Basketball club Šiauliai will continue to play at the European North Basketball league in case, if it doesnt`t qualify for the regular season of the Basketball Champions league by September 25.
The Lithuanian club went all the way to the ENBL first final, where the Sun City fell at the hands of Anwil Wloclawek – despite playing without Jon Elmore and Nemanja Bezbradica.
Antanas Sireika`s team made it to the King Mindaugas Cup Final Four and the LKL semifinals.
Men in yellow and black finished the regular season with a 15-15 record and knocked off a higher seeded Jonava in the quarterfinal series 3-1.
Šiauliai lost to the eventual champion Rytas Vilnius in a 1-3 semifinal series, while Lietkabelis Panevežys shocked perennial favorite Žalgiris Kaunas in four games.
The Sun City made the first offseason move on June 29 when club signed a four year contract with a 19 year old guard Mantas Litvinas – a graduate of Šiauliai youth basketball system.
Four weeks later Šiauliai added a double citizen of USA and Austria – Bryce Douvier. His role is to replace Isaiah Armwood.
A 30 year old forward last season played for the Swedish team BC Lulea.
Douvier – a former Northern Colorado and Texas A&M at Corpus Christi player – has represented the Austrian National team since 2017.
Nemanja Bezbradica will remain in Šiauliai and renewed his contract for one more year.
Nemo also has two citizenships – both European (Croatia and Serbia).
Eimantas Stankevičius, Martynas Varnas, Donatas Sabeckis, Paulius Danusevičius and Giedrius Staniulis are staying in the Sun City, too.
Twenty four teams will compete for four tickets to the Basketball Champions League.
Šiauliai will head to the southern Spain – a Mediterranean city of Malaga – to face a Dutch champion Den Bosch on September 21.
The winners will play against the ACB league side Unicaja Malaga – a 2006 Spanish champion and a 2005 Copa del Rey winner – on September 23.
Another three pretenders – Slovak champs Patrioti Levice, a Hungarian finalist Egis Kormend and a Finnish champion Karhu Kauhajoki – will try to advance to the decisive game on September 25.
The best team will continue the season in Group G, by playing against JDA Bourgogne Dijon from France, Dinamo BDS Sassari from Italy and PAOK mateco from Greece.