Jay Triano (born September 21, 1958) is a former Canadian professional basketball player and the current head coach of the NBA's Toronto Raptors. Triano gained recognition during his tenure as coach of the Canadian men's national team. He is also a former national team player, who competed in two Olympics, starting in 1984. He was born in Tillsonburg, Ontario, and raised in Niagara Falls, Ontario.
Basketball career
As a student at Simon Fraser University, Triano broke or equalled eleven school men's basketball records, including having the most career points with 2,616. He was drafted in the later rounds of the 1981 NBA Draft by the Los Angeles Lakers but never played in the NBA.
Triano was a national team player from 1978–88, captained the team from 1981–88, 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. He played three seasons of professional ball, two in Mexico and one (1985–86 season for Fenerbahçe Istanbul) in Turkey.
After retiring as a player, he became head coach at his alma mater, Simon Fraser University in 1988. In 1995, when the 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 national men's basketball team. He led them to a 5–2 record and a seventh-place finish in the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games, losing to France by just five points in the quarter-finals. Two years later, he became assistant coach for the Toronto Raptors, becoming the first Canadian-born coach in the NBA. He served under Lenny Wilkens, Kevin O'Neill, and Sam Mitchell. In 2005, he was replaced by Leo Rautins as the national team coach.
In 2008, Triano was named an assistant coach for USA Basketball. 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 passing 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 Toronto Raptors after Sam Mitchell was relieved of his coaching duties. He is the first Canadian-born head coach in NBA history.[1] In the season's last 13 games, Triano guided the Raptors to a 9-4 mark.[2]
On May 12, 2009, Triano was given a three-year deal to remain head coach of the Toronto Raptors.
Coaching record
| Legend |
| Regular season |
G |
Games coached |
W |
Games won |
L |
Games lost |
| Post season |
PG |
Games coached |
PW |
Games won |
PL |
Games lost |
| Team |
Year |
G |
W |
L |
W–L% |
Finish |
PG |
PW |
PL |
Result |
| TOR |
2008–09 |
65 |
25 |
40 |
.385 |
4th in Atlantic |
— |
— |
— |
Missed Playoffs |
| Career |
|
65 |
25 |
40 |
.385 |
|
— |
— |
— |
Sources
See also
External links
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