VMU Basketball Team – Leader of University Games
University basketball in Lithuania is special because professional players are allowed to play for their university teams and a lot of them do. Paulius Sorokas explains it:
„In Lithuania, obtaining a bachelor’s or a master’s degree is held in high regard. All athletes who think they can enroll into faculties succeed in doing so. Another advantage is that the universities are willing to help athletes, doing everything in their power to help athletes balance training and their exams.”
And they really find it really serious. In the Zalgiris Kaunas Final 4 team played three playes that won the university competition just 20 days before – Paulius Valinskas, Gytis Masiulis and Martynas Sajus. And that is not all – some of Vytautas Magnus alumni also were in the team. The best known player is for sure Paulius Jankunas who played for the university team two seasons, along with Mantas Kalnietis, Jonas Maciulis, Arturas Milaknis and Adas Juškevičius. They played together and won 6 consecutive University titles from 2007 till 2012.
Beside them, players like Edgaras Ulanovas, Arturas Milaknis and a former NBA player Mindaugas Kuzminskas. And the list goes on.
What can describe the Vytautas Magnus team dominance than their success at EUSA events. So far they attended 6 European University Championships or European Universities Games and return home with 6 gold medals. It seems that when you see Vytautas Magnus University at the list of teams, you should know that the gold is already taken. Incredible!