Norman Black to Talk ‘N Text, Chot Reyes to Smart Gilas five?

CHANGE OF DIRECTION. After leading Ateneo to four straight championship, Norman Black might be headed to a different direction. Photo by Celest R. Flores

MANILA, Philippines—Norman Black is set to make a return to the Philippine Basketball Association as a coaching rigodon is expected to be formalized this month involving teams bankrolled by business tycoon-sportsman Manny V. Pangilinan.

The arrangement will include coach Chot Reyes moving over to the Smart Gilas national team from Talk ‘N Text in the PBA.

But there’s a catch.

A source privy to the details of the arrangement told the Inquirer that even after the deal is made official, it will only be put in motion after the 2012 UAAP season.

Black will move to the Talk ‘N Text camp while Reyes will replace Serbian Rajko Toroman, who was offered the consultant’s post at Smart Gilas after serving as its head coach.

Black was supposed to assume the Talk ‘N Text post after leading the Blue Eagles to a school record fourth straight UAAP crown.

But the school, the source said, asked that the move be deferred because there was too little time to find a replacement for Black as the Eagles shoot for a fifth consecutive crown.

Black made the Blue Eagles the first team in the past decade to string up four straight UAAP titles and only the fourth school to achieve that string of triumphs.

A former import who turned into a Grand Slam PBA mentor for San Miguel, Black also owns a remarkable 95-25 win-loss record in seven seasons in the UAAP.

The multititled Reyes, who steered Talk ‘N Text to back-to-back titles in the last PBA season, served as one of Toroman’s assistants in the  Smart Gilas five.

Toroman, who was hired in 2009 after leading Iran to the 2008 Beijing Olympics, was tasked to spearhead the country’s bid for qualification in the 2012 London Olympics.

Smart Gilas fell short in the qualifying event for London, losing to Jordan in the semifinals and bowing to South Korea in the battle for the bronze medal of the recent Fiba Asia men’s championship.