Although this is Coach Lollino’s second season as General Manager and Head Coach, he is certainly no stranger to the basketball world. As the son of IHSA Hall of Fame coach, Frank V. Lollino, the younger Lollino grew up watching his father’s amazing Westinghouse High School teams of the 70’s and 80’s and then learned firsthand from his father as his top assistant coach at Triton College.
Lollino began his career at Austin High School, where he led his team to a Blue West Conference Championship in his first season, a feat that had not been accomplished in almost twenty years. In addition to the Austin job, Lollino was also named the head coach at Triton College at 26 years old – coaching a high school team and a college team at the same time. After battling all the powerful Red West schools, Lollino opted for a move north to Lane Tech College Prep. He led the team to a Red North Championship win in his second season, appeared in a number of televised games with the Lane Tech Indians, and coached two games on the United Center floor.
Following a successful run at the high school level, Coach Lollino returned to the collegiate arena to revive the Morton College basketball program. It took just one year. During Lollino’s second season, the Morton College Panthers won the Region IV tournament and were selected to participate in the 12 team, NJCAA National Tournament. Lollino followed with two undefeated Skyway Conference Championships, where he amassed a 28-game winning streak.
Coach Lollino entered the ABA scene in 2023 as the head coach of the Chicago Rebels. His overall record was 15-12, which included an appearance in the Hype Hoops League Eastern Conference finals. Creating Windy City Inferno last season (2024-25), alongside his family, is among his greatest accomplishments.
The Inferno concluded its inaugural season with a 13-7 record and a loss to the eventual ABA champion in the conference championship. The Inferno reached as high as #18 in the ABA power rankings and were among the top 25 for the last 6 weeks of the season. The Inferno can also boast the ABA National All-Star Game’s Most Valuable Player in Rodney Gaston, Jr. Coach Lollino has already gone on record and said Gaston is one of the top players in the ABA, if not the top player and leads a hungry new group of Inferno.
The Inferno concluded the Spring and Summer offseason with a very impressive record, which included the appearance in 3 championship games, winning two. Furthermore, two players: Robert Stanford and James Jones were also signed to overseas contracts from their outstanding off season performances.
Lollino is really excited for his sophomore campaign with the Inferno. A toughened schedule, which includes ABA national powers: the Indiana Lyons, Indiana Legends, Hoosier State Instigators, St. Louis Spirits, Missouri Capitals and local rivals the Chicago Knights and Rebels will definitely prepare Windy City for a run at the ABA title.