Gilas Pilipinas coach Chot Reyes during a Fiba World Cup Asian Qualifiers game. Photo by Fiba
MANILA, Philippines-Chot Reyes and his Gilas Pilipinas coaching staff met as a complete bunch for the first time on Saturday and emerged from the huddle with the same, optimistic zest.
“It was a long meeting. A lot of discussions were made. A lot of options, a lot of possibilities, and a lot of plans discussed,” he told reporters on Sunday night, on the heels of TNT’s highwire escape against Magnolia in the PBA Philippine Cup semifinals at Smart Araneta Coliseum.
“I’ve always been very optimistic that we’re going to put a great team together, but just not now. Everything that we’re doing now is really taking a look who’s available. It’s an opportunity to study,” Reyes added.
The national cage program is in the process of determining a talent pool for the two Fiba World Cup Asian Qualifying games later this month. That squad battles Asia Cup silver winner Lebanon in Beirut on Aug. 25 and then play the Saudis here four days later.
Reyes is well aware of the expectations hovering over the Nationals’ next two games, but just like his newly-tapped deputy—seasoned veteran Tim Cone—the concurrent program director is looking at the long game.
“Coach Tim repeated himself: We don’t need to win the game against Lebanon. Sure, it’s going to be good for [press relations], going to be [a] good [response to] my haters, but for the team’s objective? Not necessarily,” he said.
“[What] we really need is to continue figuring things out and learning. Developing and growing,” he added.
Reyes said that there remains no timeline as to when a pool is to be released, although he did mention that traditionally, the international cage body requires a list of names to be submitted two weeks ahead of a showcase.
The Inquirer reported on Sunday that Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas executive director Sonny Barrios is set to meet with Reyes within the week to iron out more definitive details on the pool.
For now, Reyes is focusing on more sit-downs with his coaching staff, which also features Meralco consultant Nenad Vucinic, University of the Philippines’ Goldwin Monteverde, and longtime national assistants Jong Uichico and Josh Reyes.