Kyrgyzstan Name Juris Vasiljevs as National Team Head Coach

Kyrgyzstan have appointed Juris Vasiljevs as the new head coach of their men's national basketball team, the country's basketball federation announced.
Vasiljevs inherits a program looking to re-establish itself on the regional stage. Kyrgyzstan have been a FIBA member since 1992 but have made only a single FIBA Asia Cup appearance, at the 1995 edition a tournament that remains the high point of their history, when they sprang a series of surprises against more fancied opponents. The national team has been largely inactive in continental competition in the years since, and domestically the talent pool is centered on the country's lone league, Liga Forward, with many of the nation's better players moving on to leagues in neighboring Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.
The appointment is part of an effort to bring fresh direction and stability to the setup. The federation will be hoping Vasiljevs can build continuity and return Kyrgyzstan to the FIBA Asia calendar, whether through Asia Cup pre-qualifiers or regional CABA (Central Asia) competition.