Andrea Trinchieri, in the LBA column Basketball and Conversation, interview…Andrea Trinchieri. The Zalgiris coach talks about his entire journey that took him to the highest levels of continental basketball. In this anecdote he talks about how he prefers to coach players with egos, but that this is not to the detriment of the team.
“Ego is part of the game. But when ego impacts team results, this is what I call a no-go. Having players who put their personal ego before the needs of the team is not good. Because no one, including the coach, is more important than the team.
I accept and push my players to tell me 'look at this thing you do, it doesn't help me'. I want a direct and honest human relationship. I'm always the coach, you're always the player. Together we must do better, not less.
Often, before a training session, I go to my players and ask them 'what is your goal today? Get a good workout.' This is not a goal, we are all paid to get a good workout every day. I want players who have an individual goal every day.”
Admit mistakes
“There is no stronger message than a coach who admits his mistakes to the team. Warning: If you make mistakes every day, you're not good enough. After every training session or match I always ask myself if I could have done something better and I always find something I could have done better.