FC Bayern Basketball can announce the completion of the most important personnel addition: Andrea Trinchieri will coach the five-time German champion in the coming season as the Munich-based team's preferred candidate has now made his commitment official. One of the most successful European coaches of the past decade is thus returning to the Bundesliga. The soon to be 52-year-old Italian dominated with former champions, Bamberg for a good three years until the beginning of 2018 - alongside sports director Daniele Baiesi, with whom he is now forming a team again in Munich.
In the past season, the charismatic coach was responsible for a much-noticed upswing at the long-established Serbian club Partizan Belgrade which was only slowed by the cancellation of games due to the Corona pandemic.
"This is the perfect challenge"
Andrea Trinchieri, who is still in his Italian holiday home this week, said: "I am really very happy and proud to be part of FC Bayern now, one of the biggest sports clubs in the world. It is part of the tradition there to be successful at the highest level. Otherwise I don't want to say big words becase those who promise a lot give little. What I can say and promise, however, is that we will work and perform with extreme commitment and dedication; everything will come out of that. There is much work ahead of us, but to be honest: this is the perfect challenge."
Club President Herbert Hainer commented on the Milanese's commitment: "We are very happy to have won over one of the most sought-after European coaches in Andrea Trinchieri. With his passion and his strong will to succeed, he is exactly the right person to achieve our ambitious goals in the BBL and the EuroLeague".
"We all share a hunger for success."
FCBB Managing Director Marko Pesic said: "We were looking for a coach who could decisively develop players, a team and a program and set modern ideas. Andrea has demonstrated these qualities in recent years and the discussions with him have strengthened our belief that he is the ideal person for the job. We share a healthy ambition and a great hunger for success with him. Together, we will therefore do everything we can to present ourselves as convincingly as possible, especially in the BBL, but also in the once again very demanding EuroLeague, as we did a year ago.
Most recently on the road to success with Partizan Belgrade
Andrea Trinchieri, 51, exercised an exit option at Partizan after two years. Until the cancellation of the competitions in the Eastern European Adria League ABA (leader) and in the EuroCup (with 5-1 record in the Top16) his team was on course for the title in both leagues.
The Trinchieri Challenge
In this country, Trinchieri directed in his inimitable style in Bamberg's hugely successful years from 2014 to 2017 and won - even against the Bavarians - the champion's triple and the cup in 2017. His guard-heavy team play was also successful in the EuroLeague. Above all, however, the dedicated basketball teacher fully exploited the potential of players such as Darius Miller, Nicolo Melli, Brad Wanamaker (all of whom have since joined the NBA) and Fabian Causeur (Real Madrid).
Beginnings at the heart of Italian basketball
Trinchieri began his career a good two decades ago in his home city of Milan, with the Munich team's first opponent in the new EuroLeague season, Armani Olimpia. For six years he worked for the Italian record champions as an assistant coach and at the same time as a coach for young players. He started as head coach in 2004 in the Italian third league with Triboldi Basket (Cremona) and led them to the A2 and in 2009 he won his first titles there for Veroli with the A2 Cup Series and earned himself the award for Coach of the Year.
The logical consequence was an entrance on the big stage: from 2009 to 2013 he coached the club Cantù from Division one and also with great success as the entry into the semi-finals (2010) and then into the finals (2011) earned him the honor of Coach of the Year twice in Serie A as well. In 2011 he won the Italian Supercup with Cantù.
This was followed in 2013 by Trinchieri's first international engagement, with Unics Kazan in Russia - and the club's third national cup win in 2014 was another major success. In the EuroCup, he narrowly missed out on a triumph in Kazan with their final appearance; consolation was the honour of being named "Coach of the Year 2014" in the second highest European competition.
For a year and a half, from 2013 to June 2014, Trinchieri also coached the Greek national team.
Andrea Trinchieri is married and has two sons. Besides Italian, he also speaks fluent English.