By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Following the 2024-25 campaign concluding with the Betsafe LKL championship, Andrea Trinchieri will be parting ways with Zalgiris, according to Serbian outlet Meridian sports. A mutual agreement to terminate the contract of the Italian head coach was officially announced later Monday.
Midway through the 2023-24 season, the 56-year-old expert took over the Kaunas outfit to resume his Turkish Airlines EuroLeague career. However, his side missed the Playoffs in 2024 and 2025, falling three wins shy of the Play-In Showdown zone on both occasions. At the domestic level, he was crowned Citadele KMT champion in 2024 and 2025, beyond the most recent domestic league championship.
Combined with early jobs with FC Bayern Munich, Brose Bamberg, and Mapooro Cantu, Trinchieri is a veteran of 262 games in Europe’s premier club continental competition. He also served as head coach of UNICS and was named EuroCup Basketball Coach of the Year for the 2013-14 season. Since starting his head-coaching career in 2004, he has also worked with Prima Veroli, Juve Caserta, and Vanoli Soresina in Italy. As the selector of the senior national team of Greece, his efforts resulted in ranking 11th in the EuroBasket 2013.
Before eventually deciding to move on from the experienced head coach and looking into other options for the position, the 2025-26 squad was already under construction via contract extensions with Sylvain Francisco, Arnas Butkevicius, and Deividas Sirvydis. Also, Nigel Williams-Goss and Moses Wright, both former Olympiacos players, are expected to be added to the roster for the next season.
With a new boss in charge, the Zalgiris schedule will once more feature EuroLeague action combined with domestic competitions in Lithuania.