Nedas Pacevičius, who is taking over as the head coach of Rytas Vilnius, is one of the most intriguing figures in Lithuanian basketball in recent years. His path to this position resembles a cinematic storyline: having grown up in Kaunas, where one’s basketball direction is usually defined very early, he chose to go against the current and support the capital’s team.
In this sincere conversation, the coach shares memories of his early love for Rytas, the challenges of working on the other side of the barricades, his relationship with the city of Vilnius and its fans, and reveals what kind of team mentality he will seek to instill in the upcoming season.
Nedas, let’s start where it all began. Growing up in Kaunas, in basketball terms, usually means having a very clear path drawn in advance by society, yet you chose a road that required a certain character in your environment – walking into school with a Rytas Vilnius scarf. Looking back now, how do you see that boy?
These memories are truly very pleasant, especially knowing how everything later unfolded in my professional path and how it led me specifically to Rytas. As a child, of course, there was a dream to become a basketball player and one day play for this team. Today, the fact that I will be coaching Rytas sounds even somewhat surreal.
Where did that early, almost rebellious love for this club come from inside you?
At that time, I used to watch the team closely – living in Kaunas, I would go to the Sports Hall to support Rytas in games against Žalgiris. It was a certain desire not to be like everyone else, a desire to enjoy the victories of the Vilnius team precisely while surrounded by Kaunas fans. This sympathy also partly came from my family – my father also supported the Vilnius club.
So that rebellious love for this club probably came from your father and family influence? What does Rytas personally mean to you, and how did that early going against the current shape you as a person who today is not afraid to take on the biggest challenges?
Definitely, yes, my father always supported and still supports Rytas – and once I joined the club, that support, of course, became even stronger. My love for this club was also born because of the famous players of that time, such as Arvydas Macijauskas and Ramūnas Šiškauskas, who later reached the highest level. I always positioned and associated myself with this team. Later, when I became a coach, while playing against Rytas I had to push those emotions aside, but the fact remains that this organization has always stayed special to me.
Professional sport sometimes throws us into situations that test our inner compass. You had to work for the other Vilnius team, sit on the bench of another club. What was happening inside you in those seconds when, standing on the other side of the barricades, you heard the Rytas anthem echo through the arena?
These are very sensitive moments, and I have spoken openly about them with the people closest to me. Not only while working for the other Vilnius team, but even earlier, when I had to compete against Rytas, a few minutes before tip-off, while the anthem was playing in the arena, I had to focus on the work, yet in my mind I would still drift for a second and hum along. And while working for the other capital city team and standing at its helm, those emotions were even stronger. I had to professionally suppress them, because I had to carry out my direct duties, but I won’t hide it – inside, those feelings were definitely trembling.
How did you manage to reconcile the cold mind of a professional with the feeling that the voice of your childhood team still moved you?
In the end, it all comes down to the fact that this is your job, which you must do as well as possible. You are a professional, so personal emotions have to stay aside. In every career, there will be beloved cities or clubs, but when representing a particular team, you must give all your knowledge to it. Just as players on the court do not spare their bodies, coaches must also do everything for the team they are working for at that moment. At that time, my only thought was how to get the win, and I simply had to control my emotions.
And how do you feel today, knowing that this anthem is playing behind you now, not against you?
The feeling is simply great. I felt it strongly already last season, when I crossed over to this side of the barricades. Knowing what a massive and devoted fan base stands behind your back gives you not only strength, but also enormous responsibility. I understand how the fans go through everything with the team, how much losses hurt them, so I cannot let them down. At the same time, I feel calm, because I know that in the toughest moment these people will truly extend a helping hand. To have such backing in the most important moments is an invaluable experience.
The story of a boy from Kaunas who supported Vilnius and who today officially takes over this team sounds like a cinematic plot. What does it personally mean to you to become the head coach of Rytas, and how long did you carry within yourself the desire and ambition to hold this position?
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I carried this ambition for a really long time, I never hid it either from colleagues or in previous clubs. I always had a clear goal to one day work as a head coach, no matter for which team – in sports, all kinds of situations happen, but the opportunity to take over the reins of Rytas specifically, which has been so dear to me since childhood, when I used to dream of simply running on the court in this jersey, is special. I understand that in any other team there is huge responsibility before the fans and the community, but working here, the desire to give absolutely everything for this club is even stronger.
When everything was officially finalized and you were left completely alone with this news for the first time – what was the first thought that came to you, and who was the first person to hear this news from your lips?
First of all, I told this news to my family members – my parents, my brother, and my girlfriend, the closest people who are always beside me. Although I tried to control my emotions, inside there was a lot of joy. At the same time, thoughts immediately flooded in about the first tasks for which I am now directly responsible: forming the coaching staff, building the roster. I had to quickly start putting together plans on how to organize the joint work with the club administration, so the joy was immediately accompanied by huge concentration.
You took over a club under enormous pressure. When you hear talk around you about “risk,” what works stronger inside you – the desire to prove yourself right, or simply professional calm, knowing how much work you have already put in since the very start of your career?
I think this question is very accurate. A lot of hard work has definitely been put into this path, so now I simply want to show what I am capable of as a head coach. If you are afraid of pressure, then there is simply no place for you in this job. I have often been asked why I accepted one or another risky decision, but in life I usually did not say “no.” It is precisely that lack of fear to take risks and step into difficult situations that brought me to where I am today.
That is why I feel professional calm and do not let myself be weighed down by pressure. I understand that there will be much more attention and outside discussion, but that is a component part of a coach’s job that you must come to terms with. I am ready for that, and everything will ultimately be judged by the coming season.
You are 31. Inevitably, there will be players on the team who are your peers or even older, players who have seen it all in the strongest European leagues. How do you see your leadership in this locker room?
I understand the specificity of my age and I am not afraid of it at all. I think the greatest indicator that determines players’ respect is your dedication to the work and your professional approach to the entire process. I have already more than once been in situations where I coached basketball players older than myself.
How do you manage to earn that full respect and trust from players who have seen everything on the court?
Respect must be earned through daily work. You can try to speak in beautiful, banal phrases that will convince players for one day, but in the long term you will quickly burn out as a coach. The most important thing is to remain completely honest with yourself, the players, and the entire coaching staff, clearly knowing what you are doing and what goals you are pursuing.
Is that exactly the key to players’ trust? After all, we see that authoritarian shouting is no longer effective in modern basketball.
It is always a whole set of tools. There is no single correct way – you cannot rely only on gentle diplomacy or, conversely, on complete despotism. The art of coaching is feeling the moment when you need to be stricter and when you can loosen the reins a little and give freedom. You have to constantly maneuver depending on the mood of the day, the course of the process, or the state of the team. It is important not to be stubborn and to know how to adapt to changing circumstances.
In recent years, Rytas fans have lived through many beautiful, title-winning moments, and every ambitious coach carries his own unique basketball vision that he wants to leave on the parquet. What did this year at the club show you about Rytas, the inside of its organization, and the fan culture itself from up close?
What impressed me most was how deeply the fans live every moment of the game. You rarely see supporters who react so strongly to every possession. Even moments that often go unnoticed by an ordinary viewer – such as a tactically smart foul or a successful defensive stop – are celebrated in the arena just as loudly as beautiful points on offense. The fans understand basketball very well and feel the value of every small episode, and that gives players additional strength.
In addition, the constant support of the fans in away games and the overall club community is something unique in our city. The most active supporters have a special influence and give the team unbelievable energy, while the overall fan culture in Vilnius creates an unrepeatable atmosphere.
And what impression did the club organization itself leave on you from the inside? Did you find what you expected before coming?
More or less, I imagined everything exactly like this. People work here who do not spare themselves at all, their free time, and do not count working hours. First of all, they themselves are huge Rytas fans, so the joint work goes much more smoothly – it is not just dry fulfillment of duties.
I think every organization should have as many such people as possible, people for whom the club would not be just an intermediate career stop, but something much more important. Although I had heard about this even before coming to Vilnius, during this year I became personally convinced of it.
How do you see this transition from assistant to head coach – how do you intend to maintain respect for the foundation you built last season, but at the same time, what kind of personal, specifically Nedas Pacevičius basketball identity will we see on the court?
The basketball identity built last season was very modern – many of the strongest European clubs promote that kind of basketball today, so its main principles will definitely remain. The core of the players also remains similar, so it would be illogical to tear down what was working successfully.
Of course, like every coach, I have my own vision of details, and I will place certain accents in my own way. But the most important change will be our mentality. We will not look too far into the future and think about what will happen in February or May. The most important thing for us will be the next training session and the very next game. We will instill this approach from the very first day, and to newly arriving players we will clearly pass on the understanding of where they have arrived and what the price of every training session is.
If today you could address every Rytas fan directly – from the most loyal members of the stands to those who watch the games with their families – what is your overall vision of the team and the style of play, and what can they expect from the character of next season?
My main message to the fans is – believe in the overall process. During the season there will inevitably be better and harder days, there will be highs and dips, but without them it is impossible to reach the final goal. The most important thing is to stay together and believe in what the players and coaching staff are doing. I promise that from our side we will do absolutely everything so that every fan in the arena can be proud of their team.