Satisfied at end of Euro camp, Chot Reyes says Gilas still ‘work in progress’

Rhenz Abando (right) was big in Europe for Gilas.—SBP PHOTO

Gilas Pilipinas wrapped up the European leg of its training camp on a positive note, notching a convincing victory over a Lithuanian side last Saturday.

But more than finishing 3-3 in ending a long camp in the Baltic States, national coach Chot Reyes couldn’t be more pleased by the development he is seeing from within his team.

“The defense we had in [our first game compared] to now is really night and day. All the work we’ve put in on perfecting our defense is starting to show,” he said shortly after the 125-102 win over a Lithuanian Students Basketball League selection that will be sent to compete in the Fisu (International University Sports Federation) World University Games next month.

“What was truly impressive was the effort of the players, the effort to defend and dive for loose balls but also with the effort to play together—I think that was very, very important,” he went on in a dispatch released by the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas on Sunday.

Heroes were aplenty for Gilas throughout the camp as Dwight Ramos starred against the national teams of Estonia and Finland in Tallinn, while Rhenz Abando impressed when the camp moved to Kaunas.

Program fixtures June Mar Fajardo, Kiefer Ravena and CJ Perez were nothing short of steady for most of the tour as Justin Brownlee turned in one stellar outing after another despite the odds of him becoming the squad’s naturalized player for the global showcase that unfurls Aug. 25 in the Philippines, Indonesia and Japan.

Reyes said he will build on whatever strides the team has made thus far.

Recovery time

The priority once Gilas gets back home in Manila, he said, is to have ample recovery. This includes having Scottie Thompson and Ramos undergo thorough medical check-ups to determine their status.

“We have to take a look and get the official medical prognosis of Scottie’s [hand] injury, and get a [magnetic resonance imaging scan] for Dwight’s knee as well because those are very important in the decisions we’re going to make,” he said.

“Then, after a few days, go back to work, go back to practicing, and try to stay sharp,” Reyes added. “I think that’s the important thing as we continue to grow and develop from all the lessons we learned [in Europe] and prepare for the tough games in our China series in which we’re going to play national teams again.”

Gilas has set its sights on a pocket tournament in China, where it is reportedly playing against Iran, Lebanon, Senegal, and a yet-to-be-determined South American team.

The short meet, which is penciled in sometime around early August, could very well allow Reyes and his charges to prime against the kind of teams waiting to snare them in the group phase of the World Cup.

Gilas is bunched with the Dominican Republic, Angola, and No. 10 Italy in the first stage of the World Cup, which will also serve as a pathway to the Summer Olympic Games in Paris next year.

“Still, we all know that there is a lot of work to be done and that we are a work in progress,” Reyes said. INQ