An 11-year veteran on Canada's national team, Triano went to training camp with the Jazz in 1984, but he remembered his stay ending once a certain rookie point guard from Gonzaga arrived.

"I remember watching TV in my room," said Triano, who was roommates with Kenny Natt, "and they were talking about how great this Canadian kid's doing, [saying], 'If John Stockton doesn't want to sign the rookie contract we're giving him, then this Canadian kid's doing well.

"The next day we're stretching for practice and John Stockton walked in, he had signed his deal, and I got the tap on the shoulder that said, 'Coach would like to see you,' and I was gone. I think they made the right choice."

Almost a quarter-century later, Triano was back in Utah for his first game as the Raptors' interim coach, having taken over Wednesday for the fired Sam Mitchell. Most remarkable might have been all the familiar faces still in place with the Jazz.

Phil Johnson was an assistant coach on Frank Layden's staff when Triano went to camp with the Jazz, and has been an assistant to Jerry Sloan for two decades. Johnson remembered Triano as a solid, intelligent player.

"He wasn't quite at the level of the NBA, but he had a good camp," Johnson said, adding, "It's interesting, he's a little bit like [Raptors point guard] [Jose] Calderon. He doesn't have quite as much quickness, but he's similar in the way he played to Calderon."

Sloan was bothered by the firing of Mitchell after an 8-9 start. Asked what he knew about Triano, Sloan replied nothing, adding, "I just know I had a lot of respect for Sam Mitchell." Sloan finished second to Mitchell in voting for the 2006-07 NBA coach of the year.

Triano, an eighth-round draft pick by the Lakers in 1981, played in three Olympics, went on to coach the Canadian national team, and worked as a Toronto assistant for seven seasons. He is the first Canadian-born coach in NBA history.

Foreign service

The Raptors have been linked to CSKA Moscow's Ettore Messina as a possible future head coaching candidate. Andrei Kirilenko didn't play for Messina, but he knows him and was intrigued about the possibility of a European coaching in the NBA.

Kirilenko cited the success Mike D'Antoni had coaching in Italy before coming to the NBA. The bigger question might come with a European coach relating to American players.

"It's a different style of the game, it's a different, let's say, mentality and approach to the player, but it's all learnable," Kirilenko said. "I think Messina, if he's going to be a coach in Toronto, he can learn a lot from NBA and adjust to it."

Briefly

Although he doesn't celebrate Christmas as a Muslim, Mehmet Okur did get in the spirit of the season by giving Turkish robes to all of his teammates as well as the coaching and training staff as presents.

rsiler@sltrib.com

The game

Where: US Airways Center

Tipoff: Today, 7 p.m.

TV: FSN Utah

Radio: 1320 AM, 98.7 FM

Records: Jazz 13-8; Phoenix 11-9

Last meeting: Suns, 109-97 (Nov. 17)

Line: Suns by 5

About the Jazz: Deron Williams could be in for a tough matchup facing Steve Nash in the second game of a back-to-back set, while Paul Millsap will have to slow Amare Stoudemire in Carlos Boozer's absence. . . . Andrei Kirilenko came up two assists and three blocks shy of a 5-by-5 in the Jazz's win over Phoenix last month.

About the Suns: Nash described the Suns as being in a "dark place" and searching to "find a fighting spirit and belief" after falling 112-97 at Dallas on Thursday to lose their fourth straight game.