Hometown hero Zukauskas takes charge of Siauliai

SIAULIAI (FIBA Europe Cup) – A former FIBA EuroBasket 2003 champion and captain of the Lithuanian national team Mindaugas Zukauskas was called on to be the new face of his hometown Siauliai club.

The 41-year-old retired basketball player took over as President of the club, replacing long-serving Adomas Klimavicius, who was in charge of operations since the very foundation of the club in 1994.

"First and foremost, I want to see the club's financial documents and look at the contracts of our players. Then, we will decide what steps to take next," said Zukauskas who himself started his professional career at the club.

Perhaps the most notable icon of Siauliai basketball, Zukauskas enjoyed an illustrious career in historic clubs such as Zalgiris Kaunas, Olimpija Ljubljana, Montepaschi Siena and Pesaro Scavolini before returning home to retire as a Siauliai player.

Having won bronze in the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games and been a part of the golden FIBA EuroBasket winning squad in 2003, Zukauskas later also served as the captain of the national side for two summers.

The new season has been extremely challenging for the Siauliai club, who are rock bottom of the Lithuanian LKL standings with a 1-7 record after finally inscribing the first win of the season this past weekend.

However, Zukauskas who has his jersey hanging in the rafters of Siauliai Arena remains upbeat and praised the fans of the team for the support they have shown in spite of the current situation at the club which was in a large way influenced by the recent financial cutbacks.

"It is encouraging that the team’s fans did not turn their backs on us despite tougher times. There were a lot of people at the arena in the last LKL game on Sunday. It shows that basketball plays an important role in the lives of people of Siauliai," the newly-appointed Zukauskas spoke his mind in a press conference on Monday.

The first challenge for the new-look Siauliai side will be on the European front, as the Lithuanian side host Apoel Nicosia in the FIBA Europe Cup on Wednesday night.

FIBA