The knowledge about basketball is continuously growing. Tried and tested things remain, old things come back and new playing systems emerge and grow.
We want to make this know-how and wealth of experience accessible to all coaches worldwide. In an increasingly open and connected world, coaches around the world have access to a lot of information. We want to provide insights into the personal training philosophies and sporting approaches of many coaches on this planet. What makes them tick? What is their strategy? What is their focus? We are of the opinion that the knowledge about wheelchair basketball is unlimited.
Oscar Trigo makes the start. Before we reveal his philosophy and coaching approach, we introduce the former Spanish national coach in a short interview.
What are the different teams you have coached?
I have coached FC Barcelona-Hospital Guttman from 2001 to 2009, Spanish national men’s team 2009 to 2014, Global Basket Sabadell from 2015 to 2019, Spanish national men’s team from 2018 to 2021 and from 2020 to present Unes Sant Feliu FC Barcelona.
Oscar during the training in Barcelona – Photo: Jaume Vilella
Which players did you enjoy coaching the most? And why?
I will always say that for me it was a luxury to have had Diego de Paz under my command, he is one of those magical players who have the ability to change the pace of the game with actions of a talent that borders on excellence, moreover. I appreciate the effort he has made to understand the game by concept and put his natural talent at the disposal of the team. But I have also had the chance to share the locker room with great players and, even better, to enjoy their growth as players and people, such as Asier García, who surprised me when I coached him for the first time in Barcelona, with his ability to read the game and his ambition to improve every second spent on a basketball court. From Bernabé Costas and David Mouriz, who I coached in Barcelona before joining the national team, the ability of both to increase the pace of the game in attack and defence according to the needs of the team. Of Óscar Onrubia, who I started coaching when he was eight years old in Barcelona, his natural talent for making things difficult, easy and, over time, his ability to lead and unite the group he is part of, even though he is the rookie of the team.
What is the most difficult team you have played against?
Without a doubt, as a European team, my “Nemesis” has been Great Britain, although in some games we have come very close to toppling this team, the technical talent of their players, as well as their ability to play collectively, has, on several occasions, kept us from the road to total success.
What is your best memory as a coach?
The quarter-final of the 2011 European Championship (Nazareth, Israel), when we beat Italy and qualified for the London Paralympics. Those who remember the championship know that we lost the first three games and qualified for the quarter-finals by point average with 4 teams. I remember perfectly the feeling of absolute happiness for the return of Spanish wheelchair basketball to the continental stage after a 16-year drought.
And the worst?
Not the worst, but one of the saddest. Losing to Turkey at the 2014 World Championship in Incheon, and to Great Britain at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games in the battle for bronze, are the most difficult moments for me as a coach. We end a great tournament by losing the last match and the reward of a medal. Going home after so many days of preparation with this feeling of emptiness, tested my resistance to this feeling of failure.
What is your playing philosophy in a few words?
Intensity and passion!
Entrevista en español: ENTREVISTA CON OSCAR TRIGO (ESPAÑA)
Interview en français: ENTRETIEN AVEC OSCAR TRIGO (ESPAGNE)
Interview: Franck Belen | Photo: Jaume Vilella