Luigi Trillo, who returned as a head coach in the Philippine Basketball Association to call the shots for Meralco in the coming season, is trying to hit two birds in one stone as he visits the National Basketball Association Summer League while also attending a coaching seminar, Coaching U, where some of the best coaches around the world shared their knowledge and wisdom in the game of basketball.
“First, I want to scout imports for the coming PBA season,” wrote Trillo via Messenger to Daily Tribune. “Jim Kelly, who’s already married to a Filipina and has been in the local and international basketball circuits, is also here to help me out, doing some background checks on imports.”
“Then, of course, I’m also equipping myself as I need to prepare for my head coaching job return this coming season. It’s been 10 years since I was a head coach, so I really need to get myself better.”
Kelly is currently a scout for the Dallas Mavericks, but he’s been involved in the Philippine Basketball Association for many years, helping in the development of some of the league’s big men and also served as a member of the coaching staff of Presto Tivoli during the early 1990s at one stretch.
He also worked as an analyst in the PBA coverages.
The Coaching U held its 15th year and coinciding with the NBA Summer League, basketball clinics were being held nearby.
But Trillo chose to attend the seminar where he had a chance to get pointers from some of the best coaches in the world, including Adrian Griffin of the Mlwaukee Bucks, and Italian coach Ettore Mesina, a two-time Coach of the Year awardee in the Euroleague, and a four-time champion in the Euroleague.
Messina also worked as an assistant coach to Gregg Popovich at San Antonio Spurs and became one of the latter’s deputy during the 2016 NBA All-Star Game.
“He’s one of the top five coaches in the world and when he learned that I am from the Philippines, he immediately told me about the coming World Cup. He knows how Filipinos are passionate in the game of basketball,” added Trillo.
Trillo was not the only Filipino coach who attended the event as former PBA mentor Chris Gavina also attended the seminar.
On Monday, Coach Brendan Suhr, who works as an assistant coach of the late Chuck Daly with back-to-back NBA champions Detroit Pistons, led the session on the last day of the clinic.
