meeting, where they presented filmed material about Šiauliai city infrastructure, budget, team roster and coaches. Then the board members voted: ten members from thirteen voted for BC Šiauliai request acceptance to join LKL. The team successfully joined LKL and was coached by
.
After two loses to
Lavera Kaunas and
Statyba Vilnius, BC Šiauliai returned home. During the first game in
Tauras Sports Hall, BC Šiauliai achieved club's first victory in LKL versus
NECA Kaunas 93–75.
Oleg Bulancev
Oleg (russian: Олег), Oleh ( uk, Олег), or Aleh ( be, Алег) is an East Slavic given name. The name is very common in Russia, Ukraine and Belаrus. It derives from the Old Norse ''Helgi'' ( Helge), meaning "holy", "sacred", or "blesse ...
scored 25 points,
Mindaugas Žukauskas
Mindaugas Žukauskas (born 24 August 1975 in Šiauliai, Lithuanian SSR, USSR) is a retired Lithuanian professional basketball player, a former captain of the Lithuanian national basketball team. He is a small forward 2.01 m tall. Žukauskas is c ...
– 18 points,
Arvydas Tamkevičius Arvydas is a Lithuanian masculine given name. Notable people with the name include:
*Arvydas Bagdžius, Lithuanian painter
*Arvydas Bajoras (born 1956), Lithuanian politician
*Arvydas Janonis, a retired football player
*Arvydas Každailis, Lithuan ...
added 17 points back then.
![2006 05 11Sireika8](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fb/2006_05_11Sireika8.JPG)
Following successful debut season in LKL, where they finished 4th, the club achieved the right to participate in the
1995–96 FIBA Korać Cup tournament. The sorcery told that their first opponent will be
Śląsk Wrocław
Wrocławski Klub Sportowy Śląsk Wrocław Spółka Akcyjna, commonly known as WKS Śląsk Wrocław, Śląsk Wrocław () or simply Śląsk, is a Polish football club based in Wrocław that plays in Ekstraklasa, the highest level of the Polish fo ...
from
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...
. BC Šiauliai showed extraordinary fighting efficiency in the second half and defeated the Polish team 100–88, thanks to the solid 24-points performance by
Giedrius Pečiulionis.
![DonatasSlanina](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/89/DonatasSlanina.jpg)
BC Šiauliai won the 32nd Lithuanian men's basketball cup. The team joined the tournament in the third stage where they defeated
Olimpas Plungė
KK Olimpas is a basketball team based in Plungė, Lithuania. The team currently competes in the third-tier Regional Basketball League (RKL). The club previously competed in the first-tier Lithuanian Basketball League (LKL) and second-tier Nati ...
twice. The final four took place in
Šiauliai
Šiauliai (; bat-smg, Šiaulē; german: Schaulen, ) is the fourth largest city in Lithuania, with a population of 107,086. From 1994 to 2010 it was the capital of Šiauliai County.
Names
Šiauliai is referred to by various names in different l ...
. In the semi-final BC Šiauliai overcome
BC Šilutė
BC Šilutė is a professional Šilutė, Lithuania basketball club, currently playing in National Basketball League. BC Šilutė was founded in 1990 and currently is the oldest participant in NKL. From 1993 to 1999 seasons, BC Šilutė played in ...
83–68 and in the final, after a spirited battle, they won versus
Statyba Vilnius 96–88.
On April 1, 1996,
Mindaugas Žukauskas
Mindaugas Žukauskas (born 24 August 1975 in Šiauliai, Lithuanian SSR, USSR) is a retired Lithuanian professional basketball player, a former captain of the Lithuanian national basketball team. He is a small forward 2.01 m tall. Žukauskas is c ...
has performed a record appearance, when BC Šiauliai met the regular season winners
Atletas Kaunas
FK Atletas Kaunas (former:LKKA ir Teledema) was a Lithuanian football club from the city of Kaunas. The majority of the players was recruited from the Lithuanian Academy of Physical Education. LKKA ir Teledema earned promotion to the A Lyga, L ...
in the LKL quarter-final. Žukauskas led his hometown team to the 91–86 victory by scoring 45 points (11 two-pointers, 5 three-pointers and 8 free-throws). This astonishing performance remains unimproved until the nowadays.
The
1998 LKF Cup Final Four was hosted in Šiauliai and the team was willing to defend their last season' golden title at any costs. Though, they were overshadowed by the newly formed
Lietuvos rytas-Statyba Vilnius 65–72.
During the 1999–00 LKL season, BC Šiauliai won their first-ever LKL bronze medals by reaching the 3–1 revenge versus
Sakalai Vilnius, who crushed their bronze dreams previous season. First series game, which BC Šiauliai unexpectedly won 77–62 in
Vilnius
Vilnius ( , ; see also other names) is the capital and largest city of Lithuania, with a population of 592,389 (according to the state register) or 625,107 (according to the municipality of Vilnius). The population of Vilnius's functional urb ...
, is regarded as crucial. The series ended 3–1.
Another record performance happened on March 3, 2001, when
Giedrius Pečiulionis realized 11 three-pointers from 16 versus
BC Panevėžys. Totally, Pečiulionis scored 41 points that night and led BC Šiauliai to the excellent 107–69 triumph. This performance was just 2 three-pointers behind from the LKL record of 13 three-pointers held by
Joey Vickery
Joey David Vickery (born 9 June 1967) is a Canadian former professional basketball player. At a height of 1.78 m (5'10") tall, he played at the point guard position. He was the Lithuanian Basketball League's LKL All-Star Game Three-point Shooto ...
since 1996, and is the second result in the whole LKL history. Third result of 10 three-pointers per one game is also held by Giedrius Pečiulionis since 1998.
During the 2000–01 season, BC Šiauliai achieved the LKL all-time scoring record of 143 points versus
BC Suvalkija in
Marijampolė
Marijampolė (; also known by several other names) is a cultural and industrial city and the capital of the Marijampolė County in the south of Lithuania, bordering Poland and Russian Kaliningrad Oblast, and Lake Vištytis. The population of Mari ...
. Totally, BC Šiauliai players realized 49 two-pointers with the stunning 86% accuracy and 39 free-throws. In the same season BC Šiauliai won their second consecutive LKL bronze medals, winning series 3–1 versus
Alita Alytus. The final victorious 62–97 match was played in
Alytus
Alytus is a city with municipal rights in southern Lithuania. It is the capital of Alytus County. Its population in 2022 was 53,925. Alytus is the historical centre of the Dzūkija region. The city lies on the banks of the Nemunas River. The maj ...
.
BC Šiauliai failed to extend their bronze medals streak this time, losing the LKL bronze series 2–3 in 2002 and 1–3 in 2003 to
Alita Alytus. Although, that was just a silence before the true storm.
True LKL bronze domination (2004–2010)
During the 2003–04 season, BC Šiauliai returned to the bronze LKL throne, defeating
Sakalai Vilnius 3–2 in the final series game 84–78.
![Siauliai Zalgiris](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2f/Siauliai_Zalgiris.jpg)
Next season they totally won 3 bronze medals in three different competitions. First of all, BC Šiauliai participated in the
FIBA Europe cup
The FIBA Europe Cup (FEC) is an annual professional club basketball competition organised by FIBA for eligible European clubs. It is FIBA's European-wide second level. Clubs mainly qualify for the competition based on their performance in nation ...
Final Four, held in
Moscow
Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...
. They were crushed 94–57 by
Lokomotiv Rostov
PBC Lokomotiv Kuban (russian: ПБК «Локомотив Кубань») is a Russian professional basketball team based in Krasnodar. The club participates in the VTB United League.
The team is one of the top tier basketball teams in Russia. T ...
in the semi-final, though they successfully rehabilitated next day with the 86–71 victory over
EURAS Ekaterinburg and were decorated with the season' first bronze medals. Secondly, they continued their solid season in
Baltic Basketball League
Baltic Basketball League (BBL) was the Baltic states basketball league founded in 2004. The league mainly focused on teams from the Baltic states, but teams from Sweden, Russia, Kazakhstan, Finland, and Belarus have participated in the Baltic L ...
, reaching the semi-final. They failed to overcome the legendary Lithuanian club
Žalgiris Kaunas there, losing 89–61, but were able to defeat
BK Ventspils 97–87 and won their second bronze medals that season. Astonishing season ended with the 3–1 series triumph over
Sakalai Vilnius during the LKL bronze final, winning the club's fourth LKL bronze medals.
In the 2005–06 season, BC Šiauliai once again won BBL bronze medals, defeating
Nevėžis Kėdainiai 76–59. That day the team was led by
Tadas Klimavičius
Tadas Klimavičius (born 10 October 1982) is a Lithuanian professional basketball player, who last played for Vytautas Prienai-Birštonas of the Lithuanian Basketball League. He is a power forward. He also represented Lithuania national basket ...
(12 points, 15 rebounds) and
Artūras Jomantas
Artūras Jomantas (born May 4, 1985) is a Lithuanian professional basketball player who plays for Mažeikiai of the Lithuanian Basketball League.
Professional career
Born in Mažeikiai, Lithuania, he made his debut with Mažeikiai Nafta durin ...
(20 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists and steals). The team also won their fifth LKL bronze medals after sweeping
Nevėžis Kėdainiai 3–0. All the series victories were achieved with the average of 15.7 points.
![Tadas Klimavicius (2010)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e0/Tadas_Klimavicius_%282010%29.jpg)
During the 2006–07 season, the club won their sixth bronze medals, defeating
Neptūnas Klaipėda 3–0 as well. Though, this time two away games were won respectively by only two and three points.
Before the 2007–08 season, BC Šiauliai club moved to their newly built 5,700 seats
Šiauliai Arena
Šiauliai Arena is the largest arena in Šiauliai, Lithuania. It generally hosts basketball games as well as concerts. The basketball club BC Šiauliai, which currently competes in the domestic LKL and ULEB Cup, uses the facility for all of its ...
. First official game there was played on September 28, 2007, versus
Aisčiai-Atletas, winning it 73–61. That season they won the
LKF Cup
The LKF Cup was an annual national domestic cup competition for Lithuanian professional basketball teams. It was organised by the Lithuanian Basketball Federation (Lietuvos Krepšinio Federacija - LKF). The competition's full name was Lietuvos Kre ...
bronze medals for the first time, losing to the
Euroleague participant
Lietuvos rytas Vilnius only 66–71 in the semi-final, but confidently defeating
Neptūnas Klaipėda 111–92 for the bronze. The final four was held in
Šiauliai
Šiauliai (; bat-smg, Šiaulē; german: Schaulen, ) is the fourth largest city in Lithuania, with a population of 107,086. From 1994 to 2010 it was the capital of Šiauliai County.
Names
Šiauliai is referred to by various names in different l ...
. BC Šiauliai also won their seventh LKL bronze medals, after smashing
BC Alytus
BC Alytus ( lt, Krepšinio Klubas Alytus) is the historical basketball club of Alytus, Lithuania. It was founded in 2005, as a successor to BC Alita, and participated in the Lietuvos Krepšinio Lyga (Lithuanian Basketball League) and the Baltic ...
3–0. The team has shown impressive sports form with 95.7 points per game in the series.
In the 2008–09 season BC Šiauliai won their second
LKF Cup
The LKF Cup was an annual national domestic cup competition for Lithuanian professional basketball teams. It was organised by the Lithuanian Basketball Federation (Lietuvos Krepšinio Federacija - LKF). The competition's full name was Lietuvos Kre ...
bronze medals. In the semi-final they once again lost to
Lietuvos rytas Vilnius 94–66, but overcome
Aisčiai Kaunas team, which was led by
Donatas Motiejūnas
Donatas Motiejūnas (; born September 20, 1990) is a Lithuanian professional basketball player for AS Monaco Basket of LNB Pro A and the EuroLeague. He was drafted 20th overall in the 2011 NBA draft by the Minnesota Timberwolves before going on ...
, to win the bronze 97–89. Records times returned for BC Šiauliai when
Andrius Šležas
Andrius Šležas (born February 4, 1975) is a Lithuanian former professional basketball player and basketball coach. During his playing career, he was best known as a 3-point specialist.
Professional playing career
Šležas was named the Lithua ...
participated in the
2009 LKL Three-point Shootout contest. During the tournament semi-final, he accurately made 27 of 30 three-pointers and achieved the tournament record, which is unimproved until the nowadays. Although, Šležas never won the title, despite competing in the contest three times. In the spring of 2009, they qualified for the LKL bronze final once again. BC Šiauliai won first two series games after
OT with identical result of 101–93. Though, Neptūnas did not gave up after first two exhausting games and won two consecutive games as well: 90–95 and 78–75. BC Šiauliai secured their bronze title in the fifth series game, defeating Neptūnas 80–73, and winning their eighth victorious LKL bronze medals series 3–2.
![Mindaugas Kuzminskas by Augustas Didzgalvis](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/00/Mindaugas_Kuzminskas_by_Augustas_Didzgalvis.jpg)
BC Šiauliai firmly expanded their bronze medals collection in the 2009–10 season. As year before, they began with the
LKF Cup
The LKF Cup was an annual national domestic cup competition for Lithuanian professional basketball teams. It was organised by the Lithuanian Basketball Federation (Lietuvos Krepšinio Federacija - LKF). The competition's full name was Lietuvos Kre ...
bronze, winning versus
Nevėžis Kėdainiai 76–79.
Derrick Low (23 points, 6 assists) and
Deividas Gailius
Deividas Gailius (born Deividas Daunys; April 26, 1988) is a Lithuanian professional basketball player for Neptūnas Klaipėda of the Lithuanian Basketball League (LKL). Standing at , he plays the small forward and shooting guard positions.
Pro ...
(21 points) led BC Šiauliai to the close victory back then. Derrick Low also participated in the 2010 LKL Three-point Shootout contest, winning first such title for the club. In the tournament final he scored 22 points and outperformed
Adas Juškevičius who scored 21. BC Šiauliai won another thriller 84–83 in the
BBL
A barrel is one of several units of volume applied in various contexts; there are dry barrels, fluid barrels (such as the U.K. beer barrel and U.S. beer barrel), oil barrels, and so forth. For historical reasons the volumes of some barrel units ...
bronze final versus
BK Ventspils after
Vytautas Šarakauskas
Vytautas Šarakauskas (born 8 February 1982 in Belgrade Serbia) is a Lithuanian professional basketball player for Neptūnas-Akvaservis.
Professional career
Šarakauskas started his career in SSK–Perlas Vilnius, which played in the LKAL l ...
buzzer-beater. The referees counted it in, however BK Ventspils submitted a protest by telling that it was made after time. BBL accepted their protest and decided to rematch the game on Sunday. Though, BK Ventspils club did not show up in the game and technically lost it 20–0. BC Šiauliai players were awarded with the club's third BBL bronze medals set. They also captured their season' third bronze medals in the LKL bronze final by defeating
Juventus Utena in the third series game 87–67, winning the series 3–0. It was the club's seventh straight LKL bronze medals set. Following the outstanding season ending, team leader
Mindaugas Kuzminskas
Mindaugas Kuzminskas (born 19 October 1989) is a Lithuanian professional basketball player for Pınar Karşıyaka of the Basketbol Süper Ligi (BSL). He also represents the Lithuanian national team. He is 2.05 m (6'8 ") tall, and he can play bo ...
, who averaged 16.7 points and 6 rebounds per game in LKL, signed with the legendary
Žalgiris Kaunas.
Tough times (2011–2013)
![Rolandas Alijevas by Augustas Didzgalvis](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/68/Rolandas_Alijevas_by_Augustas_Didzgalvis.jpg)
After seven solid seasons, BC Šiauliai had difficult times during the next three. Edvinas Ruzgas won the 2011 LKL Three-point Shootout contest, however it was the only title BC Šiauliai received that season. The club achieved only 7th spot in the BBL that season. Furthermore, they also surprisingly lost the LKL quarter-final to
Juventus Utena and did not qualified into the
Eurocup, staying without the European competitions for the first time after nine consecutive seasons.
BC Šiauliai returned to the BBL bronze final during the
2011–12 BBL season, but they were defeated by
VEF Rīga there. The team finished 3rd during the
2011–12 LKL regular season and advanced into the LKL bronze final, though they were crushed 3–1 there by
Rūdupis Prienai.
The 2012–13 season was another dark spot for the BC Šiauliai club history. Firstly, they were eliminated in the quarter-final of BBL by
BK Ventspils due to the unfavorable points ratio as they lost the second series game 80–87 and the first game was won only by 3 points (81–78). It was the club's all-time worst performance in BBL. In the
2012–13 LKL regular season they finished only 6th and were defeated by
BC Prienai once again, this time – at the quarter-final 2–0.
BBL champions (2013–2016)
![Rokas Giedraitis by Augustas Didzgalvis](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/31/Rokas_Giedraitis_by_Augustas_Didzgalvis.jpg)
Following the three completely dry seasons, BC Šiauliai started expanding their trophies collection again. First of all,
Travis Leslie
Travis Demetrius Leslie (born March 29, 1990) is an American professional basketball player for Legia Warszawa of the Polish Basketball League. He is a 6'4", 205 lb shooting guard out of the University of Georgia.
High school
Leslie attend ...
won the 2014 LKL Slam Dunk Contest by performing tremendous dunks. He also led Šiauliai to the
2013–14 Baltic Basketball League title and was named
MVP
In team sports, a most valuable player award, abbreviated 'MVP award', is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particu ...
twice: in the regular season and in the finals. Despite that, BC Šiauliai were eliminated in the LKL quarter-final again by the future finalist
Neptūnas Klaipėda. Travis Leslie joined
Lietuvos rytas Vilnius after this season and won the LKL Slam Dunk Contest again by dunking over
Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz (), commonly referred to as Mercedes and sometimes as Benz, is a German luxury and commercial vehicle automotive brand established in 1926. Mercedes-Benz AG (a Mercedes-Benz Group subsidiary established in 2019) is headquartere ...
and
Grigorij Khizhnyak
Grigorij Khizhnyak (alternate spelling: Grygorii Khizhniak, uk, Григорій Хижняк; July 16, 1974 – October 5, 2018) was a Ukrainian professional basketball player. Standing at a height of , he played at the center position. He was ...
. BC Šiauliai retained their BBL title by defeating
BK Ventspils in the finals 2–0 during the following season. Second game, which was won 88–80, required
OT.
Gintaras Leonavičius
Gintaras Leonavičius (born October 29, 1983) is a Lithuanian former professional basketball player, playing as a shooting guard. Born in Panevėžys
Panevėžys (; Latin: ''Panevezen''; pl, Poniewież; yi, פּאָנעװעזש, ''Ponevezh' ...
was named MVP of the tournament. BC Šiauliai also recovered their
LKF Cup
The LKF Cup was an annual national domestic cup competition for Lithuanian professional basketball teams. It was organised by the Lithuanian Basketball Federation (Lietuvos Krepšinio Federacija - LKF). The competition's full name was Lietuvos Kre ...
bronze title that season. However, the
2014–15 LKL season playoffs ended early for them, after being eliminated in the quarter-final for the third straight season, this time – by
Lietuvos rytas Vilnius 3–0. Following the end of the season, two BC Šiauliai players:
Rokas Giedraitis
Rokas Giedraitis (born August 16, 1992) is a Lithuanian professional basketball player for Baskonia of the Liga ACB and the EuroLeague. He plays at the small forward position.
Professional career
In 2013, Giedraitis was named Finals MVP of the ...
and
Julius Jucikas joined Rytas.
On July 29, 2015, the club was invited to join the
2015–16 FIBA Europe Cup
The 2015–16 FIBA Europe Cup was the inaugural season of the newly formed basketball competition organised by FIBA. The season started on 21 October 2015 and ended on 1 May 2016.
The competition replaced the EuroChallenge and had the aim to take ...
tournament, which is the alternative version of the 2nd tier European tournament
Eurocup, organized by
FIBA
The International Basketball Federation (FIBA ; French: ) is an association of national organizations which governs the sport of basketball worldwide. Originally known as the (hence FIBA), in 1989 it dropped the word ''amateur'' from its na ...
. Though, the team did not advance into the second stage of the FIBA Europe Cup due to the unfavorable points difference. On April 6, 2016, the team won their third
BBL
A barrel is one of several units of volume applied in various contexts; there are dry barrels, fluid barrels (such as the U.K. beer barrel and U.S. beer barrel), oil barrels, and so forth. For historical reasons the volumes of some barrel units ...
title in a row. In the LKL, the club lost a tough series to future finalist
BC Neptūnas 1:3, despite strong efforts from the returning Rokas Giedraitis, who was loaned to the team by Lietuvos rytas.
Decline and comeback (2016–present)
The 2016–2017 season, however, became one of the worst nightmares in club history. Coach Petrauskas left the team, and was replaced by longtime former player and assistant coach Vaidas Pauliukėnas. The team also left the BBL, but participated in the BBL Cup tournament (finishing 4th). Due to poor financial situation, many players left the club, resulting in the team plummeting to the bottom of the LKL, and in the
2016–17 FIBA Europe Cup, where Šiauliai lost all 6 games. Longtime president Adomas Klimavičius resigned, and was replaced by former player
Mindaugas Žukauskas
Mindaugas Žukauskas (born 24 August 1975 in Šiauliai, Lithuanian SSR, USSR) is a retired Lithuanian professional basketball player, a former captain of the Lithuanian national basketball team. He is a small forward 2.01 m tall. Žukauskas is c ...
. Financial problems and scandals plagued the team. Despite some improvement by the end of the season, in large part due to great performances by
Martynas Echodas, Šiauliai still finished in last place in the LKL - the team's worst season in history.
, legendary coach of the team, was announced as the coach for the 2017–18 season. Šiauliai then signed players like
Nick Zeisloft
Nick Zeisloft (born December 18, 1992) is an American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for Illinois State and Indiana, and also had stints in Lithuania, Italy, Spain and Greece. Standing at , he played at the sho ...
, whose many clutch baskets helped during the season,
Arminas Urbutis and the returning
Vytautas Šarakauskas
Vytautas Šarakauskas (born 8 February 1982 in Belgrade Serbia) is a Lithuanian professional basketball player for Neptūnas-Akvaservis.
Professional career
Šarakauskas started his career in SSK–Perlas Vilnius, which played in the LKAL l ...
, re-signed point guard
Donatas Sabeckis and loaned
Laurynas Birutis
Laurynas Birutis (born 27 August 1997) is a Lithuanian professional basketball player for Žalgiris Kaunas of Lithuanian Basketball League (LKL) and the EuroLeague.
Professional career
BC Zalgiris junior team and debut in LKL
Birutis start ...
, a talented young center, from
BC Žalgiris
Basketball Club Žalgiris ( lt, Krepšinio klubas Žalgiris) is a professional basketball team that is based in Kaunas, Lithuania, and competes domestically in the Lietuvos krepšinio lyga (LKL, Lithuanian Basketball League). Founded in 1944, i ...
. Šiauliai also returned to the
Baltic Basketball League
Baltic Basketball League (BBL) was the Baltic states basketball league founded in 2004. The league mainly focused on teams from the Baltic states, but teams from Sweden, Russia, Kazakhstan, Finland, and Belarus have participated in the Baltic L ...
. Šiauliai initially struggled, including an 8-game losing streak at the start of the season, leading to many fans remembering the poor 2017 season. By March, the team had completely recovered, winning 9 of their last 14 games, including upset victory at home over Žalgiris 93:90, and two wins over
BC Neptūnas 78:71 in Klaipėda and 77:76 at home. A blowout win over
BC Lietkabelis, last year's LKL finalist, 87:65, helped the team secure 5th place. In the LKL quarterfinals, returning after a one-year absence, Šiauliai faced the same Lietkabelis team. The young team could not overcome the veteran leadership of Lietkabelis, and lost the series 1:3, though ending the season on a positive note. In the
2018 Karaliaus Mindaugo taurė
The 2018 Karaliaus Mindaugo taurė, also known as SIL – Karaliaus Mindaugo taurė for sponsorship purposes, was the third edition of the Lithuanian King Mindaugas Cup. On 7 December 2017 it was announced that Klaipėda would host the tournament ...
, Šiauliai faced champion Žalgiris Kaunas, and led by an amazing performance by Birutis, who scored 35 points and had 11 rebounds, fought the champions to the limit, losing only in the end 78:85. In the
Baltic Basketball League
Baltic Basketball League (BBL) was the Baltic states basketball league founded in 2004. The league mainly focused on teams from the Baltic states, but teams from Sweden, Russia, Kazakhstan, Finland, and Belarus have participated in the Baltic L ...
, to which the team returned after a season absence, Šiauliai was one of the best teams all season, tying first place with
BK Jūrmala in regular season group play. In the quarterfinals, Šiauliai defeated
BK Ogre
BK Ogre is a professional basketball club based in Ogre, Latvia playing in the Latvian Basketball League and Latvian-Estonian Basketball League.Profesionālais klubs tika dibināts 2014. gadā, bet līdz tam bija vietējā komanda, kas spēlēj ...
on aggregate, 175:162 (78:75 at home and 97:87 away), before facing tournament favorite
BC Pieno žvaigždės in the semifinals. The young Šiauliai team lost the series on aggregate, 148:159 (84:91 at home and 64:68 away) to Pieno žvaigždės, who went on to win the BBL. In the 3rd place matchup, Šiauliai faced
BC Tartu
University of Tartu basketball team ( et, link=no, Tartu Ülikooli korvpallimeeskond ), for sponsorship reasons known as Tartu Ülikool Maks & Moorits, is a professional basketball team based in Tartu, Estonia. The team plays in the Latvian–Est ...
, and won the first game in Tartu 88:86, but lost in a huge upset at home 70:78 and lost on aggregate, 158:164, leaving the 3 time BBL champions with a disappointing 4th-place finish.
Over the next to seasons, 2018-2019 and 2019–2020, Šiauliai did not have the same amounts of success. Team leaders like Birutis, Sabeckis and Zeisloft left the team. Šiauliai finished last in 2019, though did improve in 2020, finishing in 8th place. Many players, like
Karolis Lukošiūnas,
Ignas Vaitkus,
Rokas Gustys
Rokas Gustys (born 22 August 1994) is a Lithuanian professional basketball player for BC Neptūnas of the Lithuanian Basketball League (LKL). Gustys has competed with the Lithuanian junior national teams on multiple occasions.
Early life and hig ...
and
Evaldas Šaulys, moved on to top teams in the LKL after successful individual seasons with Šiauliai. In the 2020-2021 season, Šiauliai, led by LKL season MVP
Elvar Már Friðriksson
Elvar Már Friðriksson (born 11 November 1994) is an Icelandic professional basketball player for PAOK Thessaloniki of the Greek Basket League and the Basketball Champions League. He is also a member of the Icelandic national basketball team. ...
,
Andy Van Vliet
Andy Van Vliet (born July 27, 1995) is a Belgian basketball player who plays power forward and center for Bnei Herzliya Basket in the Israeli Basketball Premier League. He played college basketball for the University of Wisconsin and the Colleg ...
,
Arminas Urbutis,
Kaspars Bērziņš
Kaspars Bērziņš (born 25 August 1985) is a Latvian professional basketball player for New Taipei CTBC DEA of the T1 League. He has also represented the senior Latvian national team.
Professional career
Kaspars started playing basketball in hi ...
,
Martynas Varnas and veteran
Mindaugas Lukauskis
Mindaugas Lukauskis aka "The Legend", "Iron man", (born May 19, 1979) is a Lithuanian professional basketball player for BC Wolves of the Lithuanian Basketball League. Lukauskis is a holder of numerous Lithuanian League records.
Professional car ...
, finished 7th in the LKL. Friðriksson in particular had many great performances for Šiauliai.
The 2021-2022 season was the return among the LKL elite for Šiauliai. Coach Sireika remained with the team, and the team, lead by
Jon Elmore, managed to reach the LKL semifinals for the first time since the 2011-2012 season, by defeating
CBet Jonava 3-1 in the first round of the LKL playoffs. In the semifinals, Šiauliai lost to
Rytas Vilnius 1-3 in the semifinals, but not before giving the best fight they can to the team that later won the LKL championship. Playing in the bronze medal series, Šiauliai faced
Žalgiris Kaunas, who missed the LKL finals for the first time in LKL history, and lost the series 0-4. Šiauliai also reached the semifinals of the
King Mindaugas Cup
King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king.
*In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...
for the first time since the 2014-2015 season, and was runner-up in the newly established
2021–22 European North Basketball League, where Šiauliai lost to
Anwil Włocławek
Anwil is a municipality in the district of Sissach in the canton of Basel-Country in Switzerland.
History
Anwil is first mentioned in 1276.
Geography
Anwil has an area, , of . Of this area, or 63.6% is used for agricultural purposes, wh ...
in the finals.
Players
Retired numbers
BC Šiauliai has three retired numbers of players who had significant influence in the team's results previously.
Current roster
Depth chart
Squad changes for/during 2022–23 season
In
Out
Logos
BC šiauliai classic logo.png, Šiauliai classic logo (1994–2012)
BC Šiauliai logo.png, Šiauliai new logo (2012–2019)
BC Šiauliai anniversary logo.png, 25th anniversary logo (2019)
Siauliai20.png, 20-21 Šiauliai logo (2020)
Season by season
![Vytautas Sulskis by Augustas Didzgalvis](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/15/Vytautas_Sulskis_by_Augustas_Didzgalvis.jpg)
::
Detailed information of former rosters and results.
League attendances
This is a list of league games attendances of
BC Siauliai at
Šiauliai Arena
Šiauliai Arena is the largest arena in Šiauliai, Lithuania. It generally hosts basketball games as well as concerts. The basketball club BC Šiauliai, which currently competes in the domestic LKL and ULEB Cup, uses the facility for all of its ...
.
Head coaches
![Gediminas Petrauskas by Augustas Didzgalvis](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6d/Gediminas_Petrauskas_by_Augustas_Didzgalvis.jpg)
:
Last updated: 2017-06-19.
Club players records
:
Last updated: 2015-08-14.
Notable players
To appear in this section a player must be either:
* A player who has played at least 3 seasons (if foreign player) or 5 seasons (if Lithuanian player) for the club.
* A player who has won
individual award.
* A Lithuanian player who has played for the
Lithuanian national basketball team
The Lithuania men's national basketball team ( lt, Lietuvos nacionalinė vyrų krepšinio rinktinė) represents Lithuania in international basketball competitions. They are controlled by the Lithuanian Basketball Federation, the governing body ...
.
* A foreign international player who had significantly contributed into the results of the club.
* A Lithuanian player who had significantly contributed into the results of the club.
* Lithuania:
**
Martynas Andriukaitis
Martynas Andriukaitis (March 28, 1981 – September 4, 2014) was a Lithuanian professional basketball player. He was born in Kaunas.
Professional career
During his pro club career, Andriukaitis won the Lithuanian League championship (2001), an ...
2003–2004
**
Rolandas Alijevas
Rolandas Alijevas (born 20 January 1985) is a Lithuanian professional basketball player of Azeri descent.
Pro career
On 15 April 2011, Alijevas signed a contract with BC Prienai, until the end of the season.
On 28 June 2011, he signed with BC ...
2012–2013, 2014–2015
**
Sigitas Birutis 1994–2001
**
Arvydas Čepulis 1997–2000, 2001–2005, 2006–2007, 2010, 2016-present
**
Audrius Danusevičius 1997–1999, 2000–2002, 2003–2008, 2009
**
Robertas Giedraitis
Robertas Giedraitis (born August 29, 1970) is a Lithuanian basketball coach and former player. He is currently the assistant coach for Šiauliai of the Lithuanian Basketball League (LKL). He is also a head coach of BC Delikatesas. Robertas Giedr ...
1994–2006
**
Rokas Giedraitis
Rokas Giedraitis (born August 16, 1992) is a Lithuanian professional basketball player for Baskonia of the Liga ACB and the EuroLeague. He plays at the small forward position.
Professional career
In 2013, Giedraitis was named Finals MVP of the ...
2013–2015
**
Ovidijus Galdikas 2012–2014
**
Deividas Gailius
Deividas Gailius (born Deividas Daunys; April 26, 1988) is a Lithuanian professional basketball player for Neptūnas Klaipėda of the Lithuanian Basketball League (LKL). Standing at , he plays the small forward and shooting guard positions.
Pro ...
2009–2010
**
Andrius Giedraitis
Andrius Giedraitis (born July 23, 1973) is a Lithuanian former professional basketball player and coach.
Professional career
Giedraitis started his career in the LPA Vilnius team, and he later moved to BC Sakalai. In 1998, he became a member of ...
1997
**
Darius Gvezdauskas 2010–2012
**
Julius Jucikas 2010–2015
**
Robertas Javtokas
Robertas Javtokas (born March 20, 1980) is a Lithuanian professional basketball executive and former player. He most recently served as sports director of Žalgiris Kaunas. Standing at , he played the center position. He has been a member of the ...
1996–1997
**
Žygimantas Janavičius
Žygimantas Janavičius (born February 20, 1989) is a Lithuanian professional basketball player for Neptūnas Klaipėda of the Lithuanian Basketball League. Standing at tall and weighing , he plays as a point guard.
Career
Janavičius made hi ...
2010–2011
**
Artūras Jomantas
Artūras Jomantas (born May 4, 1985) is a Lithuanian professional basketball player who plays for Mažeikiai of the Lithuanian Basketball League.
Professional career
Born in Mažeikiai, Lithuania, he made his debut with Mažeikiai Nafta durin ...
2004–2006, 2015–2016
**
Aurimas Kieža 2006–2008, 2012–2013
**
Saulius Kuzminskas
Saulius Kuzminskas (born May 30, 1982) is a Lithuanian former professional basketball player. His younger brother Mindaugas is also a basketball player for the Olimpia Milano.
Professional career
Kuzminskas debuted in 1999 with Sakalai. He brie ...
2001–2003, 2007–2009, 2012–2013
**
Gintaras Kadžiulis
Gintaras Kadžiulis (born 29 March 1980) is a Lithuanian professional basketball coach and former player. His playing position was combo guard.
Professional career
Born in Panevėžys, Kadžiulis started his professional basketball career at th ...
2008–2009
**
Mindaugas Kuzminskas
Mindaugas Kuzminskas (born 19 October 1989) is a Lithuanian professional basketball player for Pınar Karşıyaka of the Basketbol Süper Ligi (BSL). He also represents the Lithuanian national team. He is 2.05 m (6'8 ") tall, and he can play bo ...
2008–2010
**
Tadas Klimavičius
Tadas Klimavičius (born 10 October 1982) is a Lithuanian professional basketball player, who last played for Vytautas Prienai-Birštonas of the Lithuanian Basketball League. He is a power forward. He also represented Lithuania national basket ...
2005–2007
**
Gintaras Leonavičius
Gintaras Leonavičius (born October 29, 1983) is a Lithuanian former professional basketball player, playing as a shooting guard. Born in Panevėžys
Panevėžys (; Latin: ''Panevezen''; pl, Poniewież; yi, פּאָנעװעזש, ''Ponevezh' ...
2014–2015
**
Andrius Mažutis
Andrius Mažutis (born April 21, 1981) is a retired Lithuanian professional basketball player. Standing at is a 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in), Mažutis used to play as point guard
The point guard (PG), also called the one or the point, is one of ...
2005–2007
**
Rolandas Matulis Rolandas is a masculine Lithuanian given name and may refer to:
*Rolandas Alijevas (born 1985), Lithuanian basketball player
*Rolandas Baravykas (born 1995), Lithuanian footballer
*Rolandas Bernatonis (born 1987), Lithuanian handball player
*Rolan ...
2002
**
Gediminas Orelik
Gediminas Orelik ( lt, Gediminas Orelikas) (born 14 May 1990) is a Lithuanian professional basketball player for Lietkabelis Panevėžys of the Lithuanian Basketball League (LKL). He primarily plays at power forward position.
Professional caree ...
2006–2007, 2009–2010
**
Giedrius Pečiulionis 1995–2001
**
Vaidas Pauliukėnas 1999–2008, 2009–2010
**
Virginijus Praškevičius
Virginijus Praškevičius (born 4 March 1974) is a Lithuanian former professional basketball player. At a height of 2.06 m (6'9") tall, he played at the power forward and center positions.
Professional career
Praškevičius started playing with ...
2007–2009
**
Darius Pakamanis 2001–2006, 2006–2007, 2009, 2013–2014
**
Edvinas Ruzgas 2010–2012
**
Mantas Ruikis
Mantas Ruikis (born June 28, 1985) is a Lithuanian professional basketball player who plays as a shooting guard for BC Gargždai-SC of the Lietuvos krepšinio lyga (LKL).
On 31 August 2005, Mantas Ruikis left Neptūnas after playing four seaso ...
2005–2008
**
Donatas Slanina
Donatas Slanina (born 23 April 1977) is a Lithuanian professional basketball player who plays as a shooting guard in his professional career. He also shortly worked as an assistant coach. After starting his professional career in Šiauliai, he wa ...
1993–1999
**
Laurynas Samėnas
Laurynas Samėnas (born October 12, 1988) is a Lithuanian professional basketball player.
References
1988 births
Living people
Atomerőmű SE players
BC Juventus players
BC Pieno žvaigždės players
BC Šiauliai players
Lithuanian m ...
2009–2010, 2012–2013
* Lithuania (cont):
**
Vytautas Šulskis
Vytautas Šulskis (born August 8, 1988) is a Lithuanian professional basketball player.
High school
Born in Vilnius, Šulskis attended The Rock of Gainesville High School in Gainesville, Florida, where he played soccer and basketball. During his ...
2012–2015
**
Vytautas Šarakauskas
Vytautas Šarakauskas (born 8 February 1982 in Belgrade Serbia) is a Lithuanian professional basketball player for Neptūnas-Akvaservis.
Professional career
Šarakauskas started his career in SSK–Perlas Vilnius, which played in the LKAL l ...
2009–2012
**
Gintautas Šivickas Gintautas is a Lithuanian masculine given name. Notable people with the name include:
* Gintautas Iešmantas (1930–2016), Lithuanian politician
*Gintautas Šulija (b. 1978), Lithuanian Attorney at law
*Gintautas Umaras
Gintautas Umaras (born ...
1997
**
Andrius Šležas
Andrius Šležas (born February 4, 1975) is a Lithuanian former professional basketball player and basketball coach. During his playing career, he was best known as a 3-point specialist.
Professional playing career
Šležas was named the Lithua ...
1996, 1998–1999, 2008–2009
**
Arvydas Šikšnius 2009–2010, 2011–2012
**
Arvydas Tamkevičius Arvydas is a Lithuanian masculine given name. Notable people with the name include:
*Arvydas Bagdžius, Lithuanian painter
*Arvydas Bajoras (born 1956), Lithuanian politician
*Arvydas Janonis, a retired football player
*Arvydas Každailis, Lithuan ...
1994–1999
**
Žydrūnas Urbonas
Žydrūnas Urbonas (born October 4, 1976, in Zarasai, Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic, USSR) is a former Lithuanian professional basketball player, who is the current head coach of Juventus Utena.
Playing career
Urbonas made his profession ...
1999–2001, 2002–2003, 2004–2005
**
Andrius Vyšniauskas 1999–2000, 2002–2003
**
Rolandas Vaičiūnas 1998–2008
**
Valdas Vasylius 2011–2012
**
Donatas Zavackas
Donatas Zavackas (born 23 April 1980) is a Lithuanian former professional basketball player. He played college basketball at University of Pittsburgh. Standing at , he plays the power forward position.
College career
During his successful career a ...
2007–2008
**
Mindaugas Žukauskas
Mindaugas Žukauskas (born 24 August 1975 in Šiauliai, Lithuanian SSR, USSR) is a retired Lithuanian professional basketball player, a former captain of the Lithuanian national basketball team. He is a small forward 2.01 m tall. Žukauskas is c ...
1994–1998, 2009–2012
**
Eurelijus Žukauskas
Eurelijus Žukauskas (, born August 22, 1973) is a retired Lithuanian professional basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, ...
1996
**
Laurynas Birutis
Laurynas Birutis (born 27 August 1997) is a Lithuanian professional basketball player for Žalgiris Kaunas of Lithuanian Basketball League (LKL) and the EuroLeague.
Professional career
BC Zalgiris junior team and debut in LKL
Birutis start ...
2017–2018
* USA:
**
Jeff Allen 2014–2015
**
Rashaun Broadus
Rashaun Eneal Broadus (born August 5, 1984) is an American-born naturalized Albanian former professional basketball player. Born in Seattle, Washington, he attended Mililani High School in Mililani, Hawaii. A tall point guard, Broadus then compe ...
2010–2012
**
Denzel Bowles
Denzel Bowles (born May 1, 1989) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA).
Professional career
2011–12 season
Bowles began his professio ...
2011–2012
**
Brandon Brown 2009–2010
**
Chris Cooper
Christopher Walton Cooper (born July 9, 1951) is an American actor. He has appeared in several major Hollywood films, including '' American Beauty'' (1999), ''October Sky'' (1999), '' The Bourne Identity'' (2002), ''Seabiscuit'' (2003), '' Cap ...
2013–2014
**
Stefhon Hannah 2008–2009
**
Cameron Long
Cameron Scott "Cam" Long (born December 30, 1988) is an American professional basketball player who last played for Maccabi Rishon LeZion of the Israeli Premier League. A combo guard, he played college basketball for the George Mason University ...
2011–2012
**
Travis Leslie
Travis Demetrius Leslie (born March 29, 1990) is an American professional basketball player for Legia Warszawa of the Polish Basketball League. He is a 6'4", 205 lb shooting guard out of the University of Georgia.
High school
Leslie attend ...
2014
**
Derrick Low 2009–2010
**
Derek Needham
Derek Needham (born October 20, 1990) is an American- Montenegrin professional basketball player for Frutti Extra Bursaspor of the Basketbol Süper Ligi. Standing at , he plays the point guard position. Needham played college basketball for Fai ...
2013–2014
**
Bambale Osby 2014
**
Chase Simon
Chase Simon (born March 11, 1989) is an American professional basketball player who last played for JDA Dijon of the LNB Pro A. He played college basketball for Central Michigan Chippewas men's basketball, Central Michigan and Detroit Titans men's ...
2012–2013
**
David Weaver 2010–2011
*Belgium:
*
Andy Van Vliet
Andy Van Vliet (born July 27, 1995) is a Belgian basketball player who plays power forward and center for Bnei Herzliya Basket in the Israeli Basketball Premier League. He played college basketball for the University of Wisconsin and the Colleg ...
* Ukraine:
**
Michailas Anisimovas 2003–2005
**
Roman Gumenyuk 2010–2012, 2015–2016
* Croatia:
**
Mario Delaš 2010–2011
* Latvia:
**
Raitis Grafs
Raitis Grafs (born June 12, 1981) is a Latvian professional basketball center. Born in Riga, Latvia, he is a member of the Latvia national basketball team.
In kindergarten, Grafs met Kristaps Valters and they became fast friends. Since then, th ...
2009–2010, 2012
* Egypt:
**
Assem Marei
Assem Ahmed Marei (Arabic: عاصم مرعي) is an Egyptian basketball player for Changwon LG Sakers of the Korean Basketball League.
Marei first played for Egyptian side Zamalek SC, before being recognized by other leagues at the FIBA U-19 w ...
2015–2016
* Iceland:
**
Elvar Friðriksson 2020–2021
::
Detailed former players information.
References
External links
Official website of BC Šiauliai''(Lithuanian)''
BC Šiauliai LKL.lt''(Lithuanian)''
GeltonaJuoda.lt - the official BC Šiauliai history website''(Lithuanian)''
BC Šiauliai BBL.net''(English)''
BC Šiauliai EuroCupBasketball.com''(English)''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Siauliai (Basketball Club)
Basketball teams in Lithuania
Siauliai, BC
Basketball teams established in 1994
1994 establishments in Lithuania