Gilas' biggest weapon sharpened by the 'other Reyes'

MANILA, Philippines – The real Jayson Castro finally showed up.

After getting ripped for his lackluster game against PBA selection last Wednesday, the 5-foot-11 dynamo exploded for 20 points in leading the Nationals to a 92-89 close win over Kazakhstan Friday night in their final tune-up game six days before the FIBA Asia tournament begins.

His five-turnover first half stint against the PBA selection was washed away by his brilliance in breaking down the Kazakhstan defense.

Notwithstanding the mild sprained ankle he suffered in the dying minutes, Castro showed why he is the biggest weapon Gilas Pilipinas has in its dribble drive offense.

The Blur’s blinding speed caught the taller Kazakhs flat footed with an array of highlight reels to the basket.  He was not only the quickest player but “the best out there” as what Reyes said in the post-game interview.

While Chot is getting the credit up front for his motivational ploy that worked wonders on Castro, his son Josh is working silently on the background helping the combo guard realize his potential.

It’s the younger Reyes who took Castro under his wings to help him develop his game.

“Si coach Josh at Nash ang unang tumulong sa akin sa Talk n Text,” Castro told Philstar.com.  “Pero si coach Josh ang talagang tumutok sa akin. Kung hindi dahil sa kaniya, hindi siguro ako ganito ka-effective.”

Their student-teacher relationship all started during Castro’s rookie year when his visa was not released in time that left him no choice but to skip the Italy trip which Chot used as a team building-training camp combined that signalled the rise of Talk n Text in the PBA.   

Josh decided to stay behind keeping Castro busy while the team is away.

“First, we worked on his conditioning, nag-plyo (plyometrics) kami and secondly, napansin namin na ang bilis niya and since binibigyan siya lagi ng space ng kalaban, we worked on his jump shot,” the younger Reyes told Philstar.com. “His form is good, yung timing lang.”

Josh, who also works as an assistant coach at Talk n Text and FEU Tamaraws, became Castro’s personal trainer since then. 

After adding that jump shot to Castro’s arsenal, Josh looked for ways to improve the combo guard’s finishing attack to his patented off-the-dribble drive.  

He went on to incorporate drills he learned from the legendary Kentucky Wildcats coach John Calipari, who mentored Derrick Rose in the Memphis Tigers before he jumped to the NBA.  

It was a no-brainer patterning Castro’s game to that of the Chicago Bulls’ starting point guard and former league MVP since they both pack an explosive first step to the basket.

“We do a lot of Derrick Rose drills on breaking people down and various finishes and drills very specific to our dribble drive attack since he’s the catalyst of it most of the time,” Josh said.

In one post-Gilas practice, Philstar.com saw them staying behind to work on dribbling drills using tennis balls and the D-Rose attack.

For Josh, he wants Castro to become an elite ball handler to keep his mind off the ball and instead think of what finishing he will do to break down his defender.

“He improved a lot on his footwork when attacking and finishing. We also watched film of Tony Parker and worked on floaters,” Josh said.  

Castro’s game was kept under wraps from Asian opponents until that Kazakhstan tune up game.

He’s no longer the Philippines’ secret weapon but Josh believes his student will remain to be a big problem for their rivals in the FIBA Asia.

“Even in the Philippines, I don’t think you can stay in front of Jayson. So much more in Asia where the opposition is taller, I wouldn’t say slower, but will have a hard time staying in front of him,” Josh said. “That was evident in our trips to Lithuania and New Zealand.”

And also in that game against Kazakhstan which he hopes will continue in FIBA Asia that will start in August 1.