VILNIUS (Lithuania) - Was it Prague or Vilnius? Obviously, Prague, one would say.
ERA Nymburk were playing at home in Czechia to save their campaign in Game 2 of the Quarter-Finals in the Basketball Champions League, powered by Ameresco SUNEL. But, somehow, it was also Vilnius.
Everybody noticed, even before the tip-off. A wave of red-and-black Lithuanian fans travelled all the way from Lithuania to witness in person a potential history-making day.
Since joining the competition in 2020, they had been dreaming of competing in the BCL Final Four and fighting to lift the trophy.
After protecting their home-court in Game 1, they would have finally achieved it with another victory - this time on the road. Or at home?
"The red fireworks and their noisy support were amazing, especially in the first minutes we entered the court. You could hear the whole arena chanting our name," Ignas Sargiunas tells the BCL website.
It was nice to play away, but it felt like a home game.
"They’ve been with us for the whole season, away from Vilnius as well. We’re extremely thankful for their support, and I think in Badalona we will see a lot of them as well. We can’t wait for that," the Lithuanian sniper comments.
If the B Tribuna has always shown up for their beloved club and players, we can probably say the same for the 26-year-old guard. His 2025-26 campaign has been one to remember.
Starting it by representing Lithuania at FIBA EuroBasket 2025, he then emerged as one of Rytas’ leaders on the road to one of the biggest European accomplishment in the club’s history.
"Especially after we made it to the Final Four, I can surely say this has been the best season of my career," Sargiunas says.
In the meantime, he has had at least three unforgettable games. Let’s start with the first one.
"Welcome, Ignas"
May 7, 1995. Scoring 8 points in 9 seconds, Reggie Miller leads the Indiana Pacers to beat the New York Knicks in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals.
December 9, 2004. Scoring 13 points in 35 seconds, Tracy McGrady creates one of the craziest ending ever in a basketball game, as the Houston Rockets take down the San Antonio Spurs.
November 27, 2025. Scoring 9 points in 9 seconds, Ignas Sargiunas propels Lithuania to an unbelievable road win against Great Britain in the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 European Qualifiers.
One player’s life could change forever following such an outstanding performance. Ignas doesn’t believe it that way.
"If you look at it objectively, nothing has really changed because I’m still the same person and the same player for the same team. But nowadays videos can get viral really easily, and that got some popularity very quickly," he explains.
Even if that led to him being scouted more by teams’ coaching staffs or respected in a different way by the opponents on the court, he remains humble about how it turned out.
"When you look at that episode, it’s a lot of circumstances falling into one place. Even if you wanted it bad, it’s hard to be in a situation like that and predict it," he starts.
"You have to have the ball three times in the last ten seconds, in the last three possessions. Opponents have to miss a free throw; they have to make a turnover. It’s tons of unpredictable situations. It just happened to be me, and yes: that was nice."
He used that "nothing has really changed" line on us, but this kind of changed his life.
If somebody had told him that once Reggie Miller would have spoken about him, his reaction would have been priceless.
"Welcome, Ignas," the Indiana Pacers legend shared in an Instagram Story once the footage of his once-in-a-lifetime show started to spread around the internet.
Seeing Miller, Sargiunas, and McGrady put together all within the same graphic, as one would say, wasn’t on basketball lovers’ bingo cards.
"I have followed the NBA closely since I can remember. We used to talk with friends a lot about NBA players, and that performance by Tracy McGrady against San Antonio was always coming up. It was nice to see that kind of comparison," he says.
And while he mostly admired Derrick Rose growing up, and both Mantas Kalnietis and Martynas Pocius among Lithuanian players, he ended up entering the "Clutch God" club.
43 for 43
Flash forward to the end of March 2026, the jersey changed, but the clutchness remained.
This time, there were no Lithuania and Great Britain, but Rytas and Lietkabelis in the Lithuanian league. Ignas Sargiunas’ second masterclass of the season was on.
"Every shot was falling in, and I was feeling in the zone," he comments.
"I looked my eyes up to the boxscore, and I saw 37. I hear some of my teammates talking about it, 'Let’s try for 40,' they said. I tried for 40, and it fell in."
Scoring 40 is definitely no easy task. But scoring 43, if you wear 43 on your back and chest, must be feeling extremely more distinctive.
"I wasn’t very keen to force 40, but I then realized that 43 would have been special."
"It’s way more special than 40. I wanted that. I didn’t want to score 40 just to score 40, but 43 was special. It happened, and I got lucky. It was a nice moment," he recalls.
But what does "feeling in the zone" really mean for a basketball player? Ignas answers by using an extraordinary metaphor where sports and music are combined.
"I wish everyone could have a chance to feel it. There are musicians and artists who maybe also get into a zone where everything you do feels right," he describes.
"You have so much confidence, but at the same time you don’t think about it."
"The basket is wider than it actually is. It seems like every shot is going in, maybe also in defense. You’re just more confident in your decision-making. You’re faster," he comments.
"There’s not a precise way of describing it, but if I have to, I’d say that being in the zone means being better at everything than what you actually are, because of the confidence the moment gives you. In that moment, everything just feels right. And it turns out right."
If this season taught us something about Ignas Sargiunas’ ability to effectively write the final and decisive sentences of the script, it’s that he provides a wide range of "clutch options."
Whether it is by sinking in daggers in a limited amount of time or by collecting a perfect 9-of-9 from beyond the arc, he can do it.
But we previously said that his unforgettable games were three. And the third one happened to be the one mentioned in the beginning: the historic night in Prague.
Being clutch at the line
Unlike what happened in London in November and in Vilnius in March, Sargiunas wasn’t having the night of his life shooting-wise in April in Prague.
Going 1-of-5 from deep and 3-of-8 from the field overall, he had to give his contribution from a different shooting range. To be precise, 4.60 meters from the basket.
With 5.9 seconds to go, he earned a three-shot trip to the line after being fouled by Ondrej Sehnal. Being down 69-68, those three free throws would have guaranteed some peace.
Instead, Sargiunas missed the first one. One wouldn’t have kept his composure.
"I tried to relax. All I was thinking was that I just had to make one, and we were in a tie game. I tried to move any kind of pressure off my shoulders and live in the moment."
"Free throws are the easiest shots in basketball – the difficult part comes with pressure. I breathed and knocked them down," the Lithuanian guard follows.
Just like that: the following two shots went in, and Rytas earned the 70-69 lead.
Jaromir Bohacik’s three-point attempt to win the game didn’t go as Nymburk wished it would, and red fireworks ignited the atmosphere on the stands.
"You dream of making a big shot or big free throws to advance to the next round. That’s what I’ve always wanted to do. I felt the trust from teammates," Sargiunas says.
Once again, he ended up being clutch for his club, for his teammates, for his fans.
"If I see a situation that calls for some responsibility, I always take it. Being clutch means being responsible and taking accountability for the decisions that you take."
"It also comes with experience, and with trust from teammates and coaches. It doesn’t come out of nowhere," he follows.
I know that my coach and teammates trust me. Why shouldn’t I trust myself?
The trust he has received since moving to Vilnius from Giedrius Zibenas is one of a kind, and Rytas’ qualification for the BCL Final Four meant something special for him as well.
"He’s a great coach and a great person. Giving freedom means knowing your players, and that’s exactly what he does," Sargiunas commented about Rytas’ head coach.
"He trusts his players to go to the court and do their thing, but at the same time, nobody is so free that they can do whatever they want. There are limits to the freedom."
"I’m really glad that this year he has finally got to achieve the BCL Final Four, and even the Quarter-Finals. It has always been a struggle for both him and Rytas."
"It’s a double victory to break through those two stages. I’m happy for him, for the club, for the fanbase. They were waiting for it," he also comments.
On to the Final Four
Also, thanks to Ignas Sargiunas’ big-time plays, the red-and-black powerhouse became the first Lithuanian club able to qualify for the BCL Final Four.
The way they finally achieved this goal after six seasons, however, doesn’t necessarily imply that they have shown the best version of themselves in Season X.
"It’s big time for us, because we’ve had some ups and downs. Objectively speaking, we had a better season (last season). We were more solid in the Group Phase, but we fell short in the Round of 16," Sargiunas admits.
"This season, we haven’t been very consistent. We had to compete in two do-or-die games in the Round of 16, against Le Mans Sarthe Basket and Galatasaray MCT Technic. We were on the edge of not making it this year, too."
Entering the final stage of the season without showing their full capacity, however, means that Rytas can surprise again.
"There’s much more space to unleash our full potential; we still have room for that," he explains.
It can become an extraordinary campaign for Rytas, ready to conquer it all and become the first team to win both the BCL and Youth BCL in the same season.
"Seeing our young players winning the Youth BCL again was very nice, and we will try to be successful as well. We have a couple of guys from that team who practice with us sometimes. Everybody was really happy for their result," Sargiunas comments.
In order to have a chance to compete in the most anticipated game of the season, they will have to go up against the two-time champs of La Laguna Tenerife.
For Sargiunas, it will be the opportunity to square off against other legendary figures.
"If anybody told me at the beginning of my career that I would have had the chance to play against Marcelinho Huertas and Patty Mills, I wouldn’t believe it," he admits.
"They are full of great players with outstanding experience, just like Giorgi Shermadini. Everybody knows they can use their tools to get the best advantage and play properly."
"They’re really well-structured and have pretty much everything they need: shooters, good passers, pick-and-roll players," Sargiunas follows.
"They know how to kick it out, drive, kick it out again, use the screens. They play well, they’re solid, and they have great experience. It will be tough."
And what about the other two teams that will compete in Badalona?
"I’m more familiar with Unicaja, since I’ve watched more of their games and we played against them last year. Their system was one of the best I’ve faced in my career," he says.
"AEK have huge talent as well, obviously, and amazing fans too. There will be great Semi-Finals in Badalona," Sargiunas finally comments.
They say that the third time’s the charm, and for the 26-year-old, Prague happened to be the third fantastic outcome of his personal campaign.
But what if a fourth occasion occurs in Badalona at the BCL Final Four?
Ignas Sargiunas is ready to take his responsibility and cement his status as one of the clutchest players in the BCL.
Give him the ball and wait: he'll be ready to deliver, in the zone.