Wikipedia

Rimas Kurtinaitis

Rimas Kurtinaitis (born 15 May 1960) is a Lithuanian professional basketball coach and former player who is currently the head coach of the Lithuania men's national team and Sabah BC. As a player, he was a member of the senior Soviet and Lithuanian national basketball teams and won a gold medal at the 1988 Seoul Olympics. At a height of 1.96 m (6'5") tall, 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.

Rimas Kurtinaitis
Kurtinaitis as the head coach of Khimki, 2011
Sabah BC
PositionHead coach
LeagueAzerbaijan Basketball League
Personal information
Born (1960-05-15) 15 May 1960 (age 64)
Kaunas, Lithuanian SSR, Soviet Union
NationalityLithuanian
Listed height6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Listed weight207 lb (94 kg)
Career information
NBA draft1982: undrafted
Playing career1981–2006
PositionShooting guard
Number10, 12
Coaching career2002–present
Career history
As player:
1981–1983CSKA Moscow
1983–1989Žalgiris Kaunas
1989–1992BBV Hagen
1992Žalgiris Kaunas
1992Peñas Huesca
1993Townsville Suns
1993–1995Real Madrid
1995–1996Žalgiris Kaunas
1996–1997Élan Chalon
1997–1998Atletas Kaunas
1998–1999Lietuvos rytas Vilnius
2001–2002Kyiv
2002–2006Gala Baku[note 2]
As coach:
2002–2006Gala Baku[note 1]
2006Ural Great
2007Sakalai Vilnius
2007–2008Śląsk Wrocław
2008Prokom Trefl Sopot (assistant)
2008–2010Lietuvos rytas Vilnius
2010–2011VEF Rīga
2011–2016Khimki
2016Pallacanestro Cantù
2017–2018Lietuvos rytas Vilnius
2019–2021Khimki
2022–2023BC Wolves
2024–presentSabah BC
2024–presentLithuania
Career highlights and awards
As player:

As head coach:

Medals
Men's Basketball
Representing  Soviet Union
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 1988 Seoul
FIBA World Cup
Silver medal – second place Spain 1986
EuroBasket
Gold medal – first place 1985 West Germany
Bronze medal – third place 1989 Yugoslavia
Representing  Lithuania
FIBA Europe U20 Championship
Silver medal – second place 2005 Russia Under-20
Bronze medal – third place 2004 Czech Republic Under-20
Olympic Games
Bronze medal – third place 1992 Barcelona
Bronze medal – third place 1996 Atlanta
EuroBasket
Silver medal – second place 1995 Greece

Club playing career

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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

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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]

Lithuanian national team

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On 1 October 2024, the Lithuanian Basketball Federation announced Kurtinaitis as the new head coach of the senior Lithuanian national team.[12][13]

Awards and achievements

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As player:

Pro clubs

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Soviet senior national team

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Lithuanian senior national team

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As head coach

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Coaching record

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Legend
G Games coached W Games won L Games lost W–L % Win-loss %

Note: The EuroLeague is not the only competition in which the team played during the season. He also coached in domestic competition, and regional competition if applicable.

EuroLeague

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Team Year G W L W–L% Result
Lietuvos rytas 2009–10 10 4 6 .400 Eliminated in group stage
Khimki 2012–13 24 13 11 .542 Eliminated in TOP 16 stage
Khimki 2015–16 20 10 10 .500 Fired
Khimki 2018–19 11 2 9 .182 Eliminated in regular season
Khimki 2019–20 28 13 15 .464 Season stopped due to the COVID-19 pandemic
Khimki 2020–21 20 2 18 .100 Fired
Career 113 44 69 .389

Notes

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  1. ^ As a player-coach
  2. ^ As a player-coach

References

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  1. ^ Rimas Kurtinaitis Archived 2015-07-31 at the Wayback Machine
  2. ^ The coach: Rimas Kurtinaitis
  3. ^ "EUROBASKET – Lithuanian basketball". Eurobasket.net. Archived from the original on 9 May 2007. Retrieved 21 June 2007.
  4. ^ Eurocup Top 10 – Coaches
  5. ^ "BC Khimki, Kurtinaitis part ways". BC Khimki. Archived from the original on 15 March 2016. Retrieved 15 March 2016.
  6. ^ "RIMAS KURTINAITIS E' IL NUOVO ALLENATORE DELLA PALLACANESTRO CANTU'". Pallacanestro Cantù (in Italian). 2 August 2016. Retrieved 4 August 2016.
  7. ^ "INTERVISTA A DMITRY GERASIMENKO". Pallacanestro Cantù (in Italian). 30 November 2016. Retrieved 30 November 2016.
  8. ^ "Basket, Cantù esonera Kurtinaitis Squadra al vice, poi Banchi o Recalcati?". La Gazzetta dello Sport (in Italian). 30 November 2016. Retrieved 30 November 2016.
  9. ^ ""Lietuvos ryte" Tomą Pačėsą keičia Rimas Kurtinaitis". Lietuvos Rytas (in Lithuanian). 10 February 2017. Retrieved 10 February 2017.
  10. ^ "Official statement: Khimki and Rimas Kurtinaitis part ways". BC Khimki. 15 January 2021. Retrieved 10 February 2017.
  11. ^ "Kurtinaitis treniruos Azerbaidžano čempionus". basketnews.lt (in Lithuanian). 26 January 2024. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
  12. ^ "Rimas Kurtinaitis takes over the national team of Lithuania". Eurohoops. 1 October 2024. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
  13. ^ "Rimas Kurtinaitis named as new Lithuanian national team head coach". Basketnews.com. 1 October 2024. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
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