Antanas Sireika

Infobox Celebrity
name = Antanas Sireika


birth_date = birth date and age|1956|5|11
birth_place = Bazilionai, near Šiauliai, Lithuanian SSR, USSR
occupation = Basketball coach
team = BC Lietuvos Rytas
teams coached = BC Šiauliai (1995–2002)
BC Žalgiris (2002–2006)
Unics Kazan (2006ndash;2007)
Lithuania national basketball team (2001–2006)

Antanas Sireika (born May 11, 1956 in Bazilionai near Šiauliai) is a professional Lithuanian basketball coach.

Coaching career

Lithuanian national basketball team began a strange tradition, after head coach was leaving he's post he was giving he's place to he's assistant, this happened when Vladas Garastas was changed by he's assistant coach Jonas Kazlauskas, the story repeated in 2001, when succeder of Kazlauskas was his assistant coach Antanas Sireika. He was born in Šiauliai, and big part of his basketball career he spent there. Sireika was playing for BC Šiauliai, iater he became the playing head coach of the team, in 1994 he ended his career as a player, and started fulltime coaching the team. Big results came fast, the underdog Šiauliai, became LKL 3rd place winners, in 1997 Kazlauskas became a head-coach of Lithuanian National Basketball Team, invited Sireika to join Lithuanian national squad as an assistant.In 2001, Kazlauskas retired from LTU national team, and gave he's place to Sireika. With Antanas Sireika, Lithuanian national basketball team won their first FIBA Europe Gold medals after Lithuania's independence in 1991, (the first tittles came in 1937 & 1939).

The same year, Sireika made an important decision, he left his home Šiauliai, and moved to Kaunas, to coach BC Žalgiris. He won 3 LKL tittles in a row in 2003, 2004 & 2005. In 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens Sireika coached team of Lithuania won 4rth place. The most memorable win was against United States.

Upset

Since 2003, BC Žalgiris started to fade away from all that Euroleague glory they had just a few years ago, Žalgiris euroleague results every year were getting worse. In 2005-2006 season Sireika was dealing with a huge criticism aimed on him, because of poor results in Euroleague and BC Lietuvos Rytas was at the top of the Lithuanian league standings. On March 28, 2006 in a LKL regular season rivalry game, Sireika's coached Žalgiris played against Lietuvos Rytas and Rytas won the match by 30 points. After the game Sireika left the team.In FIBA Europe 2005 in Belgrade, Lithuania was named as one of the contenders to win gold & defend their 2003 tittle, Lithuanian team finished first in the group and entered 1/4 finals, where they lost 47-63 to France led by Tony Parker. Lithuanian team took 5th place and even more criticism was aimed at Sireika. cHe had his last hance at at FIBA World Championship in 2006. Lithuania finished 3rd in the group entering 1/8 finals. in the quarterfinals they were defeated by Spain, and in Fifth through eighth place games they lost to Turkey, Lithuania took 7th place, and Sireika resigned.

Unics

In 2006 summer, Unics Kazan introduced Sireika as their new head coach, the Lithuanian trio: Lavrinovič brothers and Saulius Štombergas led Unics into Uleb cup 1/2 finals, but team lost to Real Madrid and did not entered the final. In Russian Basketball Super League Unics surprised the league by finishing 2nd. After the Euroleague champions "CSKA Moscow", and overcoming teams like Dynamo Moscow, Khimki & Triumph. 2007/2008 season started not so well, like Russia's basketball experts expectedFact|date=July 2008, Unics was 8th in the Russian Super League, Sireika was dismissed of coaching & moved to assistant.

Lietuvos Rytas

In 2008 season Lietuvos Rytas haven't won nothing, all domestic leagues were given away to BC Žalgiris, a few weeks after their loss in LKL finals, Lietuvos Rytas started to build a new new team dismissing many former players, Aleksandar Trifunović (basketball) was dismissed as head coach, Rytas ended their legioneer head coach era, and signed A. Sireika as head coach.

Teams Coached

* 1995-2002: Šiauliai
* 2002-2006: Žalgiris Kaunas
* 2006-2007: UNICS Kazan
* 2008-present: BC Lietuvos Rytas

* 2001-2006: Lithuania national basketball team"'

Wins

* Champion of Eurobasket 2003
* Olympic Bronze medalist - 2000
* LKL champion - 2003, 2004, 2005
* SEB BBL champion - 2005