With just under two weeks left until the start of team practices, Rytas announces the completion of its roster.
Speaking to the official club website rytasvilnius.lt, club sports director Artūras Jomantas reviewed this summer’s work, painful but inevitable goodbyes, the vision of the new head coach Nedas Pacevičius, and the roles awaiting each team newcomer and veteran in the upcoming 2026–2027 season.
The summer was probably very hot for the sports director, especially after such a season finale. Overall, how do you evaluate this summer’s roster building, and how many of your designated plans A did you manage to turn into reality?
– The evaluation of building the team is quite positive. We had a fairly clear vision, knew exactly what we wanted on the court, and pursued it consistently.
Our goal was to gather the best possible players according to our financial capabilities. Of course, it is natural that we are not the biggest player in the market, so we had to adapt to that, be more patient in some areas, and maintain a dialogue. But looking at the final picture, we are satisfied with the work done.
Roster building is inevitably connected to less pleasant experiences, when decisions to say goodbye must be made. Which basketball players were the hardest to let go of, and why weren’t you able to retain them?
– You know how it is… It is hard to say goodbye to everyone for one reason or another. After winning the FIBA Champions League, there were many positive emotions, but the reality is that we said goodbye to some players simply because we couldn’t financially afford to retain them. In other positions, after consulting with the coaches, we decided to look for a slightly different profile of player, but in principle, it is hard to part ways with everyone – whether it’s Speedy, Harding, Caroline, or, of course, Simas.
Last season, Rytas stood out with a very emotional, fast, but sometimes chaotic style of play, which nevertheless did not stop us from winning the Champions League. During the summer, this roster was restructured – what criteria did you follow when building the team for this season, and how does it fundamentally differ from last year’s?
– First of all, looking towards the upcoming season, we by no means wanted to completely abandon our main weapons – speed and aggression. However, at the same time, we wanted to add more control, versatility, and physicality. I think we managed to find this balance and add these elements quite well.
The team’s new helm is Nedas Pacevičius. He is a young coach, but has already accumulated a lot of experience, knows the Rytas system, and deeply loves this club. What is he like as a person off the court, and what is his relationship with the team?
– From a human perspective, Nedas is a very communicative, sincere, and exceptionally hard-working coach. He analyzes both his actions and the environment a lot. We hope that this exact combination of traits is what our organization needs most right now.
Why did you choose him in particular? How do Pacevičius’s vision and character best suit the current stage of Rytas and the organization’s culture?
– First of all, this will not be his first season at Rytas. Nedas knows this organization, its culture, and the people working here perfectly, and his work ethic is flawless. Most importantly, we sincerely believe in his competence as a coach and his great remaining potential to grow together with the club.
Assistant Vesa Vertio and strength and conditioning coach Tadas Jackūnas remain on the staff, but other assistants are changing. Why were these specialists chosen, and what will be their main task in the team?
– When choosing the coaching staff, Nedas’s word was decisive because he will have to work with these people daily, trust them, and achieve the set goals together. That is precisely why these assistants were chosen. We believe in all of them and have no doubt that they will quickly work well together, demonstrate a good work ethic, maintain a strong connection with the players, motivate them, and bring the expected results.
After a stint with Baskonia Vitoria, Gytis Radzevičius returned to Vilnius with a long-term three-year contract. Why is Gytis important to the team, not only in terms of play, but also in the locker room?
– Gytis, although he was away in the EuroLeague for half a year, never drifted away from the team. We didn’t even feel that distance – we were constantly in touch and communicating with him. On the court, he has huge authority and perfectly understands what it means to play at Rytas. We believe that having spent time abroad and gained EuroLeague experience, he will be even more useful on both sides of the court and off it.
Cassius Winston, a basketball player who caused quite a few problems for Rytas a couple of seasons ago, is joining the team. He is a player who has had stints in various European tournaments but is looking for stability. Does Winston arrive as the unquestionable starting point guard of the team?
– We know this basketball player very well from previous seasons, we know his individual talent and ability to score. Still, on the court, we will want him to successfully involve his other teammates. We cannot say that he will unequivocally be the first or second point guard – when talking to the player, we did not put the main emphasis on that, since he can also play in the shooting guard position, where he will also be used. Cassius himself emphasized that he comes here to fight for victories, not for personal statistics, so his role will depend both on his performance in games and on the coach’s vision.
Augustas Marčiulionis, who returned to the capital at the beginning of this year, remained with the team, and fans have very high expectations for him. What specifically does Augustas bring to the point guard position, and how much space to develop will be left for him in the rotation?
– Augustas brings a lot of confidence and creativity to the court. We want him to remain aggressive, not be afraid to take responsibility, and make the decisions that seem best to him. We truly believe that this season will be another big step toward career heights for him.
Another newcomer joining the team is Michael Devoe, an individually strong shooting guard who knows how to score. What is his profile?
– Devoe is a player who can not only create opportunities for himself on offense, but also involve his teammates very well. We do not want to limit him – due to his height and basketball IQ, he can be equally dangerous on both defense and offense.
It was recently announced that Ignas Urbonas is also staying in the capital. What role is planned for him, and will we see him step on the court more often?
– We have known Ignas for several years now; we know his character and capabilities very well, which certainly have not been fully unlocked yet. He has enormous potential to rise to the top. The role planned for him this season is truly significant, and we believe he will justify the expectations. However, everything will depend on his own work. We have never complained about his efforts in practice, but a lot of work still needs to be put in.
Matas Jogėla has joined the team – an athletic basketball player who can play in multiple positions. What will be his role?
– Matas is an extremely versatile, physical, and athletic player who can compete in several positions. We see him in the shooting guard position, where he has excellent tools and a lot of untapped potential. We have already seen in previous seasons that Matas is capable of doing this, and here, we believe he will reveal his game in even more brilliant colors.
We still have Martynas Paliukėnas in the team. Does Paliukėnas’s task remain the same?
– When speaking of Martynas, first and foremost, defense, energy, and aggressiveness are associated with him, but his contribution in the locker room is no less important – he always remains positive, pushing his teammates to do more, and demonstrating an impeccable work ethic and selflessness during practices. We hope he will maintain this in the upcoming season.
You also retained Kay Bruhnke, who brings athleticism and mobility to the team. What determined Bruhnke’s staying with the team, and why will he be important in the rotation?
– Kay is still a fairly young player with great potential. He is able to stretch the floor very well and adds the necessary athleticism to the team, so we hope that his second season at Rytas will be another big step forward for him. He believes in this team and the coaches a lot, and is looking forward to the new season with excitement.
Ricky Lindo has also joined the team. What position is planned for him, and what can the fans expect from him?
– We had been watching Ricky for some time now and saw that he is not only consistently improving, but is also a guy with great athletic abilities and lots of potential. After communicating with his former coaches and people who worked with him, we heard only the best reviews. We believe he will be useful in several positions – he does not lack versatility, he can play in the power forward or center positions, and he moves extremely well without the ball. He does not require the ball in his hands constantly, which creates a lot of additional danger for opponents. On defense, he is also quite fast, which provides additional tactical options.
Oskaras Pleikys, who found few minutes at Rytas in the past, has returned to the team. What does he need to do to make his minutes on the court stable?
– Even during Oskaras’s first stint with our team, we saw that he has the potential to play at this level, despite being quite young back then and not having a very large bag of experience. We have no doubt that he can and will be useful. However, this season nothing is promised to him either. We talked to Oskaras, stating that first and foremost, he has to win everything himself in practices. His minutes on the court will depend solely on him and how he manages the roles entrusted to him by the coaches.
You retained both big men in the squad – Artūras Gudaitis and Gytis Masiulis. How is it planned to unleash Gudas’s dominance while keeping him fresh? Is the center position still planned for Masiulis, or do you see him more as a power forward this season?
– Artūras doesn’t need to prove his level – he has already proven more than once that he can dominate under the basket. The most important thing will be to maintain the stability of his game. The primary task of our coaches and medical staff will be to keep him fresh, ready to play, and to manage his physical workloads wisely. We see Gytis more in the center position, but he can also stretch the floor, so we know he will be very much needed on the team.
What is the team’s preparation plan? What lies ahead for the team, and what will be the main focus during it?
– The team will start with physical preparation, which will be combined with gym practices. The preparation is slightly complicated by the fact that five of our players will be away with national teams, so we will have to manage. The main joint work will start in early September when all players arrive, but we will start the first practices on August 24–25. At the end of the month, we will go to a camp in Druskininkai, where we will play a friendly match against Panevėžys Lietkabelis. A friendly tournament in Vilnius is also scheduled, and right before the start of the season, a tournament in China for the Intercontinental Cup awaits us, so the preparation cycle will indeed be very intensive.
In recent years, Rytas made at least one roster correction mid-season almost every year due to injuries or rookies that didn’t work out. Did you consciously leave a financial reserve in case an urgent addition is needed during the season?
– To be honest, we wanted to build a team that would be balanced and competitive, not requiring major changes during the season. Although we are satisfied with the initial picture, we will probably only see how it actually worked out as the season progresses. Additionally, sports are a risky business – no matter how deeply we analyze players before signing contracts, sometimes circumstances do not unfold as I expected, so it is natural that we have slightly thought it over and internally discussed a financial reserve in case we lack it for urgent corrections or additions. We are certainly not planning for this right now, but if we must do it, we will consider it.
The Vilnius team will begin preparations for the new season on August 24–25, and will enter their first friendly match on September 4 in Druskininkai against the Panevėžys team.