Rimas Kurtinaitis Explained

Rimas Kurtinaitis
League:Lithuanian Basketball League Fiba Europe Cup
Position:Head coach
Height Ft:6
Height In:5
Weight Lb:207
Birth Date:15 May 1960
Nationality:Lithuanian
Draft Year:1982
Career Start:1981
Career End:2006
Career Position:Shooting guard
Career Number:10, 12
Years1:1981–1983
Team1:CSKA Moscow
Years2:1983–1989
Team2:Žalgiris Kaunas
Years3:1989–1992
Team3:BBV Hagen
Years4:1992
Team4:Žalgiris Kaunas
Years5:1992
Team5:Peñas Huesca
Years6:1993
Team6:Townsville Suns
Years7:1993–1995
Team7:Real Madrid
Years8:1995–1996
Team8:Žalgiris Kaunas
Years9:1996–1997
Team9:Élan Chalon
Years10:1997–1998
Team10:Atletas Kaunas
Years11:1998–1999
Team11:Lietuvos rytas Vilnius
Years12:2001–2002
Team12:Kyiv
Years13:2002–2006
Team13:Gala Baku
Coach Start:2002
Cyears1:2002–2006
Cteam1:Gala Baku
Cyears2:2006
Cteam2:Ural Great
Cyears3:2007
Cteam3:Sakalai Vilnius
Cyears4:2007–2008
Cteam4:Śląsk Wrocław
Cyears5:2008
Cteam5:Prokom Trefl Sopot (assistant)
Cyears6:2008–2010
Cteam6:Lietuvos rytas Vilnius
Cyears7:2010–2011
Cteam7:VEF Rīga
Cyears8:2011–2016
Cteam8:Khimki
Cyears9:2016
Cteam9:Pallacanestro Cantù
Cyears10:2017–2018
Cteam10:Lietuvos rytas Vilnius
Cyears11:2019–2021
Cteam11:Khimki
Cyears12:2022–2023
Cteam12:BC Wolves
Cyears13:2024-
Cteam13:Sabah BC
Highlights:As player:

As head coach:

Rimas Kurtinaitis (born 15 May 1960) is a Lithuanian professional basketball coach who currently serves as the head coach of Sabah BC, and a retired professional basketball player, who was a member of the senior Soviet and Lithuanian national basketball teams during his playing career. He won a gold medal at 1988 Olympics in South Korea. He recently worked as the head coach for Khimki. At a height of 1.96 m (6'5") tall, during his playing career, he played at the shooting guard position. He is the only non-NBA player to ever participate at the NBA All-Star Weekend's Three-Point Contest, doing so in 1989, where he scored 9 points.

Club playing career

Kurtinaitis' former club teams as a player, include Žalgiris Kaunas, CSKA Moscow, and Real Madrid. He was the only European player to participate in the NBA All-Star Weekend's Three-Point Contest, without ever having played in the NBA by participating in the event in 1989. Kurtinaitis was also the first European player to play as an import, in Australia's National Basketball League (NBL), while playing for the Townsville Suns, in 1993.

Coaching career

In 1997, Kurtinaitis was named to the Lithuanian Ministry of Sport. In the years 2002–2006, he took the position of head coach of the Azerbaijan national basketball team. Also from 2002 to 2006, he was a player for four seasons (till the age of 46!),[1] with Gala Baku, working as a player-coach.[2]

He became Sakalai's head coach during the mid-2000s. In December 2007, he became the head coach of the Polish League men's basketball team, Śląsk Wrocław.[3] In 2008, he became head coach of Lietuvos Rytas, with whom, he won the EuroCup 2008–09 season's title. After winning the championship at the Final-Eight tournament, in Turin (Torino), Italy, in a game against Khimki Moscow Region (final score 80–74).

In 2012, Kurtinaitis won the EuroCup again, this time with Khimki. As of 2015, he is the only coach to win the EuroCup three times. On 21 June 2012 Kurtinaitis was named the best EuroCup coach of all time.[4] On 15 March 2016 Khimki parted ways with Kurtinaitis.[5]

On 2 August 2016 Kurtinaitis become the head coach of Pallacanestro Cantù, of the Italian LBA.[6] However, on 30 November 2016 he was fired from the team.[7] [8]

Kurtinaitis agreed to return to Lietuvos rytas on 10 February 2017, following the resignation of Tomas Pačėsas, from the club's head coaching position.[9] This tenure with Rytas was not as successful – Rytas only finished in 3rd place in the LKL in the 2016–2017 season, a fiasco for the team. In the 2017–2018 season, the team played much better, reaching the Eurocup Top16 phase, as well as reaching the KMT and LKL finals, but lost each to Žalgiris Kaunas. In what stirred a lot of controversy, it was announced during the semifinals of the LKL that Kurtinaitis would be replaced by Dainius Adomaitis in the following season, and in June Kurtinaitis left the team.

On 21 January 2019 Kurtinaitis returned to Khimki in a surprising decision. Two years later, on 15 January 2021, he was dismissed from this position because of unsatisfactory results.[10]

On 26 January 2024 Kurtinaitis became the head coach of Sabah BC of Azerbaijan Basketball League.[11]

Awards and achievements

As player:

Pro clubs

Soviet senior national team

Lithuanian senior national team

As head coach

Coaching record

EuroLeague

|- | align="left"|Lietuvos rytas| align="left"|2009–10| 10 || 4 || 6 || || align="center"|Eliminated in group stage|- | align="left"|Khimki| align="left"|2012–13| 24 || 13 || 11 || || align="center"|Eliminated in TOP 16 stage|- | align="left"|Khimki| align="left"|2015–16| 20 || 10 || 10 || || align="center"|Fired|- | align="left"|Khimki| align="left"|2018–19| 11 || 2 || 9 || || align="center"|Eliminated in regular season|- | align="left"|Khimki| align="left"|2019–20| 28 || 13 || 15 || || align="center"|Season stopped due to the COVID-19 pandemic|- | align="left"|Khimki| align="left"|2020–21| 20 || 2 || 18 || || align="center"|Fired|-class="sortbottom"| align="center" colspan=2|Career||113||44||69||||

External links

Notes and References

  1. http://www.altisport.net/basketball/coaches/157-rimas-kurtinaitis.html Rimas Kurtinaitis
  2. https://web.archive.org/web/20120411004351/http://www.eurocupbasketball.com/eurocup/eurocup-finals/khimki-2012/main-page/i/95971/7087/the-coach-rimas-kurtinaitis The coach: Rimas Kurtinaitis
  3. Web site: Eurobasket.net. EUROBASKET – Lithuanian basketball. 2007-06-21 . https://web.archive.org/web/20070509133853/http://www.eurobasket.com/ltu/ltu.asp . 2007-05-09.
  4. https://web.archive.org/web/20120616081416/http://www.eurocupbasketball.com/eurocup/news/i/98135/3735 Eurocup Top 10 – Coaches
  5. Web site: BC Khimki, Kurtinaitis part ways. BC Khimki. March 15, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160315155023/http://en.bckhimki.ru/news/clubnews/2016/march/1084/. March 15, 2016.
  6. Web site: RIMAS KURTINAITIS E' IL NUOVO ALLENATORE DELLA PALLACANESTRO CANTU'. Pallacanestro Cantù. August 4, 2016. it-IT. August 2, 2016.
  7. Web site: INTERVISTA A DMITRY GERASIMENKO. Pallacanestro Cantù. November 30, 2016. it-IT. November 30, 2016.
  8. Web site: Basket, Cantù esonera Kurtinaitis Squadra al vice, poi Banchi o Recalcati?. La Gazzetta dello Sport. November 30, 2016. it-IT. November 30, 2016.
  9. News: "Lietuvos ryte" Tomą Pačėsą keičia Rimas Kurtinaitis. 10 February 2017. Lietuvos Rytas. 10 February 2017. lt.
  10. News: Official statement: Khimki and Rimas Kurtinaitis part ways. 10 February 2017. BC Khimki. 15 January 2021. en.
  11. Web site: 2024-01-26. Kurtinaitis treniruos Azerbaidžano čempionus. 2024-01-29. basketnews.lt.