SPORTS SPOTLIGHT by John Montgomery
Frank Lollino Jr. is a survivor on and off the basketball court.
The 54-year-old Chicagoan has faced many challenges in his life as a basketball coach. After losing three coaching jobs and overcoming two major surgeries, he is trying to win in the game of life.
“He was born to coach basketball,” said former Fenwick coach John Quinn.
“Little (Frank) Lollino can coach,” the late and legendary King coach Landon Cox said many years ago.
Frank Jr. has experienced many ups and downs in his career. However, his greatest challenge was having his right leg amputated and undergoing a kidney transplant.
“I was very concerned,” he admitted. “I knew my life would change dramatically. I knew every day would be different. I had my pity party.” The long winding road for the son of former Westinghouse basketball coach Frank Lollino Sr. has led to his current position as head coach and general manager of the Windy City Inferno in the new American Basketball Association (ABA). He hopes to build the Inferno into a winner after being fired as head coach of the Chicago Rebels in 2023.
“I have done some things in the past,” Lollino said. “Nobody has a perfect record and the Lord has found a way for me to be back in this game. I am exactly where I need to be at this point in my life. I love my team. I love my players.”
In the past, Lollino recorded an exhausting record of coaching experience. He coached at the high school level at Lane and Austin. He also coached at Triton College and Morton College.
He understands the world of coaching, what it takes to produce a winner. He learned from his father, who won 331 games and two Chicago Public League championships during a 19-year career at Westinghouse. Most significantly, Lollino Sr. helped to prepare Mark Aguirre to go on to stardom at DePaul and the NBA.
“My father obviously is my favorite coach,” Frank Jr. said during an interview before a recent practice session. “He is a Hall of Fame coach. He took kids nobody wanted. He was an amazing motivator. He had the amazing ability to talk with people.”
So Frank Jr. is playing catchup. In his 19-year career, he won 238 games in high school and college and 63 in the ABA. The latest challenge for the Fenwick graduate is with the Inferno, which launched in 2024 and currently is owned by Frank Jr.’s sister Laurie Taylor and niece Anne Marie Taylor.
“Frank is the head coach and he takes advice from me and listens to me,” said Quinn, who serves as assistant coach. “He is a very passionate individual.”
Old-time basketball fans may remember the ABA as it once was, from 1967 to 1976, with Julius Erving and Artis Gilmore. The new ABA was founded in 1999. In partnership with the NBA, it is the world’s largest pro sports league with 150 teams
“The competition is good,” said Rodney Gaston Jr., the Inferno’s top player. “There are good teams and there are weak teams.”
Gaston, a Prosser graduate, played at Morton College. Last season, he was named MVP after scoring 52 points in the ABA’s All-Star game.
In its inaugural season, the Inferno lost in the league championship game. Season No. 2 starts on Sunday, October 19 against the Wisconsin Frost at Breakthrough Complex at 3219 West Carroll Street on Chicago’s West Side. Another Chicago team, the Fury, is seeking its third ABA title in a row.
“I think there is a lot of great regional action,” Lollino said. “There are a lot of great players. And there are a lot of good coaches. It’s a good league. I’m proud to be in this league.”
Lollino received some good news last week. The Inferno has been invited to play a series of exhibition games in China after the 2025-26 season.
Meanwhile, Lollino is determined to make the best of a challenging opportunity. The ABA is similar to semi-pro football. Players and coaches don’t receive salaries so they work regular jobs during the week to pay for practice sessions and cover travel expenses. Lollino, who revamped his entire roster, cutting 12 players from last season’s squad, keeps busy by working on game plans, trying to find players and driving a Uber vehicle.
All for the love of the game. His father would be proud.
Frank Lolino, Jr., Courtesy of Chicago Inferno website.