Trillo ‘proud’ to see Alapag coaching on other side

Meralco coach Luigi Trillo was more than happy to hear of Jimmy Alapag’s appointment as the newest coach of the NLEX Road Warriors.

Like any other competitor, though, Trillo knows not to be overjoyed, because at the end of the day, it will be business above anything else between the coach and his former player in the upcoming PBA Governors’ Cup.

“First of all, I’m proud. I was fortunate enough to be his coach before. I’m happy for him and proud,” he told the Inquirer in a phone interview.

“But at the same time, it’s business. I wanna beat him.

“At the end of the day, when we see each other we’ll hug each other and exchange pleasantries,” Trillo went on. “But obviously, I’m motivated. It’s still coaching, still competition.”

For a brief moment following his 12-year run with Talk N’ Text, Alapag played for the Bolts in the 2015-16 season, when Trillo was the chief deputy to coach Norman Black.

To say that Trillo knows Alapag as a playmaker is an understatement. And because of that, Trillo almost expected the former Gilas Pilipinas great to be coaching immediately after retirement.

“I’ve seen him in the NBA summer league, I watched his games and texted him. I think it’s good for a lot of young coaches that come in,” Trillo said.

“They’ve been winners and leaders on the court so they impact the game right away,” he went on. “When you see guys like him, you can see immediately see that they have a future in coaching and I think they love to do it.”

Trillo coaching match-up with Alapag will have to wait a bit longer, though, because in the import-laden conference, Meralco is in Group A while NLEX is in Group B. The only time they can face off in the upcoming tourney is if both squads face off in the playoffs.

The Govs Cup will enforce a double round-robin rule where teams face their group mates twice before the quarterfinals. INQ