By REYNALD MAGALLON
Chot Reyes is reprising his old role on the TNT bench.
The veteran mentor is back at the helm for the Tropang Giga, making his return to coaching after relinquishing his role last year to put his focus on the Gilas Pilipinas run in the 2023 FIBA World Cup.
TNT made the announcement on Saturday, Jan. 20, just days after the team exited the 2023-’24 PBA Commissioner’s Cup following a loss to top seed Magnolia in the quarterfinals.
Reyes takes over from Jojo Lastimosa who had to juggle his head coaching and team managing duties during the past two conferences although his efforts bore fruit after guiding the Tropang Giga to their first Governors’ Cup title last season.
Lastimosa, despite dealing with injuries to his key players all throughout the Commissioner’s Cup, managed to help TNT make it back to the playoffs, enough for him to get rewarded with a contract extension as a team manager.
No less than team owner Manny V. Pangilinan along with team governor Ricky Vargas welcomed the return of Reyes who will be leading the way for TNT in the upcoming Philippine Cup.
Reyes should operate with a more complete lineup next conference with RR Pogoy returning in TNT’s last two games. Jayson Castro is als expected to be back in full health in time for the all-Filipino conference after a scheduled operation to remove bone spurs on the nagging knee.
