BC VIČI-Aistės Kaunas was a Lithuanian women's basketball club based in Kaunas. Before ceasing operations due to financial difficulties,[1] the team was the most titled women's basketball club in Lithuania.

History

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The team, originally called "Kibirkštis" (transl. "Spark"), was founded in Vilnius in 1961 as homage to a nearby electrical welding equipment plant. Its first coach was Algis Gedminas, a no-nonsense disciplinarian who had previously taught at a Moldavian pedagogical institute. Under Gedminas's direction, Kibirkštis quickly became a powerhouse in the Soviet Lithuanian women's basketball league, winning back-to-back championships in the late 1960s and early 1970s, as well as several bronze medals in the top-tier Soviet basketball tournament. The team was led by women who represented Soviet Union national team in various European Championships and Olympic Tournaments, including Larisa Vinčaitė, Angelė Jankūnaitė-Rupšienė and Vida Šulskytė-Beselienė.

After Lithuania's restoration of independence, the team continued to dominate in the Lithuanian basketball championship, attracting local talent such as Aneta Kaušaitė and Jurgita Štreimikytė-Virbickienė (the first two Lithuanian players in the WNBA) and international talent alike. During this transitionary period, Kibirkštis's name changed to "Ryšininkas-Šviesa" in 1990, "Telerina" in 1992, "Lietuvos Telekomas" in 1995 and "TEO" in 2006. The team also established a subsidiary club "Lintel-118" around 2000, which tailored to youth development and competed in LMKL and LMKAL until its folding in 2006.[2] One notable alumna is Gintarė Petronytė, a two-time EuroCup Women champion who started her career with "Lintel-118" in 2005.

Telekomas reached unprecedented heights in the 2004-05 and 2005-06 season, when, headed by Algirdas Paulauskas, the team won the LMKL, BWBL tournaments and reached the semifinal in the top-tier EuroLeague Women tournament. WNBA All-Star and Champion Katie Douglas, European Basketball Champion Jurgita Štreimikytė and two-time EuroLeague bronze medalist Sandra Linkevičienė formed this team’s core.

In 2010, TEO relocated to Kaunas and was renamed "VIČI-Aistės". After two successful seasons, the team dissolved due to a lack of sponsorship.

Titles

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Season Domestic League Regional League International League
League Pos League Pos League Pos
1961–62   Lithuanian Soviet Championship 3   USSR Championship 24
1963–64   USSR Championship 14
1964–65   USSR Championship 15
1965–66   Lithuanian Soviet Championship 3   USSR Championship 13
1967–68   Lithuanian Soviet Championship 1   USSR Championship 4
1968–69   Lithuanian Soviet Championship 1   USSR Championship 3
1969–70   Lithuanian Soviet Championship 1   USSR Championship 5
1970–71   Lithuanian Soviet Championship 1   USSR Championship 3
1971–72   Lithuanian Soviet Championship 1   USSR Championship 3
1972–73   Lithuanian Soviet Championship 3   USSR Championship 7
1974–75   USSR Championship 6
1975–76   USSR Championship 5
1976–77   USSR Championship 4
1977–78   USSR Championship 4
1978–79   USSR Championship 4
1979–80   USSR Championship 6
1980–81   USSR Championship 9
1981–82   USSR Championship 8
1983–84   USSR Championship 3
1989–90   Lithuanian League 1
1990–91   Lithuanian League 1
1991–92   Lithuanian League 1
1992–93   Lithuanian League 1
1994–95   Lithuanian League 1   Baltic League 1
1995–96   Lithuanian League 1   Baltic League 2
1996–97   Lithuanian League   Baltic League 2
1997–98   Lithuanian League   Baltic League
1998–99   Lithuanian League   Baltic League 3
1999–00   Lithuanian League 1   Baltic League 1
2000–01   Lithuanian League 1   Baltic League 1 Euroleague Women Eight Final
2001–02   Lithuanian League 1   Baltic League 1 Euroleague Women Group Stage
2002–03   Lithuanian League 1   Baltic League 1
2003–04   Lithuanian League 1   Baltic League 1 Euroleague Women Group Stage
2004–05   Lithuanian League 1   Baltic League 1 Euroleague Women 3
2005–06   Lithuanian League 1   Baltic League 1 Euroleague Women 4
2006–07   Lithuanian League 1   Baltic League 1
2007–08   Lithuanian League 1   Baltic League 1
2008–09   Lithuanian League 1   Baltic League 1
2009–10   Lithuanian League 1   Baltic League 1
2010–11   Lithuanian League 1   Baltic League 1
2011–12   Lithuanian League 1   Baltic League 1

Notable players

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Head coaches

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  • Algis Gedminas (1961–1981)
  • Valentinas Kanapkis (1981–1986)
  • Heino Lill (1988–1989)
  • Valentinas Kanapkis (1994–1997)
  • Algirdas Budėnas (1998–2001)
  • Algirdas Paulauskas (2001–2007)
  • Rūtenis Paulauskas (2007–2009)
  • Mantas Šernius (2010–2012)

References

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  1. ^ "Moterų Eurolyga – be Lietuvos klubų". basketnews.lt (in Lithuanian). Retrieved 2020-06-01.
  2. ^ "LMKL pirmenybėse žais Latvijos čempionės". kauno.diena.lt (in Lithuanian). Retrieved 2020-06-03.