Luca Bacchin

Luca Banchi

Banchi in 2025
İtaly
Position	Head coach
Personal information
Born	(1965-08-01) 1 August 1965 (age 61) Grosseto, Italy
Coaching career	1985–present
Career history
Coaching
1985–1986	F. A. Vigna di Valle (assistant)
1986–1987	Affirco Firenze (assistant)
1987–1997	Livorno (youth teams)
1997–1999	Livorno
1999–2001	Trieste
2001–2004	Livorno
2004–2005	Trapani
2005–2006	Aurora Basket Jesi
2006–2012	Montepaschi Siena (assistant)
2012–2013	Montepaschi Siena
2013–2015	Emporio Armani Milano
2017–2018	Auxulium Torino
2018	Brose Bamberg
2018–2019	AEK Athens
2019	Lokomotiv Kuban
2020–2021	Long Island Nets (assistant)
2021–2025	Latvia
2021–2022	Pesaro
2022–2023	SIG Strasbourg
2023–2024	Virtus Bologna
2025	Anadolu Efes
2025–present	Italy
Career highlights
As head coach: FIBA Intercontinental Cup winner (2019) 2× Lega Serie A champion (2013, 2014) Italian Cup winner (2013) Italian Supercup winner (2023) FIBA World Cup Best Coach (2023)
Medals Men's basketball Representing  Italy Mediterranean Games 2001 Pescara Event

Luca Banchi (born 1 August 1965) is an Italian professional basketball coach. He is the head coach of the Italy national team.

Banchi began working as a basketball coach in the youth teams of Basketball Grosseto, after which he was an assistant coach for the Armed Forces Vigna di Valle, and Affrico Firenze. Between 1987 and 1999, he coached the junior teams of Livorno, winning three consecutive youth national titles in the period, from 1995 to 1997.

He was then promoted to head coach of Basket Livorno, in the Italian second-tier level Serie A2. In 1999, he made his debut on the bench of Pall Trieste, where he coached for two years, before returning to Livorno, that had meanwhile been promoted to the Italian top-tier level LBA. He followed that up with two stops in the Italian 2nd Division, in Trapani and Aurora Basket Jesi.

In 2006, he became the assistant coach of Montepaschi Siena, under head coach Simone Pianigiani. As an assistant with Montepaschi, he won six 6 Italian League championships in a row (2007–2012), five Italian Super Cups (2007–2011), and four Italian Cups (2009–2012). In June 2012, he took over the role of head coach of Montepaschi Siena, following the departure of Simone Pianigiani to Fenerbahçe. On 10 February 2013, he won the Italian Cup, after defeating Pallacanestro Varese, by a score of 77–74 in the final game. On 19 June 2013, he also won his first Italian League championship, as a head coach.

On 1 July 2013, he signed a two-year deal to become the head coach of the Italian European-wide top-tier level EuroLeague club, Emporio Armani Milano. In his first season with the team, he won the Italian League championship, repeating the previous success of Carlo Recalcati, as the only head coaches who won consecutive Italian League titles, with different teams.

In the 2017–18 season, he was the head coach of the European-wide second-tier level EuroCup team, Auxulium Torino.

On 4 March 2018, Banchi became the head coach of the German club Brose Bamberg, of the German top-tier level Basketball Bundesliga (BBL), and the EuroLeague.

On 1 July 2018, Banchi was appointed as the head coach of AEK Athens of the Greek Basket League (GBL) and FIBA Champions League (BCL). On 17 June 2019 his contracted at AEK Athens was terminated.

On 5 July 2019, he signed with Lokomotiv Kuban of the VTB United League. On 15 November 2019, his contract with Kuban has been terminated.

On 20 October 2021, Banchi signed with Victoria Libertas Pesaro to replace Aco Petrović. After a slow start, Pesaro made multiple winning streaks during the season and qualified for the playoffs.

On 16 November 2022, Banchi signed with SIG Strasbourg and helped the team to raise from the last place to playoffs in French ProA, as well as a playoff spot in Basketball Champions League

On 15 September 2023, after Scariolo was fired following controversial statements regarding the new roster and the upcoming season, he became new head coach of Virtus Bologna, and signed a two-year contract. Returning to the Euroleague, after a 5-year break. A week later, the team won the first title under the new coach, winning the Italian Supercup. On 24 September 2023, after having ousted Olimpia Milano in the semifinals, Virtus won its fourth Supercup, and the third in a row, defeating 97–60 Germani Brescia. On 5 December 2024, Banchi resigned as head coach after a 2–11 start in the EuroLeague.

On 7 January 2025, Banchi was appointed as head coach of Anadolu Efes of the Basketbol Süper Ligi (BSL) for the remainder of the 2024–25 season.

On 25 March 2021, Luca Banchi was announced as the next head coach of the Latvia national team. Latvia became one of the two European teams to qualify for the 2023 FIBA World Cup after starting their journey at the World Cup Pre-Qualifiers.

In the country's World Cup debut in 2023, Banchi led the team to a fifth place finish and received the award for the Best Coach of the tournament. Starting with the Pre-Qualifiers, Latvia had won 21 out of 24 games under coach Banchi. Two years later, following Latvia's round of 16 exit at EuroBasket 2025, Banchi stepped down as head coach of their national team.

On 30 September 2025, the Italian Basketball Federation announced the hiring of Banchi to a three-year contract as head coach of the Italy national team.

Note: The EuroLeague is not the only competition in which the team played during the season. He also coached in domestic competition, and regional competition if applicable.

• Luca Banchi at euroleague.net
• Luca Banchi at legabasket.it (in Italian)