Reyes named Asian Games player-coach

MANILA, Philippines - Former world 9-Ball pool champion Efren “Bata” Reyes has been tapped as player-coach of the national team competing in the Asian Games in November in Guangzhou, China.

National head coach Boyet Asonto said that as player-coach, Reyes will help in the series of tryouts to be conducted by the Billiards and Snooker Council of the Philippines to determine composition of the national squads for the quadrennial meet.

Reyes, however, has been seeded into the RP men’s English Billiards squad along with Rey Grandea, according to Asonto during the Scoop sa Kamayan session at Kamayan-Padre Faura yesterday.

Tryouts for the men’s 9-ball singles, 8-ball singles, carom cushion singles and snooker singles and the women’s 9-ball singles, 8-ball singles snooker 6 red balls singles and snooker 6 red balls team will be held as soon as the BSCP’s request for the reopening of the venue inside the Philippine Sports Medicine building is approved.

Reyes, meanwhile, stressed no one will be seeded in the teams, both in the men’s and women’s sides.

“We have so many good players today, so to be fair to everybody, we will conduct tryouts,” said Reyes in Filipino.

Reyes added that he will also go through the elims in other events.

Others who graced the forum were national training pool members and former national players Iris Ranola and Mary Ann Basas.

Also seeded in the women’s English billiards squad are Rubilen Amit and Ranola with Basas being a cinch in the 6 red balls singles.

A total of seven players will compose the men’s squad, while six will make up the women’s team.

Reyes said competitions in the women’s side will be tougher than the men’s because of the presence of equally talented players from Korea, China, Taipei and Japan.

“It will be tough for our women’s team but for the men’s squad, we only have the Taiwanese to contend with,” Reyes, who will be flying to Japan next week for a three-week playing and teaching stints.