Returning Gilas Pilipinas coach Chot Reyes feels the time is ripe for the country to regain full Asian supremacy by winning a gold in one of the region’s top tournaments.
Back at the helm after a two-year coaching hiatus, Reyes has prudently started the training program of the latest Gilas pool by conducting a three-day camp in Tagaytay City last weekend before holding another practice session Monday night at the Meralco gym.
“The end goal here is to qualify for the 2020 Olympics. But it’s not to say we’re not going to try and win as much as we can along the way. If we can win a FIBA Asia along the way so be it,” said Reyes after Monday night’s session.
The 25-man training pool will soon be pruned down to 12 players that will form Gilas 5.0 which will be eyeing the SEABA tournament to be hosted by the country next month, an event that will serve as the qualifier for the FIBA Asia Cup set this August in Lebanon.
“I think we’ve gotten back to the upper echelon of Asian basketball. Now it’s time to win a gold. To win an Asian gold, it hasn’t happened in a long time,” said Reyes. “But in the end the important thing is to first get there. We don’t want to think too far ahead. We are focusing only on the SEABA.”
Reyes then admits the Asian games title is one of those unfinished businesses that he wants for the team to complete, noting how harsh critics were after their 2014 debacle in the same meet.
Needing to win 11 points against Kazakhstan to enhance their semis bid, Gilas scored a goal on the opposite basket in an attempt to send the game to overtime as the Nationals were then down by two points with about 11 seconds remaining in the game.
“What happened in the Asian games was very unfortunate. Nobody wanted that to happen but it happened. In the same manner that all my other losses, all the times I was fired early in my career have made me a better coach,” said Reyes. “I’m also certain that that Asian games debacle is going to make me a better person and hopefully a better coach.”
Reyes however said he is letting bygones be bygones when it comes to his Asiad campaign detractors who seemed to have failed to realize his accomplishment of bringing back the country to a stint in the world championship.
“I harbor no ill-feelings towards anyone. I think that’s very unproductive. It was unfortunate I wouldn’t wish the kind of hatred and the social media bashing that I got from my worst enemy,” added Reyes. “That’s life, the funny thing was a lot of people who were bashing me were also the same people who after a few years were saying, ‘dapat pala hindi na nawala si coach Chot’.”
Of the 25-man pool, Raymond Almazan, Terrence Romeo and Arnold Van Opstal failed to attend Monday’s gig for various reasons.
San Miguel’s June Mar Fajardo and Ginebra’s Japeth Aguilar came but where mere spectators from the sidelines as they are still recovering from a grueling PBA Philippine Cup title series.
Sans Van Opstal, all Gilas cadet players composed mostly of current PBA rookies attended the Monday session along with league superstars Jayson Castro, Calvin Abueva, Troy Rosario and Allein Maliksi to name a few. (DENNIS PRINCIPE)
