Lithuania NT announces 15-man roster for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers / News - Basketnews.com

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The Lithuanian Basketball Federation announced a 15-man squad for the World Cup Qualifiers.The national team will travel to Bulgaria to play the first of the two official games on July 1st. The second Qualifiers game will take place on July 4th back in Lithuania against the Czech Republic.

Marius Grigonis and Tadas Sedekerskis, who are joining the team from the EuroLeague clubs, will be a serious boost in the FIBA World Cup qualifiers.

"Players who have finished the championship earlier are eager to play and want to get in shape. Grigonis is training individually, I think he will be the leader of the national team in both the window and the championship. Sedekerskis got a little less playing time in his club, he hopes to get more of it in the national team," said head coach Kazys Maksvytis.

Orlando MagicforwardIgnas Brazdeikis is coming to the Lithuanian national team's training camp which starts at 16 June and will play for the squad during friendly games and the FIBA World Cup Qualifiers.

Brazdeikis was born in Lithuania but spent his years growing up in Canada, and has a Canadian passport. It took almost two years for the Lithuanian Basketball Federation (LKF) to sort out the bureaucratic details behind his transfer that allowed him to play for Lithuania.

The Lithuanian forward played 42 games in the NBA this past season, averaging 5.0 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 0.9 assists for the Magic.

NBA players Jonas Valanciunas and Domantas Sabonis will not play in the FIBA World Cup qualifiers due to insurance conditions, but they will join the camp at the beginning of August and prepare for the EuroBasket together with the national team.

Lithuania sits first in Group F with 4 wins. Bosnia and Herzegovina has a record of 2-2, while Bulgaria and the Czech Republic won 1 time and lost 3. The top three seeds will advance to the next phase.

In the EuroBasket 2022, Lithuania will play in Group B (Cologne) against Hungary, France, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Germany, and Slovenia.

Full squad:

Arnas Velicka (Gevi Napoli Basket, Italy| 195 cm | Guard) Arnoldas Kulboka (Charlotte Hornets, NBA | 208 cm | Forward) Donatas Sabeckis (Siauliai-7bet, Lithuania | 198 cm | Guard) Eigirdas Zukauskas (Tofas Bursa, Turkey | 206 cm | Forward) Gytis Masiulis (Surne Bilbao Basket, Spain | 206 cm | Forward) Gytis Radzevicius (Rytas Vilnius, Lithuania | 197 cm | Forward) Ignas Brazdeikis (Orlando Magic, NBA | 198 cm | Forward) Karolis Lukosiunas (Zalgiris Kaunas, Lithuania | 195 cm | Guard) Laurynas Birutis (Zalgiris Kaunas, Lithuania | 213 cm | Center) Marius Grigonis (CSKA Moscow | 198 cm | Guard) Martynas Echodas (Umana Reyer Venice, Italy | 206 cm | Center) Regimantas Miniotas (Zalgiris Kaunas | 208 cm | Forward) Tadas Sedekerskis (Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain | 204 cm | Forward) Tomas Dimsa (Trevizo NutriBullet, Italy | 196 cm | Guard) Vytenis Cizauskas (Boulazac Basket Dordogne, France | 188 cm | Guard) Subscribe to BN+ and get access to exclusive content.