The head coach of the national men’s basketball team Darius Maskoliūnas added a new activity to his busy agenda, as on September 1, he started his studies at Lithuanian Sports University (LSU). D. Maskoliūnas chose master’s degree studies in Coaching Science.
“Every coach has to grow and acquire the latest scientific and theoretical knowledge, even though he has a lot of practical experience. I hope that studies at Lithuanian Sports University will help to overcome new professional challenges as well,” said D. Maskoliūnas.
Maskoliūnas, an assistant to Šarūnas Jasikevičius, who moved from Kaunas “Žalgiris” to “Barcelona”, has already started an intensive season. After a basketball camp and a match in Andorra, “Barcelona” will start fighting for the Catalonia Cup today and will compete for the Spanish Super Cup on 12-13 September. Despite the busy schedule, D. Maskoliūnas will have the opportunity to start his distance learning at LSU.
“Lithuanian Sports University offers elite athletes and coaches to combine education and sport and gives them the opportunity to study according to an individual study plan. It is very important that as many professional athletes as possible stay in the sport and pass on their experience as coaches to others. In addition, we aim to provide athletes and coaches with scientific and theoretical knowledge. The example of the best Lithuanian coaches should motivate young people to choose an interesting career of a coach, and encourage all basketball coaches, regardless of age and experience, to strive for improvement. In order to be at the top, you have to constantly learn and be interested in innovations in your field, ”said Ramūnas Butautas, the head of the Centre of Basketball Studies and Research, who coached the Lithuanian men’s basketball team in 2007–2009 and won the bronze medal of the European Championship in 2007.
“Lithuanian Sports University together with the Lithuanian Basketball Federation pays a lot of attention to the training of coaches, improvement of their qualification and organization of various seminars and conferences. Last year, LSU Rector Diana Rėklaitienė and LKF President Arvydas Sabonis signed a cooperation agreement between LSU and LKF. A year ago, the Centre of Basketball Studies and Research was established. Its main goal is to mobilize experienced researchers and practitioners and transfer all knowledge to future specialists,” said R. Butautas.
The vast majority of Lithuanian basketball coaches have graduated from LSU, the former coaches of the Lithuanian national team Dainius Adomaitis and Kęstutis Kemzūra, Kazys Maksvytis, who won the world and European championship titles with the Lithuanian youth national teams, Rimas Kurtinaitis, who is working in the Euroleague and Olympic champion Valdemaras Chomičius to be mentioned among many of them. This year, long-term basketball players of the Lithuanian national basketball team Darjušas Lavrinovičius and Kšystofas Lavrinovičius graduated from LSU.
