Sam Dunkley: Sam Dunkley with Linndale basketball coach Pio Reina. Pio,what are you seeing with the team so far?
Pio Reina: Well, we don’t rebound as well right now. The shooting is as inconsistent as ever. Free throws are problematic. Turnovers are an issue. I’d like us to generate more steals and blocks. We have to generate more offense.
SD: So, the same problems you complained about last season?
PR: I’m a coach. We control what we can control. Rebounding is one. Defense is another. Taking care of the basketball, making free throws, our effort… those are all things we can control.
SD: Are there roster issues you’re working around? The rotations are very different this season.
PR: No. We’re working around the limitations of the players we have by training them up.
SD: Training seems to be inside heavy up to this point.
PR: It needs to be.
SD: The team has made two big acquisitions on the inside. What can you tell us about Hugo Gareca and Gintaras Iliuchinas?
PR: Iliuchinas is the hammer we’ve needed that we haven’t had for a long time. Gareca is an exciting player to develop. On offense, we can do a lot with him. He’s not the hammer Iliuchinas is, yet, but he’s more versatile offensively. That duo is a tough matchup for anyone. We’re trying to figure out the best way to use them both, but that’s a good problem for us to have.
SD: It’s noted that Raul Tamm has seen his playing time decline since that duo’s arrival.
PR: It’s been a case of matchups, and us needing to get others on the floor at times. He’s still getting his work in. He’s still important to this team. He’s working on things, like everyone is.
SD: Arout Hairigyan looks like a different player this season.
PR: He is. We’ve found a few ways to use him while he works on things. We have some very high hopes for him.
SD: Joy Beko seems to have gone from an automatic starter to a utility guy. How’d that happen?
PR: Things are not always what they appear. The players, the skill sets, and the combinations we can use have evolved. We can do more things. That can only make us a deeper and better team.
SD: Let’s talk about that second unit. You have multiple guys scoring on that unit now.
PR: We do. It’s someone different each night. Right now, no one knows who’s starting from day to day and everyone has to stay ready. The guys have been up to that task. When things get settled, I expect you’ll find the second unit to be very dangerous.
SD: Juan Onrubia hasn’t been a consistent starter after a solid campaign last season.
PR: Don’t worry about Juan. He’s where we want him to be right now. He’ll be fine.
SD: What about last season’s pick up, Prudence Masuecos? His role seems to have changed.
PR: We’re asking him to work on some things, and yeah, we’re able to use him more creatively. We’ll continue to do that.
SD: The backcourt has been decidedly different this season.
PR: I disagree with that. We have a shooter and distributor in the backcourt, same as always.
SD: Are Colenbrander and Dolnicek not a unit in the backcourt?
PR: They have the ability to play in combination with a number of guys, something we choose to use to our advantage. You mentioned the scoring of the second unit earlier. Every starter returning from last season has come off the bench at least once this season. Has that helped? Yes. We wanted to come at people in waves. Our depth is a weapon. What works against the first unit likely won’t against the second unit. What works one game against us may not in another. We’re still learning and taking notes, but once we get things dialed in, you’ll see it.
SD: What should fans look forward to in the next 5 to 7 games?
PR: If I told you that, what incentive would they have to come to the games? The only way to find out is come down and support the team.
SD: Thank you for your time, coach.
PR: Thank you, Sam.
Last edited by Speedtraps at 7/31/2025 5:04:11 AM