One of the brightest stars in European basketball Sarunas Jasikevicius is upset about Lithuania's poor showing at EuroBasket 2009, but he thinks his team deserves a "wild card" for the FIBA World Championship 2010 to take place in Turkey.

"Yes, we didn't qualify at EuroBasket 2009, but Lithuania deserves to get an invitation to World Championship," says  the 33-year old point guard.

"If you just look at the basketball tradition in Lithuania and what we have achieved during last 17 years as an independent country - we have played in all five Olympics since 1992 and were among the top four basketball nations in the world each time. We were on the Olympic podium three times, took European silver in 1995 and gold in 2003. There were a couple of set-back years, but overall we always have been among the elite teams. In my opinion it would be a huge injustice would we not be in Turkey in 2010."

A knee injury and some minor surgery prevented the MVP of EuroBasket 2003 from playing for the Greens in Poland this summer, but 192cm Jasikevicius says he does not feel retired from his international duties, and is thinking about 2010 and even 2011 when his native Lithuania will play host to EuroBasket.

"Today it is hard to predict what may happen by the summer of 2010," he says.

"But if my body is ready and if we get a ticket to Turkey from FIBA I am thinking about putting the green and white jersey on again. I am still on the "active list" for the National Team".

These words should definitely sound reassuring for Lithuanian basketball fans, knowing how dedictaerd Saras has been to his national team.

From the 1997 when he played his first game for his basketball-crazy country, Jasikevicius has missed only a couple of international competitions. He played in five European championships, three Olympics and one World Championship.

And right now the Olympic bronze winner and a holder of four Euroleague titles is trying to get on the active roster for his club side Panathinaikos.

"One of my knees had bothered me for the last couple of years so this summer I had to go for a surgery," "

"After almost three months of rehab it takes time to get back in shape. But the doctors say it will take no more then three or four weeks before I will be able to go at full strength."