CJ Perez in Ateneo Blue Eagles jersey. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
With Gilas Pilipinas now in Tehran, Iran for the 2016 Fiba Asia Challenge, coach Josh Reyes is hoping to draw huge contributions from his untested crew.
But if there’s one guy who really impressed the longtime national team assistant, it’s CJ Perez.
“It’s the first time I’m going to work with him. He’s very athletic and I’m impressed with his talent,” he said. “But still, he’s still a long way to go in terms of understanding the game and what kind of plays we expect of him, but it’s a process.”
Reyes is optimistic that the Lyceum standout could build on this experience as he sees a lot of improvement coming Perez’ way if he sticks with the system.
“Even si Jayson Castro went through that process and now look where he is. So we’re starting here, it’s the first steps, early days for him, but I’m impressed with his physical tools and abilities,” he said.
From a gangly winger, Reyes has converted Perez to a point guard, giving the 22-year-old playmaking responsibilities together with Mike Tolomia and Ed Daquioag as the team competes in the continental meet from September 9 to 18.
But those expectations are not limited to Perez, as Reyes wants to see more players stepping up and learning from the experience of playing against more mature competition.
“We have a lot of young, raw talent, and hopefully, by competing in a lot in competitions like the one in Iran, then we will be able to develop all of them,” he said./rga