Chot Reyes eyes more games, sets player-deadline for key stretch of Gilas prep

Gilas Pilipinas coach Chot Reyes. –DENISON DALUPANG/INQUIRER

Wary of losing the gains his Gilas Pilipinas crew made during its training camp across the Baltic states, national coach Chot Reyes has two things in mind—more tune-up games and a deadline for players to join camp—in the ramp up to the Fiba World Cup.

“The most important thing is to play,” he told the Inquirer late Monday night, shortly after the training pool’s practice at Meralco Gym in Pasig City. “No matter what kind of practice we do here, we can never simulate actual game situations.”

Reyes said that on top of the pocket tournament in China, he is looking at more tune-up games just before the squad plunges into the global showcase that unfurls here, in Japan and Indonesia on Aug. 25.

It is also not lost on Reyes that part of the gains in Europe was the camaraderie established there, that’s why he is about to put a deadline on the players looking to join the pool.

“It will be compromised,” he said of Gilas preparations should coaching staff accommodate late-arriving players. “I’m thinking July 25 [as the deadline].”

“For anyone to be able to play in China, they have to come to practice at the very least on July 25. And that’s cutting it really thinly. That means we will be having only a one-week practice before China.”

Only Kai Sotto and Jordan Clarkson have yet to report to training camp. Sotto, after playing for Orlando in the NBA Summer League, reportedly arrived in Manila on Tuesday, while negotiations between the national federation and the Utah Jazz star are still underway.

Scottie Thompson, the reigning Philippine Basketball Assoiation Most Valuable Player who fractured his right hand in one of Gilas’ practices in Kaunas, is projected to be cleared by Aug. 18, exactly a week before the World Cup gets going.

“He’s going to have weekly X-rays. But if he gets cleared only Aug. 18 to start practicing, I think that’s going to be too difficult,” Reyes conceded.

“We’re looking for more [games],” Reyes went on. “We have one confirmed here in Manila on Aug. 21st. Against Mexico.”

In the short meet in Guangdong province set Aug. 2, the Philippines, which is also bracketed with world No. 10 Italy, will have a chance to plot for its other group phase foes in the Dominican Republic and Angola as it goes up against Senegal, Iran, Lebanon, and, if scheduling permits, Puerto Rico.

“Even before the China tournament, we’ve really been looking for more games,” Reyes said. “We were even considering Indonesia, Chinese-Taipei, as long as we could play because that’s the most important thing—staying in competitive shape and staying sharp. We really need to play and play.” INQ