Latvia names new coach
Latvia appointed a new head coach for its men’s national team as they head into the next stage of World Cup qualifying — a move meant to reset tactical approach and qualifying hopes. Coaching continuity will be tested quickly in upcoming qualifiers. (basketnews.com)
Jānis Gailītis was officially named head coach of the Latvian men’s national team on March 24, 2026, according to the Latvian Basketball Union’s announcement. (eng.lsm.lv) Gailītis replaces Spaniard Sito Alonso, who the federation removed after taking charge at the end of 2025 and managing the team through the opening windows of World Cup qualifying. (eng.lsm.lv) Gailītis spent 2011–2024 with VEF Riga (assistant from 2011, head coach from mid‑2016), winning seven Latvian championships, one Latvian‑Estonian Basketball League title and three Latvian Cups, and he had served as a senior‑team assistant coach since 2021. (eng.lsm.lv) Latvia entered the coaching change with a 1–3 record in the first round of the FIBA World Cup 2027 European Qualifiers, a campaign that included a 72–92 loss in Warsaw to Poland on March 1, 2026. (fiba.basketball 1) (fiba.basketball 2) Under the competition format, the first round’s top three teams in each group advance, and Latvia must improve before the next qualifying window (Window 3), scheduled for June 29–July 7, 2026, when its results will determine whether it reaches the February–March 2027 second‑round windows. (wikipedia.org) (fiba.basketball) Alonso had publicly assembled a staff after his appointment (including Roberts Stelmahers and others), making Gailītis’s internal promotion — from a coach with long domestic success and prior national‑team assistant experience — a move the LBS framed as a rapid tactical reset. (eurohoops.net)
