The Final Score: Luigi Trillo - a head coach on a hard quest

Hands on his waist. Eyes on the scoreboard. Cebuana Lhuillier Head Coach Luigi Trillo reads the score, 76-62. They're about to lose Game 1 of the PBA D-League Finals by 14 points. Seconds go by. He prepares to shake the hand of NLEX Head Coach Boyet Fernandez. Trillo believes the series is far from over. For coaches, the quest for validation never is. Down 0-1 in a best of three, against an NLEX team which can defend, dunk and dominate, Trillo's objectives haven't changed: to completely justify the choice to live a basketball life, to finally win his first major championship as a head coach. "I've worked with talented head coaches and I've seen them win titles. It would be nice if I could also get one," Trillo, also a long-time Assistant Coach with Alaska in the PBA, says. "As a coach, you dream of that. I idolize Coach Tim (Cone). I've seen (Ginebra) Coach Jong Uichico do it. And deep down, you want to prove yourself. That's extra motivation deep down inside." The extra motivation is understandable. Has anyone forgotten the Adamson years? Still remember the losing streak which seemed to go on forever? If champion coaches aren't spared by critics, it was surely torture for Trillo since his Falcons lost so many and won so few. But that's so 10 years ago, when Kobe and Shaq were still a tandem, when Friendster, not Facebook, dazzled the web, when Trillo started his quest to coach a champion team. In a way, he refuses to abandon the quest. The quest, likewise, refuses to abandon him. "I was already thinking about my plans for the next 15 to 20 years, thinking about my status with Alaska," Trillo recalls. "Then, at the right time, Cebuana Lhuillier came up." This is Trillo's second time to coach Cebuana Lhuillier and second time to bring them this close to a championship. In 2007, he led Cebuana Lhuillier to the Philippine Basketball League (PBL) Finals. They were swept, 3-0, by Harbour Centre. Four years later, Cebuana Lhuillier joins the inaugural PBA D-League and decides to bring Trillo back. Four years later, the team and its coach are back in the Finals, still so close to a title, still so far from having an easy path to redemption. "Honestly Mico, I could be doing other things, earning much more, much, much more," Trillo shares. "Even Ria (Luigi's wife, head cheerleader, TV host, newscaster) and I talked about it. I really love coaching. And I really wanted that second chance." Luigi's father, Joaqui, has won championships as Team Manager of Alaska. Luigi's brother, Paolo, has won championships as Team Manager of Ateneo. Luigi is widely known for his basketball surname. Deep down, he knows, the only way to earn admiration for his basketball mind is to finally win the big one as a head coach. His elusive championship is now two must-wins away. His journey is still taking a lifetime of coaching to complete. -- GMA News