Rokas Jokubaitis: 'We can feel that connection between Lithuania and Barca' / News - Basketnews.com

Credit: Zuma Press – Scanpix Credit Zuma Press – Scanpix

It doesn't take much guesswork to discover who has been the most influential figure in the career development of point guard Rokas Jokubaitis – his former coach at Zalgiris Kaunas and current coach of FC Barcelona, Sarunas Jasikevicius.

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Like all youngsters in basketball-crazy Lithuania, Jokubaitis grew up idolizing the national team during a period of great success that delivered medals in six different major international tournaments between 2000 and 2015, including gold at the 2003 EuroBasket and bronze at the 2010 FIBA World Cup.

Jasikevicius was the star player on many of those teams, and Jokubaitis has vivid memories of supporting him and his teammates during those great days for Lithuanian basketball, saying: "Our national team was huge. Every summer, every Lithuanian watched the games on TV and the players were heroes.

They won a lot of medals and Saras was the main player, with his personality on and off the court. Everybody loves him and as a player he was incredible. So, of course, he was one of the guys I most liked watching – he was the leader and everybody watches the leaders."

A few years later, when Jokubaitis was 15 years old and a quickly developing player with a lot of potential, he received a special invitation that put him firmly on the radar of his childhood hero.

"When I was 15 we had the Adidas Next Generation Tournament," he explains. "Zalgiris invited me to play for them – I was playing in my basketball school, not being a Zalgiris player. He watched the final and I had a good tournament, made some good plays, and I remember that he was sitting next to the sidelines jumping off his seat, clapping, cheering me on.

So, that was the first time I've seen him eye to eye and I was very happy at that moment. This was our first meeting, and for me, at 15 years old, it was incredible. One of the best experiences I've had," Jokubaitis recalls.

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Shortly after impressing in that ANGT event in 2017, which saw Zalgiris win the qualifying tournament in Kaunas as Jokubaitis starred in the title game with 18 points and 6 assists, the young point guard was signed permanently by Zalgiris, whose coach, Sarunas Jasikevicius, quickly took the new signing under his wing.

"He took responsibility for me," Jokubaitis remembers. "I didn't play in the main team at first but he invited me to practices sometimes for my improvement. I came to Zalgiris when I was 16 and I enjoyed it a lot. It was the first time I had joined professional basketball."

Within a couple of years, Jasikevicius called up the youngster to debut at the senior level. Jokubaitis has particularly fond memories of his first EuroLeague game, a 71-75 victory at Darussafaka Istanbul in December of 2018 that was followed two days later by an 80-73 win over Maccabi Tel Aviv in Kaunas.

"There were a lot of big moments for me as a young player, but above all, I remember my debut in EuroLeague, because it is one of the best leagues in the world," he recalls.

"I remember I scored! We had two games, one in Turkey and two days later in Kaunas in a full house. I played these two games and it gave me the belief that I can do something in my career and push myself to a high level. These memories will remain my whole life."

Jasikevicius, of course, left Kaunas in 2020 to take charge of Barcelona, with whom he had won the first of his four EuroLeague titles as a player. But he kept Jokubaitis at the front of his mind and a year later the pair were reunited after the guard signed a four-year contract with the Spanish team. For Jokubaitis, it was an opportunity he did not need to think twice about accepting.

"When I knew that he and Barcelona wanted me to join here in Spain, there wasn't so much thinking to do!" he says. "I improved a lot with the coach in the past and I wanted to do that in the future, because I have room for a lot more improvement.

It's the best thing that could have happened for me. He was one of the best point guards in Europe and I play in the same position, so that makes it twice as good for me. He was a leader and I can see how he controlled a team and made decisions in crunch time. I have a lot to learn from him."

That doesn't mean playing under the guidance of Jasikevicius is easy. As television footage of games makes evident, he is a demanding coach who often has a very forceful manner of expressing himself to his players.

During his first season in Barcelona, Jokubaitis was on the receiving end of some of his compatriot's more stinging courtside reprimands.

Although Jokubaitis admits that it took a little time to become accustomed to his coach's style, he wouldn't want it any other way and emphasizes there is a big difference between Saras the coach and Saras the person: "When I was younger, in my first practices, I didn't know what to do when he started to shout. I didn't understand.

But soon I realized he just wanted to tell me something and now that I've known him for four or five years, our connection is good and it's easier. You can see that sometimes he shouts at us and is angry, but as players, we understand that he wants us to improve, and faster.

"He wants to win every time – that means he shouts and stuff like that. But these are his methods, and his methods are working, as we can see. On the court, he's a very needy coach, he wants the maximum from us. But off the court he's a very nice guy, you can talk with him about everything, not about basketball only, about life and stuff like that. I like very much how it is, this on and off the court difference."

Now the two of them are heading into the playoffs together after a strong season for Jokubaitis, who averaged 7.8 points and 3.0 assists in 30 appearances during the regular season.

The 21-year-old is sure that his team – which also contains former Zalgiris players Brandon Davies and Nigel Hayes-Davis – will receive strong support from his homeland, in large part because Jasikevicius is still treated as a hero in his former hometown.

"After every season in Kaunas, there were big posters saying 'Saras don't leave us, stay in Kaunas'. He took Zalgiris to the next level for three or four years, including third place at the Final Four. Everyone is thankful to Saras because he made everyone believe again. There is nothing but love for him in Kaunas.

I think everyone in Lithuania is of course excited about Zalgiris in the EuroLeague, but also about Barca. They respect Saras and how his team plays, so I don't think we will be forgotten! We can feel that connection between Lithuania and Barca."

And that connection is most clearly evident between two Lithuanian point guards – one directing proceedings on the sidelines and the other making a big name for himself in the thick of the action.

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