AGONA Profile: Kęstutis Kemzūra, thrust into the Olympiacos hot seat
After Olympiacos parted ways with David Blatt, Kęstutis Kemzūra was promoted to the head coaching job in Piraeus. The AGONA Profile takes a closer look at the man charged with guiding Olympiacos back to EuroLeague glory.
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It’s not the job he signed up for, but Kemzūra’s appointment as head coach of Olympiacos is a job the 49-year-old Lithuanian isn’t a stranger to.
While his coaching pedigree pales in comparison to many of his predecessors, Kemzūra’s long history in European basketball as a player, and more importantly as a coach makes him a suitable appointment in a time of crisis at Olympiacos.
The immediate concern for Kemzūra is to help Olympiacos book a return to the EuroLeague playoffs, specifically because the Piraeus outfit won’t be competing for top-tier silverware in Greece following Olympiacos’ demotion to the A2 Basket League last season.
A former player-turned-coach, Kemzūra’s shortened playing career paved the way for a coaching career that has already yielded success at both club level and international with the Lithuanian national team. It’s that type of success that makes Kemzūra a capable replacement for Blatt, especially at a time where the stakes are extremely high for Olympiacos.
PLAYING DAYS IN LITHUANIA
Like most European coaches, Kemzūra began his relationship with basketball as a player in his hometown before signing his first professional contract in 1992 with local side Atletas Kaunas. As a point guard, Kemzūra featured heavily on the offensive end though his playmaking ability wasn’t at the elite level to guide his Atletas side deep into the FIBA Saporta Cup knockout rounds.
After a four-year stint with Atletas, Kemzūra moved to local rivals BC Silute before landing a contract with Lithuanian giants Lietuvos Rytas Vilnius in 1998. Kemzūra’s stint in Vilnius was short-lived and after similar one-year stints with BC Lietkabelis and Austrian side Swans Gmunden, Kemzūra decided to call time on his playing career at the end of the 2000/2001 season.
COACHING START
It wasn’t long after he announced his retirement that Kemzūra landed his first coaching job. Hired as an assistant by Turkish club Besiktas, Kemzūra was added to Ahmet Kandemir’s coaching staff for the 2001/2002 season as Besiktas finished seventh in the Turkish top flight while also reaching the Round of 32 of the FIBA Korac Cup.
Spending just the one season in Turkey, Kemzūra returned to his native Lithuania as an assistant coach with Lietuvos Rytas before taking over as head coach in an interim capacity by the end of the 2003/2004 season.
After a season in Russia as an assistant with Dynamo Saint Petersburg, Kemzūra spent a further two seasons in Italy as an assistant to Blatt at Benetton Treviso.
FIRST HEAD COACHING GIG
It was after his stint in Italy that Kemzūra finally landed his first head coaching job as the Lithuanian took over head coaching duties at Russian side Khimki. His tenure in Russia was short-lived, however, as Khimki parted ways with Kemzūra midway through the 2007/2008 season.
LITHUANIAN GLORY
Kemzūra’s departure from Khimki opened the door to an opportunity with his native Lithuania at the international level, a dream of Kemzūra’s following his retirement as a player. Having previously served as an assistant with the team, Kemzūra was appointed as head coach in 2009 and helped guide his homeland to the bronze medal at the 2010 FIBA World Championship in Turkey.
While his club career saw him return to coaching in Russia with Lokomotiv Kuban, Kemzūra continued his work with Lithuania’s national team through to the 2012 Olympics in London as Lithuania placed a disappointing eighth.
Resigning from his international duties, Kemzūra spent a short stint in Poland as head coach of Asseco Prokom Gdynia in 2012 before switching to the Czech Republic with CEZ Nymburk in 2013 as he helped the club win back-to-back titles.
EUROCUP SUCCESS
Kemzūra returned to international duty with Austria in 2016 while also returning to Turkish basketball as an assistant under Blatt at Darussafaka. Failing to guide Austria to EuroBasket 2017, Austria kept their faith in Kemzūra and signed him to a contract extension. Although his international career wasn’t as successful, Kemzūra’s final season with Blatt in Turkey saw Darussafaka win the EuroCup – the club’s first-ever European silverware.
MOVE TO GREECE
Kemzūra followed Blatt across the Aegean in the summer of 2018 as Blatt took over head coaching duties from Ioannis Sfairopoulos, with Kemzūra serving as his top assistant in Piraeus.
A rocky first season in Greece saw Olympiacos miss out on the EuroLeague playoffs while a fallout on the domestic front led to Olympiacos’ demotion to the second tier after the club opted to forfeit three clashes with Panathinaikos in protest to Greek officials.
