I'm a little disappointed not to be seeing a Final Four as a player, because we would have liked to take a shot at making it. We understand that we did a good job for a good part of the season, but the facts are that our campaign ended in the Top 16 and that wasn't where we were aiming for or feel we should have been. We had injuries of course, but it's still disappointing because every player wants to be part of a Final Four, so I'll just content myself with trying to analyze the series a bit and risk some predictions for you.

In the first semifinal, Montepaschi against Maccabi, looking at the way the season has unfolded and the form of each team lately, I have to go with Siena. They've shown a nice style of basketball, honestly, and they seem very deep, with all options covered. As good as Maccabi's history is – and obviously I hesitate to write them off because of their great history of success at this time of the seasons – my gut feeling is that Montepaschi is really on form so I have to take them. I saw them only sparingly this season, but the times I did, they really impressed me a lot. They knew how to handle themselves, and their results speak for themselves. What they have managed to accomplish convinces me that they will have a good shot at winning, but nobody can count out Maccabi, of course.

In the second semifinal, CSKA Moscow against Tau Ceramica, for me it's a sure... more

So with just one game left to finish the Regular Season the position we find ourselves in is fairly familiar. Two years ago we needed a road win in the final game to secure the first spot in our group. Unfortunately, we lost that game to Prokom and finished third, instead. I hope that the outcome will be different this year and we can position ourselves as a top seed in the Top 16. On a personal note, I can only cheer the boys on when we face Cibona as I injured myself in last week's win against Unicaja and will be sidelined for a few weeks.

As with previous blogs, I'm going to introduce the last of my teammates - the Big Boys.

Lietuvos Rytas has enjoyed great success in its relatively short existence, and only one player has been there through it all - Andrius Slezas. "Sleza", as we call him, is the best perimeter-shooting big man I've played with. For three seasons, I've matched up with him in practice, and hardly a day goes by when he doesn't punish me with a three-point bomb for giving him too much space. The boy from Jonysks has seen decreased minutes this year but as we see every time he steps on court, Sleza is still very much appreciated by the fans and his teammates.

Staying with the "four" position, I move on to Kenan Bajramovic. The big Bosnian is new to the team this year and has been a key contributor in more than one game. Kenan has a well-rounded... more

Well, here we are at the halfway mark of the group stage and although there is a lot of work to be done we are obviously not unhappy to be sharing the first spot in Group B. After enjoying early success and then losing two in a row to a hungry Efes and a talented Unicaja, it was good to bounce back with such a convincing team win against Cibona.

In keeping with my previous blogs, I'm going to continue to introduce my teammates. This time it's all about our perimeter players. Starting off with Mindaugas Lukauskis, who is a veteran of Rytas and has been a part of lots of success here. He lifted the ULEB Cup trophy in 2005 and was part of the last Euroleague team of Rytas that did so well. Minda's athleticism makes him an exciting player to watch as he's always good for a few steals and dunks down the lane. Joining him in the starting lineup is one of our star recruits, Chuck Eidson. After being on the receiving end of some of his offensive talents last year with Strasbourg, I much prefer watching Chuck dunk on some big guy or turning a guy inside out and knowing those points are going to my team. I also think he has done a great job of fitting in after early injuries hampered his start to the season. Next Arturas Jomantas, the boy from Mazeikiai. Watching Joma's development over the last three years has been impressive. He's gone from a guy who didn't quite make our squad in 2005 to being Euroleague... more

With the blink of an eye, we're three weeks into the Euroleague regular season. With three wins - including two on the road - obviously we at Lietuvos Rytas are happy with our start, especially seeing that those games have been played without some of our key players. Despite our success so far, we know we have quality opposition ahead of us and therefore aren't looking any further ahead than this week's home game against Aris, the team we are tied with for first place in Group B

After boring you with some background on myself in the last blog, I thought I'd introduce you to our point guards this time. First, I have to mention our captain, Roberts Stelmahers, who has been the heart and soul of this club for several years. Unfortunately, we have been without his services since mid-preseason due to a knee injury. However, even in an off-court role, he still contributes enormously to the team, given his wealth of experience. He still manages to entertain us with his wacky Latvian humour, which is much needed in a long, drawn-out season. So after losing such an important member of our team, we were fortunate to have recruited Hollis Price, who has stepped up and ran this team remarkably well. The New Orleans native is a top bloke (that's Australian for 'good guy') who fits into the team dynamics with ease. We saw proof of his reputation, too, when he received a standing ovation from the crowd at Le Mans,... more