Pēteris Višņēvics becomes head coach of basketball team Saulkrasti

Saulkrasti, a team in Latvia's Regional Basketball League, an amateur and semi-professional competition, has announced that Pēteris Višņēvics has taken over as head coach. He is one of the best-known coaches in the history of Latvian basketball since independence was restored. The announcement came shortly before the start of the new season.

League format

This season 27 teams are taking part in the Regional League, split into three groups of nine. The top five teams in each group, plus the best-placed sixth-place finisher, will reach the playoffs. Most teams have already played their first games, but Saulkrasti open their season on Thursday at the Valmiera Olympic Centre against the second team of the Bertāni Valmiera Basketball School.

The coach's background

In this off-season Višņēvics left his post as head coach of Basketbola klase Valka. Last season that team was among the leaders in the regular season but was knocked out of the playoffs early.

He holds the first win in the history of the Latvian Basketball League: on 15 February 1992, his Bonus team, with Roberts Štelmahers and Uvis Helmanis in the lineup, beat Cerība 131:120. Višņēvics also led the Latvian national team in qualifying for EuroBasket 1995 and part of the qualifying for EuroBasket 1997.

In the first decade of this millennium he coached the women's team Avantis/Turība, which was backed by Viesturs Koziols. He also led the BA Turība team for several seasons in the top division of the Latvian Basketball League, and before Valka he coached the Saldus women's basketball team.