Trinchieri’s Blood Boiled Even After the Win: “I’m Not Santa Claus”

PAOK reached the final of a friendly tournament in Italy with a 89-71 win over Udine, but Andrea Trinchieri was far from satisfied after the game.

The Greek side led 77-51 after three quarters, then lost the final period 20-12. Trinchieri’s strongest criticism focused on 22-year-old guard Thanasis Bazinas, whose place in the rotation he openly questioned.

“I don’t know if you will see Bazinas in the rotation after this game,” the coach said, according to the Greek outlet Gazzetta. He said mistakes were understandable for a player lacking experience, but personal difficulties could not throw the entire team off balance. He expects the point guard to make decisions that improve the team’s play.

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I don’t know if you will see Bazinas in the rotation after this game.

Trinchieri calculated that Bazinas played about 15 minutes and warned that the player would have to earn that level of trust again. “I’m a coach. I’m not Santa Claus. I don’t give gifts,” he said.

The Italian coach added that his harsh words were intended to provoke a reaction because he believes in Bazinas. He praised the guard’s work in training but said he saw too little benefit for the team during the game. Trinchieri also highlighted PAOK’s energy and fast play, while demanding progress in other areas in the coming days. Cedi Osman scored 22 points on his PAOK debut, Nick Calathes added three in his first game for the club, and Bazinas scored four. Eimantas Bendzius scored two for Udine. PAOK will meet Napoli in the final.

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I’m a coach. I’m not Santa Claus. I don’t give gifts.