BC Pieno žvaigždės () was a 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, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...
club from
Pasvalys
Pasvalys () is a city in Panevėžys County, Lithuania, located near the bank of the Svalia River.
History
In 1557, the Treaty of Pasvalys was signed in the town, which provoked Ivan IV of Russia to start the Livonian War. Pasvalys has mineral ...
,
Lithuania
Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania, 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, bordered by Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south, P ...
. Founded in 1999, the team competed in the top-tier
Lithuanian Basketball League
Lithuanian may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to Lithuania, a country in the Baltic region in northern Europe
** Lithuanian language
** Lithuanians, a Baltic ethnic group, native to Lithuania and the immediate geographical region
** L ...
(LKL) for 13 seasons from 2011 to 2024. The club name comes from the main sponsor
Pieno žvaigždės.
History
Founded in 1999, the club played its inaugural season in the now-defunct fourth-tier Lithuanian Basketball C League (LKCL). In 2001, the club gained the right to play in the third division LKBL. In 2003, the club debuted in the
LKAL league and took fourth place (regular season: 19–15). The 2003–2004 LKAL season was more successful for Pieno žvaigždės as they won the regular season (regular season: 39–13). During the 2006–2007 season, Pieno žvaigždės played in the new second Lithuania basketball league, NKL, and took fifth place (regular season: 22-22). In their second NKL season, BC Pieno žvaigždės took only eight place (regular season: 17–15). The 2008–2009 season was more successful and Pieno žvaigždės took sixth place (regular season: 23–13). The 2009–2010 NKL season was one of the most successful in the club history as BC Pieno žvaigždės took third place in NKL (regular season: 21–9).

However this was not the end, as BC Pieno žvaigždės ended their 2010–2011 NKL regular season with 41:1 win/lose ratio (lost to Meresta Pakruojis by 1 point). On 16/17 April 2011, BC Pieno žvaigždės participated in NKL
final four
In sports, the final four is the last four teams remaining in a playoffs, playoff tournament. Usually the final four compete in the two games of a single-elimination tournament's semi-final (penultimate) round. Of these teams, the two who win in ...
and became
NKL champions. Also they got their chance to enter Lithuania super basketball league
LKL, because of that, Pieno žvaigždės played three transition matches against
Naglis (loser goes to
NKL and the winner is automatically transferred to
Lithuania
Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania, 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, bordered by Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south, P ...
super
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, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...
league
LKL). On 26 April 2011, Pieno žvaigždės lost their first transition match against
Naglis in
Palanga
Palanga (; ; ) is a resort town, resort city in western Lithuania, on the shore of the Baltic Sea.
Palanga is the busiest and the largest summer resort in Lithuania and has sand, sandy beaches (18 km, 11 miles long and up to 300 metres, 10 ...
. On 29 April 2011 however, Pieno žvaigždės won the second game of the transition series in
Pasvalys
Pasvalys () is a city in Panevėžys County, Lithuania, located near the bank of the Svalia River.
History
In 1557, the Treaty of Pasvalys was signed in the town, which provoked Ivan IV of Russia to start the Livonian War. Pasvalys has mineral ...
. The perfect BC "Pieno žvaigždės" season finished very unsuccessfully as they lost the third transition series game against
Naglis by only one point with result 68:69. Because of that, Pieno žvaigždės had to stay in
NKL.
On 14 July 2011, Pieno žvaigždės merged with
LKL participant
Perlas, so they participated in premier
Lithuania
Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania, 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, bordered by Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south, P ...
basketball league LKL. The main team coach was former Perlas coach
Roberts Štelmahers
Roberts Štelmahers (born November 19, 1974) is a Latvian professional basketball coach and former player who played the point guard position. He is the current head coach for Czarni Słupsk of the Polish Basketball League (PLK). Štelmahers w ...
. Pieno Žvaigždės debuted in the
LKL league on 7 October 2011 against
Techasas, they won the match with result 84:56.
In 2011–2012 season Pieno žvaigždės participated in
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 ...
tournament. They eliminated
Šiauliai
Šiauliai ( ; ) is a city in northern Lithuania, the List of cities in Lithuania, country's fourth largest city and the List of cities in the Baltic states by population, sixth largest city in the Baltic States, with a population of 112 581 in 202 ...
in last round of playoffs and advanced to final four, which took place in
Kaunas
Kaunas (; ) is the second-largest city in Lithuania after Vilnius, the fourth largest List of cities in the Baltic states by population, city in the Baltic States and an important centre of Lithuanian economic, academic, and cultural life. Kaun ...
. The semi-final was against
Rūdupis, which, after very tight game Pieno žvaigždės won with result 68:67.
However, the team was no match for
Žalgiris Kaunas, losing 62:99. Over the next two seasons, the team played solidly in both the LKL and BBL competitions, reaching the quarterfinals each time, also reaching the LKF Cup finals in 2013, though losing to
BC Prienai.
In the
2014–15 LKL season, Pieno žvaigždės were just one step away from defeating
Juventus
Juventus Football Club (; from , ), commonly known as Juventus or colloquially as Juve (), is an Italian professional Association football, football List of football clubs in Italy, club based in Turin, Piedmont, who compete in Serie A, the ...
in the quarter-finals, losing the fifth series game by 8 points. Juventus later played in the LKL bronze final and surprisingly defeated
Euroleague
The EuroLeague is a European men's professional basketball club competition. The league is widely recognised as the top-tier and the most prestigious men's basketball league in Europe. The league consists of 20 teams, of which 16 are given lon ...
participant
BC Neptūnas there.
On 29 July 2015 the club was invited to join the
2015–16 FIBA Europe Cup tournament, which is the alternative version of the 2nd tier European tournament
ULEB Eurocup
EuroCup Basketball, commonly known as the EuroCup and currently called BKT EuroCup for sponsorship reasons, is an annual professional basketball club competition organized by Euroleague Basketball. The league is regarded as Euroleague Basketbal ...
, organized by
FIBA
The International Basketball Federation (FIBA ; French language, French: ) is an association of national organizations which governs the sport of basketball worldwide. FIBA defines the rules of basketball, specifies the Basketball equipment ...
.
University of Florida
The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida, United States. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida and a preem ...
standout Dennis Mavin and
Khimik star
Ramone Moore strengthened the team roster in the summer of 2015. The team advanced into the second stage of the FIBA Europe Cup by clinching the second place in the group and surprisingly leaving the last season's
Polish champions and
Euroleague
The EuroLeague is a European men's professional basketball club competition. The league is widely recognised as the top-tier and the most prestigious men's basketball league in Europe. The league consists of 20 teams, of which 16 are given lon ...
participants
Turów Zgorzelec
Turów Zgorzelec (officially PGE GiEK Turów Zgorzelec for sponsorship reasons) is a Polish a basketball team based in Zgorzelec.
The club played in the Polish Basketball League, Polish League (PLK) and won the Polish championship once, in the 2 ...
shocked. They were eliminated in the second stage, with
KK Cibona
Košarkaški klub Cibona, commonly referred to as Cibona Zagreb or simply Cibona, is a men's professional basketball club based in Zagreb, Croatia. The club is a founding member and shareholder of the Adriatic Basketball Association, and compete ...
and
Energia Târgu Jiu advancing. BC Pieno žvaigždės once again reached the quarterfinal stage in the LKL, but lost to BC Žalgiris.
In the 2016–2017 season, Pieno žvaigždės reached 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
Belarus, officially the Rep ...
finals for the first time in club history, after being the best team in regular season. They defeated BK Ogre/Kumho Tyres in the first round of the playoffs,
Liepāja Triobet in the quarterfinals, and
BC Tartu
Tartu Ülikooli korvpallimeeskond ( English: University of Tartu men's basketball team), also known as Tartu Ülikool Maks & Moorits for sponsorship reasons, is a professional basketball team based in Tartu, Estonia. They are a part of the Univer ...
in the semifinals, before losing to
BC Vytautas in the finals. In the LKL, Pieno žvaigždės once again lost in the quarterfinals, this time to
BC Lietuvos rytas
Basketball Club Rytas, commonly referred to as Rytas Vilnius, is a professional basketball club based in Vilnius, Lithuania. The club competes in the Lietuvos krepšinio lyga, Lithuanian Basketball League (LKL), the top tier of Basketball in Lit ...
. The leaders and stars of the team during the 2016 and 2017 seasons were
Derrick Low and
Steponas Babrauskas
Steponas Babrauskas (born June 20, 1984) is a Lithuanian professional basketball coach and former player. He currently serves as assistant coach at CBet Jonava.
Professional career
Babrauskas was a runner-up in the Lithuanian Basketball League ...
.
In the 2017–2018 season,
Rimantas Grigas
Rimantas Grigas (born 1962, Klaipėda) is a Lithuanian basketball coach, known for his stint with Žalgiris Kaunas.
He was coaching Atletas Kaunas in the 1996–1999 season. Before entering Žalgiris Kaunas coach staff, he was signed with Ža ...
, who coached the team in the 2013–2014 season, returned as coach. Pieno žvaigždės resigned Steponas Babrauskas and signed
Vyacheslav Bobrov, who quickly became the team leader. While Pieno žvaigždės remained undefeated in the BBL and had a solid 5–7 record (5th place) in the LKL, coach Grigas was shockingly replaced as head coach by
Gediminas Petrauskas. Along with Petrauskas, Pieno žvaigždės signed former club players
Osvaldas Olisevičius and
Trévon Hughes to return to the team, and also signed solid players like center
Lis Shoshi and guard Jahenns Manigat to help the team. In the BBL, Pieno žvaigždės dominated, losing only one game in the regular season and finishing with an 11–1 record. Rival and BBL champion
BC Vytautas shockingly left the competition during the season. In the BBL playoffs, Pieno žvaigždės beat
KK Pärnu in the quarterfinals 174:150 (96:66 and 78:84) on aggregate in the quarterfinals, and
BC Šiauliai
BC Šiauliai () is the professional basketball club of Šiauliai, Lithuania. The club competes in the Lithuanian Basketball League. It has won the 3rd place award (behind Lithuanian basketball giants BC Lietuvos Rytas, Lietuvos Rytas and BC Žalgi ...
159:148 (91:84 and 68:64) on aggergrate in the semifinals. In the finals, facing
BK Jūrmala, Pieno žvaigždės was the heavy favorite, and proved it by winning in dominating fashion, 174:148 (98:80 and 76:68) on aggregate, winning the BBL championship. Manigat was the finals MVP. Pieno žvaigždės recovered in the LKL, and by the end of the regular season, finished in 6th place. They faced
BC Neptūnas, one of the top teams in Lithuania for the past years, and gave a good fight, losing the series 1:3.
Petrauskas remained as head coach for the 2018–2019 season. For the first half of the season, Pieno žvaigždės played a largely unspectacular basketball, led by
Emmanuel Omogbo. By December, changes were made. Many players were released, with
Yannick Franke
Yannick Ayrton Franke (born 21 May 1996) is a Dutch professional basketball player for Büyükçekmece Basketbol, ONVO Büyükçekmece of the Basketbol Süper Ligi (BSL). He also represents the Netherlands national basketball team in internationa ...
,
Jay Threatt and the returning
Žygimantas Skučas being signed to improve the team. Omogbo was released. Pieno žvaigždės went on an amazing run during December–March, winning 12 of the next 15 games in the LKL, and climbing up to 4th place in the standings, with a 16–11 record. However, the good news ended there - Pieno žvaigzdės lost the next 9 games in a row, falling to 5th place and ending the regular season with a 16–20 record. In the playoffs, Pieno žvaigždės were eliminated by cross-town rival
BC Lietkabelis
BC Lietkabelis (), commonly known as Lietkabelis Panevėžys, also known as 7bet-Lietkabelis for sponsorship reasons, is a Lithuanian professional basketball club based in Panevėžys, Lithuania, participating in the Lietuvos krepšinio lyga, Lit ...
, swept in two games.
Due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
, the 2019–2020 season ended early. Pieno žvaigždės finished in 7th place in the LKL. The team was led by
John Gillon,
Miha Lapornik and
Paulius Petrilevičius
Paulius Petrilevičius (born 23 March 1991) is a professional Lithuania, Lithuanian basketball player for CS Rapid București (men's basketball), Rapid București of the Liga Națională (men's basketball), Liga Națională. Standing at , he most ...
. In the
King Mindaugas Cup, for the third season in a row, Pieno žvaigždės were eliminated by
BC Lietkabelis
BC Lietkabelis (), commonly known as Lietkabelis Panevėžys, also known as 7bet-Lietkabelis for sponsorship reasons, is a Lithuanian professional basketball club based in Panevėžys, Lithuania, participating in the Lietuvos krepšinio lyga, Lit ...
. The 2020–2021 season was the last for Pieno žvaigždės under coach Petrauskas.
Tomas Lekūnas
Tomas Lekūnas (born April 6, 1993 in Lithuania) is a Lithuanian professional basketball player.
Professional career
Lekūnas started his professional career in KK Akademija Vilnius in 2010.
International career
He won silver medal with Lithuani ...
, Petrilevčius and
Edgaras Želionis lead the team in scoring. Pieno žvaigždės made the LKL playoffs, but were swept by BC Žalgiris, finishing in 8th place.
Before the 2021–2022 season, during the summer, coach Petrauskas left the team, and was replaced by the returning
Mantas Šernius, the LKL Coach of the Year of the previous season. The season was marked by constant roster changes, and despite solid play by late season additions
Randy Culpepper and
Markell Johnson, as well as
Žygimantas Skučas and
Arnas Beručka, Pieno žvaigždės missed the LKL playoffs for the first time in club history. The 9th-place finish was the worst in club history in the LKL.
Over the next two seasons, Pieno žvaigždės plummeted even further. In the 2022-2023 season, under coach
Ramūnas Cvirka, even with strong play from the returning
John Gillon,
Jared Cunningham
Jared Armon Cunningham (born May 22, 1991) is an American professional basketball player. He played college basketball for Oregon State, where he was an All-Pac-12 first team selection before being selected with the 24th overall pick in the 20 ...
,
Rihards Kuksiks
Rihards Kuksiks (born 17 July 1988) is a Latvian professional basketball player who last played for Pieno žvaigždės Pasvalys of the Lithuanian Basketball League (LKL). He is also a member of the senior Latvia national basketball team.
Col ...
,
Martynas Pacevičius,
Corey Allen-Williams,
Evaldas Šaulys and
Julius Jucikas, Pieno žvaigždės finished only 10th. And in the 2023-2024 season, the bottom fell off for Pieno žvaigždės - they started the LKL season with an 0-6 record, and at one point, lost a club record 14 consecutive games. Even with a new head coach in
Aurimas Jasilionis, and strong play from
Brandon Tabb (who left during the season),
Kadeem Jack,
Jordan Watson,
Simas Jarumbauskas and
Martynas Arlauskas - Pieno žvaigždės finished 11th - last place in the LKL.
On 15 July 2024, Pieno žvaigždės announced its withdrawal from the upcoming 2024–25 LKL season, after being unable to meet the financial requirements of the league.
Team
Current roster
Depth chart
Season by season
* 2003–2004 season: 4th
LKAL (reg. season: 19–15)
* 2004–2005 season: 5th (reg. season winner: 39–13)
* 2005–2006 season: 8th
NKL (reg. season: 22-22)
* 2006–2007 season: 5th
NKL (reg. season: 22-22)
* 2007–2008 season: 8th NKL (reg. season: 17–15)
* 2008–2009 season: 6th NKL (reg. season: 23–13)
* 2009–2010 season: 3rd NKL (reg. season: 21–9)
* 2010–2011 season: 1st NKL (reg. season: 41–1, lost promotion playoffs)
::
Detailed information of former rosters and results.
Head coaches
* Rimantas Endrijaitis
2010–2011
*
Roberts Štelmahers
Roberts Štelmahers (born November 19, 1974) is a Latvian professional basketball coach and former player who played the point guard position. He is the current head coach for Czarni Słupsk of the Polish Basketball League (PLK). Štelmahers w ...
2011–2012
* Nerijus Zabarauskas
2012–2013
* Mindaugas Lukošius
2013
*
Rimantas Grigas
Rimantas Grigas (born 1962, Klaipėda) is a Lithuanian basketball coach, known for his stint with Žalgiris Kaunas.
He was coaching Atletas Kaunas in the 1996–1999 season. Before entering Žalgiris Kaunas coach staff, he was signed with Ža ...
2013–2014, 2017
*
Mantas Šernius 2014–2016, 2021–2022
* Ramūnas Cvirka
2016–2017, 2022–2023
*
Gediminas Petrauskas 2017–2021
* Aurimas Jasilionis
2023–2024
Notable players
* Lithuanians:
*
Gytis Sirutavičius 2003–2004, 2011–2012, 2012–2013, 2014–2015, 2018–2019
*
Evaldas Kairys 2011–2015
*
Aurimas Kieža 2011–2012
*
Eimantas Bendžius 2011–2012
*
Edgaras Ulanovas 2012–2013
*
Šarūnas Vasiliauskas
Šarūnas Vasiliauskas (born 27 March 1989) is a Lithuanian professional basketball player. He played as a point guard.
Professional career
On 8 August 2016, Vasiliauskas signed with Joventut Badalona. On 14 December 2016, he parted ways with Jo ...
2012–2013
*
Žygimantas Jonušas 2013–2014
*
Dovydas Redikas 2013–2014, 2015–2016
*
Egidijus Dimša 2013–2014, 2016–2017
*
Artūras Jomantas 2013–2014
*
Rolandas Alijevas
Rolandas Alijevas (born 20 January 1985) is a Lithuanian professional basketball player of Azerbaijanis, 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 s ...
2013–2014
*
Tauras Jogėla 2014–2015
*
Laimonas Kisielius 2014–2015, 2019–2020
*
Osvaldas Olisevičius 2014–2017, 2018
*
Steponas Babrauskas
Steponas Babrauskas (born June 20, 1984) is a Lithuanian professional basketball coach and former player. He currently serves as assistant coach at CBet Jonava.
Professional career
Babrauskas was a runner-up in the Lithuanian Basketball League ...
2015–2018
*
Žygimantas Skučas 2018–2019, 2021–2022
*
Paulius Petrilevičius
Paulius Petrilevičius (born 23 March 1991) is a professional Lithuania, Lithuanian basketball player for CS Rapid București (men's basketball), Rapid București of the Liga Națională (men's basketball), Liga Națională. Standing at , he most ...
2019–2022
*
Edgaras Želionis 2020–2021
*
Arnas Beručka 2021–2022
*
Ignas Vaitkus 2022–2023
* Foreigners:
*
Trévon Hughes 2011–2013, 2017–2018
*
Paulão Prestes 2012
*
Sylvester Morgan 2011–2012
*
Tyrell Biggs
Tyrell Biggs (born December 22, 1960) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1984 to 1998, and challenged once for the undisputed heavyweight title in 1987. As an amateur he won a gold medal at the 1984 Summer Olympics, havin ...
2012–2013
*
Yancy Gates 2012–2013, 2018–19
*
Darrel Mitchell
Darrel Joseph Mitchell Jr. (born May 3, 1984) is an American former professional basketball player. He played high school basketball at St. Martinville Senior High School in St. Martinville, Louisiana, and was named Louisiana Mr. Basketball as ...
2013–2014
*
Derrick Caracter 2013–2014
*
Michael Dixon 2014–2015
*
Alex Oriakhi 2014–2015
*
Kyle Lamonte 2014–2015
*
Ramone Moore 2015–2016
*
Derrick Low 2015–2017
*
Vyacheslav Bobrov 2017–2018
*
Lis Shoshi 2018
*
Emmanuel Omogbo 2018–2019
*
Jay Threatt 2018–2019
*
Yannick Franke
Yannick Ayrton Franke (born 21 May 1996) is a Dutch professional basketball player for Büyükçekmece Basketbol, ONVO Büyükçekmece of the Basketbol Süper Ligi (BSL). He also represents the Netherlands national basketball team in internationa ...
2018–2019, 2021
*
John Gillon 2019–2020, 2023
*
Mike Bruesewitz 2019–2020
*
Miha Lapornik 2019–2020
*
Branko Mirković 2020–2021
*
Markell Johnson 2021–2022
*
Randy Culpepper 2022
*
Jared Cunningham
Jared Armon Cunningham (born May 22, 1991) is an American professional basketball player. He played college basketball for Oregon State, where he was an All-Pac-12 first team selection before being selected with the 24th overall pick in the 20 ...
2022–2023
References
External links
Official BC Pieno Žvaigždės website
BC Pieno Žvaigždės at LKL.lt
{{DEFAULTSORT:BC Pieno Zvaigzdes
BC Pieno žvaigždės
Basketball teams in Lithuania
Sport in Pasvalys
Basketball teams established in 2003
2003 establishments in Lithuania
Basketball teams disestablished in 2024
2024 disestablishments in Lithuania