Kazys Maksvytis Explained

Kazys Maksvytis
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Position:Head coach
Birth Date:1977 6, df=yes
Birth Place:Darbėnai, Lithuania
Nationality:Lithuanian
Coach Start:2011
Cyears1:2010–2011
Cteam1:Aisčiai Kaunas
Cyears2:2011–2012
Cteam2:Sakalai Vilnius
Cyears3:2012–2015
Cteam3:Neptūnas Klaipėda
Cyears4:2015–2017
Cteam4:Lietkabelis Panevėžys
Cyears5:2017–2019
Cteam5:Neptūnas Klaipėda
Cyears6:2019–2022
Cteam6:Parma Perm
Cyears7:2021–2024
Cteam7:Lithuania
Cyears8:2022–2023
Cteam8:Žalgiris Kaunas
Highlights:As head coach:

Kazys Maksvytis (born 15 June 1977) is a Lithuanian professional basketball coach.

Coaching career

Professional clubs

From 2011 to 2012, Maksvytis was the head coach of the Lithuanian club Sakalai Vilnius.[1]

On 2012 he became the head coach of Neptūnas Klaipėda. In 2012–13 season he guided the team to Lithuanian Basketball League third place. In 2013–14 season Maksvytis won the second place in the Lithuanian Basketball League and won the right to play in the EuroLeague next season.

In December 2015, Maksvytis was appointed as the head coach for Lietkabelis Panevėžys.[2] In the following 2016–17 season, he helped the team to reach their first ever LKL finals, winning the silver medal after losing 4–1 to Žalgiris Kaunas. In June 2017, Maksvytis returned to Neptūnas Klaipėda,[3] guiding them to a third-place finish and bronze medals in both 2017–18 and 2018–19.

In June 2019, Maksvytis signed as the new head coach for Russian club Parma Basket of the VTB United League.[4] On February 27, he decided to leave Parma following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.[5] Almost a month later, it was announced he would take over the Lithuanian champions Žalgiris Kaunas in the 2022–23 season.[6] However, after the team lost two consecutive Lithuanian League games for the first time in seven years, Jure Zdovc was let go and Maksvytis actually started the job earlier - on 11 April 2022, when he signed a three-year (2+1) deal.[7]

In its first full season under Maksvytis in 2022–23, Žalgiris won the Lithuanian League championship, as well as the Lithuanian cup. In the EuroLeague, the team finished the regular season in seventh place with a 19–15 record, qualifying for the play-offs for the first time since the 2018–19 season. Maksvytis placed third in the voting for the 2022–23 Alexander Gomelsky EuroLeague Coach of the Year.[8]

In the 2023–24 season, Žalgiris started its EuroLeague campaign with three wins in four games (3–1). However, the team then went into a slump and finished the first half of the season with six consecutive losses, placed 16th in the standings with a 5–12 record. On 30 December 2023, it was announced that Maksvytis left Žalgiris by mutual consent.[9]

National teams

While the head coach of the youth men's teams, Maksvytis won the gold medal in the European 2008 U16, 2010 U18, 2011 U19[10] and the 2012 U20 championships. On 14 September 2021 Maksvytis was appointed the new head coach of Lithuanian National team.[11] Under Maksvytis guidance the Lithuanian National team qualified to EuroBasket 2022 where the team lost to the Spanish National team in the Round of 16. In 2023 the team finished 6th in 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup with a sensational win 110–104 against the United States men's national basketball team.[12] In 2024, under Maksvytis, Lithuania failed to qualify for the Olympics for the second consecutive time after losing to Puerto Rico at the Olympic Qualifying Tournament in San Juan.

Coaching record

EuroLeague

|- | align="left"|Neptūnas| align="left"|2014–15| 10 || 4 || 6 || || align="center"|Eliminated in group stage|- | align="left" rowspan=2|Žalgiris| align="left"|2022–23| 37 || 19 || 18 || || align="center"|Eliminated in quarterfinals|- | align="left"|2023–24| 17 || 5 || 12 || || align="center"|Parted ways|-class="sortbottom"| align="center" colspan=2|Career||64||28||36||||

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: "Sakalų" klube atlyginimo negaunantis Kazys Maksvytis gali treniruoti "Neptūno". LT. 15 December 2023. 11 June 2012.
  2. Web site: Kazys Maksvytis perima "Lietkabelio" vairą. basketnews.lt. LT. 22 July 2019. 2 December 2015.
  3. Web site: Kazys Maksvytis grįžta į Klaipėdos "Neptūną". LKL.lt. LT. 22 July 2019. 28 June 2017.
  4. Web site: В БК "ПАРМА" новый главный тренер!. parmabasket.ru. RU. 22 July 2019. 5 July 2019.
  5. Web site: Po pergalės Maksvytis patvirtino paliekantis Rusijos klubą: priėmiau sprendimą, kuris buvo mano širdyje. delfi.lt. LT. 15 December 2023. 27 February 2022.
  6. Web site: "Žalgirio" vairas bus patikėtas Kaziui Maksvyčiui. basketnews.lt. lt. 11 April 2022. 31 December 2023.
  7. Web site: A new chapter: Kazys Maksvytis takes charge in Kaunas. zalgiris.lt. 11 April 2023. 31 December 2023.
  8. https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/tae2223-coach-of-the-year-georgios-bartzokas-olympiacos-piraeus/ Coach of the Year: Georgios Bartzokas, Olympiacos Piraeus
  9. Web site: Trinchieri replaces Maksvytis as Zalgiris head coach. zalgiris.lt. 30 December 2023. 31 December 2023.
  10. Web site: Lithuania tops Serbia, 85-67, to take U19 title; Russia finishes third. 18 November 2014.
  11. https://basketnews.com/news-156340-kazys-maksvytis-is-the-new-coach-of-the-lithuanian-national-team.html Kazys Maksvytis is the new coach of the Lithuanian National Team
  12. https://edition.cnn.com/2023/09/03/sport/us-defeat-lithuania-fiba-world-cup-spt-itl/index.html US suffers surprise defeat to Lithuania at FIBA Basketball World Cup