It might be easier to name the NBA coaches who don't have direct ties to the legendary Gregg Popovich of the San Antonio Spurs. In fact, we're just a couple of years removed from the Mike Budenholzer-led Milwaukee Bucks knocking off another Pop disciple, Monty Williams, and the Phoenix Suns in the 2021 NBA Finals followed by Steve Kerr and the Golden State Warriors beating yet another Popovich mentee, Ime Udoka and those Boston Celtics for the 2022 championship.
Spurs NBA Summer League Coach Kenny Trevino hopes his name will sit alongside theirs. One day – though not yet.
From former Spurs assistants coaches like Budenholzer, who was just recently named the head man for the Suns, to former players like Steve Kerr, the vast list reaches front offices as well. Oklahoma City Thunder GM Sam Presti got his start in San Antonio at the turn of the century.
It's a reality not lost on the 31-year-old Trevino, who's getting a shot to lead the summer Spurs.
“You do have goals. Everybody has goals. One of mine is to become a head coach someday but all I’m worried about now is being the head video coordinator,” Trevino said.
“That's my role. When I think about my journey and what I've gone through, I've thought about it as a very linear process. I'm going to do this then I'm going to do this. I didn't think that I would zig and zag my way to get to where I'm at. Yeah, sure, one day I do want to be a head coach but I'm focused on, right now, on being the best head video coordinator I can be.”
It's a journey long on steps, though short on miles.
Kenny Trevino's Spurs rise to the NBA Summer League
A native of the South Texas town of Laredo, Trevino grew up a relatively short two and a half hour drive from the Alamo City.
“I started off as a boy ball 11 years ago and now I'm here,” Trevino said when speaking publicly for the first time as the organization's summer league coach.
An alum of San Antonio's UTSA, Trevino deflected most questions about his rise up the Spurs ranks, choosing to focus on the summer team as well as the coaches he observes on a daily basis.
“That's the biggest thing, when you get to be a fly on the wall and you hear Coach Pop, Brett Brown (former Philadelphia 76ers head coach), Mitch Johnson, Matt Nielsen and those guys talking about scouting reports and our players. That's really insightful as a young coach, beside the hours and hours of film that you watch in the video room.”
The lessons are clear for Trevino. And his message is in lockstep with the “Spurs way.”
“When you think about the Spurs, as a team, playing in transition, getting back in transition defense, setting our half court defense and then playing physical on the defensive end,” Trevino continued, “Then what you guys have seen for decades now is the Spurs organization playing as a team and playing together on the offensive end. It's not revolving around one person but it's all five guys on the court.”
Follow Us
Subscribe
