Jay Triano
Jay Triano with the Raptors' coaching staff in November 2009
Sacramento Kings
PositionAssistant coach
LeagueNBA
Personal information
Born (1958-09-21) September 21, 1958
Tillsonburg, Ontario
NationalityCanadian
Listed height6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Listed weight194 lb (88 kg)
Career information
High schoolA. N. Myer
(Niagara Falls, Ontario)
CollegeSimon Fraser (1977–1981)
NBA draft1981: 8th round, 179th overall pick
Selected by the Los Angeles Lakers
Playing career1981–1988
PositionGuard
Coaching career1988–present
Career history
As coach:
1988–1995Simon Fraser
2002–2008Toronto Raptors (assistant)
2008–2011Toronto Raptors
2012–2016Portland Trail Blazers (assistant)
2016–2017Phoenix Suns (associate)
2017–2018Phoenix Suns (interim)
2018–2022Charlotte Hornets (assistant)
2022–presentSacramento Kings (assistant)
Stats  at Basketball-Reference.com
Medals
Representing  Canada
FIBA AmeriCup
Silver medal – second place 1980 San Juan National team
Bronze medal – third place 1984 São Paulo National team
Bronze medal – third place 1988 Montevideo National team
Universiade
Gold medal – first place 1983 Edmonton National team
Bronze medal – third place 1985 Kobe National team

Howard James "Jay" Triano[1] (born September 21, 1958) is a Canadian basketball coach and former professional player, who is currently an assistant coach for the Sacramento Kings of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He previously served as the head coach of the NBA's Toronto Raptors and the interim head coach of the Phoenix Suns. A former Canadian national team player who competed in two Olympics, he has also had two stints as head coach of the national team.

Early life and family

Triano was born in Tillsonburg, Ontario and raised in Niagara Falls, Ontario, where he attended A. N. Myer Secondary School.[2] He is of Italian descent through his great-grandfather, who landed on Ellis Island, then made his way to Welland, Ontario.[3] His younger brother Jeff was a draft pick of the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 1982 NHL Entry Draft, after playing OHL hockey for the Toronto Marlboros. Brady Heslip, his nephew and son of his sister Jody, played basketball at Baylor University and as of 2016 played for the Canadian national team.[4]

Playing career

As a student at Simon Fraser University, the 6-foot-4-inch (1.93 m), 194-pound (88 kg)[1] Triano broke or equalled eleven school men's basketball records, including having the most career points with 2,616. At Simon Fraser, he befriended Canadian athlete and activist Terry Fox.[5] He was drafted in the eighth round of the 1981 NBA draft by the Los Angeles Lakers, but was cut during training camp and never played in the NBA.[6] The same year, he was also drafted by the Calgary Stampeders in the sixth round of the 1981 CFL Draft.

Triano was a national team player from 1977 to 1988, captained the team from 1981 to 1988, and played in the 1984 and 1988 Olympics. He led the Canadian team that won Gold at the 1983 World University Games in Edmonton, Alberta, defeating the United States in the semi-finals, which was led by Karl Malone and Charles Barkley,[6] and Yugoslavia in the final, led by Dražen Petrović. He played three seasons of professional basketball, two in Mexico and one (1985–86 season for Fenerbahçe Istanbul) in Turkey.

Coaching career

After retiring as a player in 1988, Triano became head coach at his alma mater, Simon Fraser. He attempted to recruit high school star Steve Nash and later served as his mentor.[7] In 1995, when the nearby Vancouver Grizzlies debuted, he became team director of community relations and worked as the colour commentator for their radio broadcasts. In 1998, Triano became the head coach of the Canadian men's national basketball team. He coached the Nash-led team to a 5–2 record and a seventh-place finish in the 2000 Sydney Olympics, losing to France by five points in the quarter-finals. Two years later, he became an assistant coach for the Toronto Raptors, becoming the second Canadian-born coach in the NBA. He served under Lenny Wilkens, Kevin O'Neill, and Sam Mitchell.

In 2004, Triano was fired as national team head coach,[8] and replaced by Leo Rautins the following year.

In 2008, Triano was named an assistant coach for United States national team. On February 13, 2008, Triano served as head coach of the Toronto Raptors in their 109–91 victory over the New Jersey Nets, in place of head coach Sam Mitchell, who was absent from the team as a result of the death of his father-in-law, making history as the first Canadian to serve as head coach for a regular-season NBA game.

On December 3, 2008, Triano was named interim head coach of the Raptors after Mitchell was relieved of his coaching duties. He became the first Canadian-born head coach in NBA history and first Canadian head coach in NBA history.[9] Triano guided the Raptors to a 25–40 mark.[10]

On May 12, 2009, Triano was given a three-year deal to remain head coach of the Raptors.

In Triano's first full season as the Raptors head coach in the 2009–10 season, Toronto missed making the playoffs by one game to the Chicago Bulls, going 2–5 in their final 7 games. The team finished 40–42.

In the 2010–11 season, without All-Star Chris Bosh on the roster, Triano led the Raptors to a dismal 22–60 record.

On June 1, 2011, the Raptors announced they would not be picking up the option on Triano's contract, but gave him another position within the organization, the vice-president of pro scouting.

On August 17, 2012, Triano was named as an assistant coach for the Portland Trail Blazers.[11] The following week, Triano was also named head coach of Canada's national team for the second time in his career.[12]

On July 27, 2016, Triano was hired by the Phoenix Suns as associate head coach.[13]

On October 22, 2017, after a 0–3 start to the season, including one of the worst losses in Suns history and the worst loss to open up a regular season in league history, Triano was promoted to interim head coach of the Suns after the firing of Earl Watson.[14] In his first game as head coach since 2011, Triano guided the team, which had suffered 40-plus-point losses earlier in the year, to leads as much as 22 points before winning 117–115 on October 23, against the Sacramento Kings for their first win of the season. On December 26, 2017, Triano became the first foreign-born head coach in NBA history to win 100 games in the league with a 99–97 win over the Memphis Grizzlies. However, the Suns finished the season with a 21–58 record under his tenure, and he did not return as head coach after that season.[15] On July 2, 2018, Triano was hired by the Charlotte Hornets as an assistant coach.[16]

On August 12, 2022, Triano was hired by the Sacramento Kings as an assistant coach.[17]

Head coaching record

Legend
Regular season G Games coached W Games won L Games lost W–L % Win–loss %
Playoffs PG Playoff games PW Playoff wins PL Playoff losses PW–L % Playoff win–loss %
Team Year G W L W–L% Finish PG PW PL PW–L% Result
Toronto 2008–09 652540.3854th in Atlantic———— Missed playoffs
Toronto 2009–10 824042.4882nd in Atlantic———— Missed playoffs
Toronto 2010–11 822260.2685th in Atlantic———— Missed playoffs
Phoenix 2017–18 792158.2665th in Pacific———— Missed playoffs
Career 308108200.351————

See also

Sources

  1. 1 2 Jay Triano Archived 2015-07-24 at the Wayback Machine Sports Reference. Accessed on July 24, 2015.
  2. ↑ "Triano credits his past coaches for making him what he is today". NiagaraThisWeek.com. April 25, 2007. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
  3. ↑ "Jones: Live from New York - sportsnet.ca". Archived from the original on 2010-03-22. Retrieved 2010-02-22.
  4. ↑ "Brady Heslip Bio". BaylorBears.com. Archived from the original on January 26, 2016. Retrieved January 13, 2016.
  5. ↑ Jay Triano and Terry Fox were friends at Simon Fraser University Archived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine Niagara Falls Review. Accessed on January 13, 2016.
  6. 1 2 Jay Triano: Don't call it a comeback BasketballBuzz. Accessed on January 13, 2016.
  7. ↑ Smith, Doug (August 25, 2012). "Steve Nash, Jay Triano: Basketball relationship endures two decades later". Toronto Star. Retrieved January 24, 2021.
  8. ↑ Thamel, Pete (August 27, 2010). "Canada Gives U.S. Unlikely Assist". The New York Times. Retrieved March 18, 2014.
  9. ↑ Mitchell fired Archived 2008-12-15 at the Wayback Machine, December 4, 2008
  10. ↑ http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/postedsports/archive/2009/05/11/raptors-set-to-name-jay-triano-head-coach.aspx
  11. ↑ "Head Coach Terry Stotts Adds Three Coaches To His Staff". August 17, 2012. Archived from the original on August 19, 2012. Retrieved August 17, 2012.
  12. ↑ "Jay Triano named Canadian men's basketball coach | CBC Sports".
  13. ↑ "Suns Announce Complete 2016-17 Coaching Staff". NBA.com. July 27, 2016. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
  14. ↑ Gautier, Tony (October 22, 2017). "Suns Relieve Earl Watson of Head Coaching Duties". NBA.com. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
  15. ↑ Petersen, Matt (May 2, 2018). "Suns Agree to Terms with Igor Kokoškov To Become New Head Coach". NBA.com. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
  16. ↑ "Charlotte Hornets announce 2018 coaching staff". WBTV.com. July 2, 2018. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
  17. ↑ "Kings Announce Coaching Staff for 2022-23 Season". NBA.com. August 12, 2022. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
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