Andrea Trinchieri names goals with Zalgiris, and what attracted him to the club 5

BasketNews.com

The new head coach of Zalgiris Kaunas, Andrea Trinchieri, addressed basketball media for the first time alongside team GM Paulius Jankunas. The Italian coach talked about Kazys Maksvytis, his goals with the team, and what attracted him to the club.

In a press conference with Zalgiris GM Jankunas, the Italian specialist touched on his goals with the club and reacted to rumors about his contract with the team, as well as new signings.

Trinchieri began first by addressing Maksvytis, whom he praised.

“I believe that he [Maksvytis] gave a lot to this organization. I believe that he gave values to this team, and I can feel it from the outside and from the practice,” the Italian coach said, reflecting on a practice session he had with the team right before the press conference.

“I am sure that he’s going to have a great stint with the national team. I wish him all the best,” Trinchieri said, wishing success to his predecessor before continuing on with the cruelty of the EuroLeague coaching market.

“I know that the coaching job is very complicated and difficult. What happened is a bitter medicine; the taste is not the best. This is our life. It happens to almost everybody,” he concluded.

After paying his respects to the Lithuanian coach, Trinchieri elaborated on his own goals with Zalgiris and what ultimately drew him to the club.

“I am here with one goal: to help this team play better,” he stated. “I am highly motivated because I am the coach of a team in a country where basketball is a religion.”

“The 10th place is not on Mars. It is on Saturn,” Trinchieri stated with a hint of pessimism. “My job is to support and help my players. We are going to play 17 leagues of 1 game. We’ll act like a submarine; hopefully, we’ll hit something.”

The experienced coach likened his current job to that he had at Partizan, exhibiting pride in both cases.

“One day, I want to say to my kids that I was the coach of Partizan and Zalgiris.”

Relatedly, the Italian coach talked about the sort of viewpoint that he wanted to instill in his players and himself, all being components of the Zalgiris club.

“No one is above his teammates,” stated Trinchieri bluntly, emphasizing an understanding that all players have to work together. “Our only goal is to give it all.”

For his part, the newcomer to Zalgiris was well aware of what the club entailed for him: “This is a very unique club. We need to play knowing what we have behind us,” he noted.

As for possible changes in the team roster, the specialist was asked if he wanted to make changes in the roster.

“It’s too early; I would be a very bad coach [if I decided to change the roster from just one practice].”

Another related question was about the situation of Austin Hollins, whose short-term contract was extended, on whether the extension was Trinchieri’s or the Zalgiris management’s idea.

“What difference would it make?” Trinchieri first stated.

Ultimately, the coach revealed that he asked for the extension: “Austin Hollins is a good player. I was not here. How can I decide about something that I don’t know?”

“So I asked the club, and I am very happy that they found a deal with a very good person like Austin, who was very cooperative. I want to see him in person.”

The Italian coach also stated that the coaching staff would not be subject to any other change besides additions.

In a personal turn, Trinchieri was asked about the small conflict he and Jankunas had while the latter was still a player.

“I would never say it was an incident,” Trinchieri downplayed the matter. “He was killing my bigs. He was winning with personality, experience, and physicalness. We had a spark, but we laughed about it afterward.”

Finally, the Italian specialist was asked about the recent wave of coaching changes in the EuroLeague.

“There is no mercy,” Trinchieri stated outright. “I have a lot of respect for Kazys. Playing against Zalgiris last year was painful,” he admitted. “The EuroLeague is the most cruel competition in all team sports. I believe it is part of the business.”