Christmas is usually the best time for Luigi Trillo and his family to give back.
And he has all the reasons for doing so.
Trillo has successfully made his coaching return in the Philippine Basketball Association after taking over the reins from multi-titled Norman Black at Meralco.
His last head coaching gig was with Alaska, which he led to the Commissioner’s Cup title in 2013.
Trillo said he is very happy to return at the helm with a pair of quality mentors in Black and Serbian Nenad Vucinic serving as his consultants in the ongoing season-opening conference.
“That’s the decision of the management,” Trillo told Daily Tribune.
“But for me, I’m just glad to be back as head coach. It’s been 2014 since the last time I coached a PBA squad.”
But in an interim capacity, Trillo had already stepped up to the challenge, especially at the time when Black returned to the United States following the death of his mother.
In the preseason PBA On Tour, Trillo had his first full tournament as head coach in nearly a decade and immediately led the Bolts to a third-place finish.
“Despite injuries to our key players, we were able to contend well,” Trillo said.
But the blessings were not just limited to Trillo.
His daughter, Raquel, is now playing for De La Salle Zobel’s girls volleyball team while the eldest, Rocio, has been accepted to manage the Ateneo de Manila University basketball squad’s social media account.
“Even my boys — Xabier and Mikel — are into basketball. It was really a great year for our family and gives us a better reason to celebrate Christmas to give thanks for all the blessings we’ve received,” Trillo added.
Inside the court, Trillo is blessed as well.
The Bolts are on top of the team standings and are expected to bag one of the four twice-to-beat incentives in the quarterfinals.
Should they go all the way, Trillo will be the first coach to lead the Bolts to a PBA title.
It would be a fitting reward to his years of hard work, dedication, and faith in God’s plans for him.
