Chot still part of Gilas program – Barrios
MANILA, Philippines – Chot Reyes is still very much part of the Gilas program.
This was the clarification made by Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) executive director Sonny Barrios on Friday during the Online Media Group Forum at Country Spice Restaurant along Sgt. Esguerra in Quezon City.
"Is Chot still a part of the Gilas program? The answer is yes. That's basically what I wanted to clarify," Barrios said.
Pangilinan along with SBP vice chairman Ricky Vargas and Barrios will be joined by Salud, PBA chairman Patrick Gregorio and PBA vice chairman and D-League chairman Robert Non in the selection committee for the next national coach.
There is no exact deadline yet for the selection committee, but if PBA has its way, according to Barrios, Salud wants them to meet for their short list of candidates as soon as possible.
"Kung masusunod sila Comm. Chito, gusto nila mag-meeting na kaagad eh since they wanted to know ahead of time when will the national team need their players dahil pa-planuhin na nila ang PBA schedule for next season to synchronize it with the FIBA calendar," Barrios added.
Reyes piloted the national team to a first runner-up finish in the FIBA-Asia Men's Championship last year and the country's first win in 40 years in its return to the World Cup this year. The praises, however, were short-lived as he came heavily under fire with the tumultuous events leading to disastrous seventh place finish – the worst by the country – in the Asian Games last month.
The formation of the selection committee is an off-shoot of that disappointing finish as the basketball federation wanted to include all its stakeholders in reviewing the Gilas program in hopes to continue the gains made in the last few years and strengthen it both in short and long term.
Barrios, however, said that Reyes will still play a large role in the Gilas program since he is the most experienced local coach in international competitions.
"Chot is well-versed with the international basketball and he has developed a lot of relationships, not only contacts, so 'yung mga ganung bagay hindi mo basta basta pwedeng ipasa na lang," Barrios said.
Those relationships helped Reyes guide Gilas to the historic finishes in the FIBA Asia and World Cup.
Spanish coach Natxo Lezcano, who previously handled Ivory Coast in the FIBA Africa, assisted Reyes in scouting Senegal, the only country beaten by Gilas in their group after several close calls against powerhouses Argentina, Croatia and Puerto Rico.
Reyes has also forged great friendship with Tab Baldwin, who led the Tall Blacks to the semifinals of the world championship in 2002, during their training camp in New Zealand in the run-up to last year's FIBA Asia Men's Championship. He has since been with Gilas as team consultant.
After the Asian Games, Baldwin was hired as a team consultant at Talk n Text, one of Pangilinan's three ballclubs in the PBA, while Lezcano is will reportedly sit in the same capacity in one of the college teams being supported by the SBP president.
"Tab is there as consultant [to the national team] and most likely, he will be retained as long as he's available. I don't want to say that he has a good chance or he has no chance. But he's part of the mix," said Barrios answering questions from online media reporters regarding his possible inclusion in the short list of coaching candidates.
"MVP wants a Filipino presence (in the coaching staff) if not Filipino as head coach. Ang kalakaran ngayon sa international basketball is you get the best minds you can get," Barrios added.
In the event that Reyes will not be selected as the next coach, Barrios is confident that he will still stay to help the program.
"Hindi naman problema sa kaniya (Chot) kung hindi na siya. Pero kung siya pa rin, he's ready," Barrios said.
"The relationship between MVP and Chot goes far beyond contracts and appointments. They have a very good communication," he added.
Barrios said that they will talk to the coaches who will be included in the short list to gauge their interest to take what he termed as the toughest and thankless job next to referees.
"For all we know, Chot will still be there in the short list. Some might not put his name, some might put him there, we don't know yet," the former PBA commissioner added.
Barrios said that they are aware that several possible candidates have already declined to take over Reyes' position in the national team at the height of the disappointed fans' clamor for a coaching change.
Former national coaches Tim Cone and Yeng Guiao openly said in past interviews that handling the national team is a full-time job, something which they cannot do since they are tied up with their PBA teams.
But with all the stakeholders coming together to chart the future of the Gilas program, Barrios believes that the country is bound to stay competitive in the international arena.
"Baka pwedeng ipanganak ng short list na yan is not only the head coach but the coaching staff. We'll just ask them to help each other and come up with a program," Barrios said.
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