Trinchieri explains his coaching philosophy, evaluates Sumner and Hollins / News - Basketnews.com

Trinchieri said he would go with the players who are most efficient at a given game regardless of their status. He said both Edmond Sumner and Austin Hollins showed promise, but certain individual scenarios kept them out of the game.

Credit: D. Lukšta Credit D. Lukšta

Andrea Trinchieri captured his first win as the head coach of Zalgiris Kaunas on Tuesday after beating ALBA Berlin in a tight battle. After the game, the Italian specialist held a long press conference where he answered everything and anything about the game and his arrival.

Player of the Game EFF 19 Tomas Dimša Points 12 Accuracy 4-10 Rebounds 5 Assists 2

Trinchieri emphasized that it was a team win, highlighting his philosophy in handling both post-game and in-game comments about the players.

"The number that is pissing me off is the rebounds. Sixteen offensive rebounds - 38 to 35. I believe that it's good we had 17 assists. This is just a piece of paper," Trinchieri said in the post-game press conference about the stat sheet, waving it to the media. "Rebounds is something that hurts me, I cannot see anything else, really. I'm just happy we won the game. I said to the team - I don't care how, just win it."

"I know you have to write something, but I don't want to go through individuals. We are a team. I said what I had to say about individuals," he said when asked about Tomas Dimsa's performance. "I'm really happy. To tell you the truth, I'm also happy about Evans. He wasn't shining, but he made big plays in the end - that's why he's our leader and the first option on offense. I can say something to all my players and show them some mistakes. This is a team win."

Edmond Sumner started the game with two triples but picked up two quick fouls in the first minutes of the first quarter. Later on, he played only in the third quarter, amassing just under 10 minutes of playing time overall.

Asked about it, Trinchieri explained his view of choosing players during the game.

"Edmond started very well. Then, this game was physical. We had trouble understanding how the referees were judging contact because it was seven fouls to zero. He made two quick fouls, silly fouls far from the basket, and he got out and didn't have rhythm in the second half. I told him he was not efficient in the second half," the coach said.

Points this season

48%78,4Points made:78,4Accuracy:47,7%Place in standings:14Record max:99Record min:62Best scorer:Keenan EvansTeamEuroLeagueStatisticsSchedule

"The first thing I said to the players - no one is more important than the team. I go at the end of the game with the players that are efficient. Tomas [Dmisa], Lukas [Lekavicius] were more efficient, but he's very talented, I just need to find him a niche to be consistent," Trinchieri explained Sumner's absence.

The Italian specialist revealed he would try to implement an unpredictable offensive system, contrary to what the fans saw on Tuesday.

"When I have one real practice, maybe I'll try to do something different on offense that's not pick-and-roll. We were a little bit predictable, we over-dribbled. We didn't shine, it wasn't great basketball. We didn't build the advantage as much as I would've liked. It's totally understandable," he said. "It will be a different offensive system with different stuff. The other thing will be to try to keep more players in the loop, important and aggressive in the offense."

Just before Trinchieri arrived, Zalgiris extended Austin Hollins' tryout period by two weeks after the previous period of three weeks had expired. Trinchieri was happy with the newcomer's game but once again reminded about the lack of time for team practice after his arrival.

"He doesn't make mistakes on defense. Solid shooter, a good shooter - two out of four. He wasn't used to playing so many minutes, so he wasn't fresh in the second half, but I believe he did his job," the coach said. "When I'm able to run some practices, maybe I'll have some things for him."

With a lack of time to prepare the team to fit his system, Trincheri has to navigate between two EuroLeague double weeks in a row, with the games being split between home and away. After being asked to share how the team will handle the period, Trinchieri explained his role in this situation.

"Energy and emotions are very connected. When you're able to have good emotions, control, but with passion and desire, you have more energy; when you have bad feelings, you have less energy. My job is to [balance it out]," he said about the battle between tactics and emotions at the moment. "What I saw here was that we have an unbelievable organization as regards physical conditioning. They have a great coaching staff, they really helped me a lot."

To end an almost 20-minute-long press conference, Trinchieri shared what he thought after seeing the fiery introduction before the game.

"I said, 'F... we have to win this one,'- that's what I thought," Trinchieri concluded.

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