LUIGI Trillo has stepped down as Alaska's coach just two games into the PBA Governors Cup.
The youthful PBA coach, who took over from Joel Banal during the latter part of the 2012 season, will be succeeded by assistant coach Alex Compton.
Trillo, the reigning PBA Coach of the Year, surprisingly called it quits after guiding the Aces to an even 1-1 win-loss record in the season-ending conference.
No specific reason was mentioned for Trillo's resignation, though Alaska team owner Wilfred Uytengsu described the team's last three conferences as a “challenging ride.”
“We are appreciative of Luigi’s efforts during his tenure as head coach and piloting the Aces to our 14th PBA title. But it has been a challenging ride the past three conferences,” Uytengsu said in an official statement.
“The Trillo name will always be fondly associated with the Aces owing to the fact that Joaqui Trillo served as team manager for 25 years as well as the Aces representative to the board of governors together with his son Luigi who were the only father/son (team manager-head coach) tandem to lead a franchise to a PBA title.”
Trillo piloted Alaska to the Commissioner's Cup title last season, the franchise’s first championship in the post-Tim Cone era.
But the team never made it back to the finals after that, much more the semifinals, as it was bundled out early in the playoffs of the next three conferences.
The Aces opened their campaign in the tournament last week with a 94-87 victory over the San Miguel Beermen.
However, Alaska went down with a loud thud after bowing to lowly Globalport on Friday, 95-91.
The Aces uncharacteristically turned the ball over 19 times in that game while the Batang Pier rattled off a 20-3 fastbreak advantage.
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