Giedrius Žibėnas
Lithuanian basketball player and coach
 Žibėnas in 2023 | |
| Rytas Vilnius | |
|---|---|
| Position | Head coach |
| League | Lithuanian Basketball League Champions League |
| Personal information | |
| Born | (1984-04-06) 6 April 1984 (age 40) Kaunas, Lithuania |
| Nationality | Lithuanian |
| Coaching career | 2012–present |
| Career history | |
| As coach: | |
| 2012–2014 | Zanavykas Šakiai |
| 2014–2015 | Sūduva-Mantinga |
| 2015–2016 | Czarni Słupsk (assistant) |
| 2016 | Palayesh Naft Abadan BC |
| 2017 | Copenhagen Wolfpack |
| 2017–2018 | BC Kalev (assistant) |
| 2018–2019 | Stapac Jakarta |
| 2019–2020 | Prawira Bandung |
| 2020–2021 | Rytas Vilnius (assistant) |
| 2021–present | Rytas Vilnius |
| 2021–present | Lithuania (assistant) |
| Career highlights and awards | |
As head coach:
As assistant coach:
| |
Giedrius Žibėnas (born 6 April 1984) is a Lithuanian professional basketball coach. He is currently the head coach for Rytas Vilnius of the Lithuanian Basketball League (LKL) and the Champions League.[1]
Coaching career
Žibėnas started his coaching career in 2012 with Zanavykas Šakiai of the NKL, the second division of Lithuania.[2] He later worked as an assistant coach with the Polish club Czarni Słupsk.
On 8 August 2018, Žibėnas was named the head coach of Stapac Jakarta of the Indonesian Basketball League (IBL).[3] He led the club to its fifth IBL championship in the 2018–19 season.
In June 2020, Žibėnas returned to Lithuania and signed with Rytas Vilnius as an assistant coach under Donaldas Kairys.[4] In January 2021, he replaced Kairys as head coach of Rytas.[5] Later that season, he signed a new one-year contract with the club.[6] On 13 June 2022, Žibėnas received the LKL Coach of the Year award after leading Rytas to their sixth Lithuanian championship.[7] In the 2023–24 season, he guided the team to another LKL title by defeating rivals Žalgiris Kaunas 3–1 in the final series.
National team coaching career
In October 2021, Žibėnas joined the Lithuania national team as an assistant coach under Kazys Maksvytis.[8] He was a staff member at EuroBasket 2022 and 2023 FIBA World Cup.
References
- ^ "„Rytas" — BC "Rytas"". www.rytasvilnius.lt.
- ^ "Giedrius Žibėnas / Personalas". basketnews.lt.
- ^ "Netradicinis pasirinkimas: Giedrius Žibėnas imasi treniruoti Indonezijos klubą". basketnews.lt (in Lithuanian). 8 August 2018. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
- ^ "Vilniaus „Ryto" strategas išsirinko asistentus". DELFI. 16 June 2020.
- ^ "Donaldas Kairys – atleistas: „Rytas" turės naują trenerį". 15min.lt/24sek. 16 January 2021.
- ^ "Užsitarnavo vietą: „Rytas" pratęsė sutartį su treneriu Giedriumi Žibėnu". www.lrytas.lt. 24 May 2021.
- ^ "„Rytą" į išsvajotas pergales vedęs Žibėnas tapo LKL metų treneriu". basketnews.lt (in Lithuanian). 13 June 2022. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
- ^ "Maksvytis suformavo trenerių štabą: į rinktinę sugrįžta Kemzūra". basketnews.lt (in Lithuanian). 5 October 2021. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
External links
- Coach profile at basketnews.lt (in Lithuanian)
- v
- t
- e
Rytas Vilnius current roster
- 1 Velička
- 2 Normantas
- 3 Babraitis
- 7 Radzevičius
- 8 Cole
- 12 DeLaurier
- 14 Echodas
- 16 Urbonas
- 17 Foster
- 21 Masiulis
- 22 Križanauskas
- 41 Pleikys
- -- Paliukėnas
- -- Sargiūnas
- Head coach: Žibėnas
- Assistant coaches: Dedas
- Maskoliūnas
