Ex-PBA cagers cited in US mag

Former PBA guards Jai Reyes and Marvin Cruz were recently mentioned in a Sports Illustrated story written by Chris Ballard about Kobe Bryant’s father Joe who is coaching the Bangkok Cobras in the AirAsia Asean Basketball League (ABL).

The story entitled “Where Does Greatness Come From?” examines Kobe’s bloodline and brings the readers to the sidelines of two Bangkok games in March. The Cobras, with Joe calling the shots, won both contests, 79-74 over the Jobstreet.com Singapore Slingers last March 11 and 85-81 over the Westports Malaysia Dragons three days later. The games were played at the Chulalongkorn University gym in Bangkok. The story is featured in the May 14 issue of Sports Illustrated.

Cruz, 26, was picked by Air21 on the second round in the 2007 PBA draft and is a four-year PBA veteran with Air21, Burger King, Coca-Cola and Barako Bull. He shot a PBA career-high of 15 points in his rookie season. The 5-8 guard from the University of the Philippines played 13 games for Barako in 2010-11 before moving to the ABL.

Reyes, 25, was Powerade’s second round choice in the 2010 PBA draft and averaged 2.6 points with a high of 14 in 21 games with the Tigers last season. The 5-7 guard from Ateneo is Talk ‘N’ Text coach Chot Reyes’ nephew. His father Len is Chot’s brother.

In the ABL, teams are allowed to recruit up to three Asean imports. Reyes and Cruz joined the Cobras as Asean imports. Other Filipinos inked as Asean imports were Alex Angeles and Rex Leynes by the Chang Thailand Slammers, Allan Salangsang, Stanley Pringle and Jerick Canada by the Indonesia Warriors, Don Dulay and Vaughn Canta by the Slingers, Chris Pacana, Nic Belasco and Patrick Cabahug by the Dragons and John Smith, Noy Javier and Rob Sanz by the Saigon Heat. Filipino Ariel Vanguardia was also signed as the Dragons head coach.

In the Sports Illustrated story, Cruz’ first name was misspelled Martin. Ballard writes an anecdote about Cruz playing billiards with his coach. “Playing against the Cobras’ two-guard Martin Cruz, Bryant falls behind six balls to one,” writes Ballard. “Then, he embarks on an epic run. Finally, he has only the 8-ball left, lined up for the corner pocket. He pauses, then raises his lanky frame from the table and shakes his head. ‘No sir,’ he says with a laugh. ‘I can’t do that to one of my players.’ Then Bryant does something his son would never do, could not conceive of doing. He tosses his cue on the table and walks away from victory.”

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Cruz is again mentioned with Reyes by Ballard in another anecdote where Joe is talking to his two Filipino guards. Ballard relates, “’What do we want to do with this screen when they go horns?’ he says, looking at Cruz and point guard Jai Reyes. Should they X the play, switching the two defenders on the high screen? Should they try to get through the screen? The idea of showing and recovering is broached. ‘That’s how we do in the league but you guys aren’t in good enough shape,’ Bryant says with a chuckle. Still, Joe coaches by committee and in the end, the committee decides to hedge on the screen.”

Reyes is mentioned once more by Ballard in describing the atmosphere after the Cobras beat the Dragons. “The players are ecstatic, roaring to the crowd of 300, now standing and cheering,” writes Ballard. “And there, in the middle of it all, is Joe Bryant, slapping hands and hugging Reyes and being lifted off the ground by (Gentry) Lewis as if the Cobras had just won the NBA title.”

As of last Sunday, the Cobras were No. 7 in the eight-team ABL standings with a lowly 6-15 record. They’ve been eliminated from the playoffs. Bangkok started out with American imports Michael Earl and Lewis but is now left with only Guyanese Travis George from Los Angeles Community College.

Bangkok’s Filipino imports are playing exceptional basketball. In the win over the Slingers, Cruz hit 26 points, including 3-of-6 triples, in 38 minutes while Reyes compiled 14 points, 10 assists and six steals in 35 minutes. In the victory over Malaysia, Reyes fired 20 points in 27:50 and Cruz, 15 in 36:12.

Joe, 57, was the Golden State Warriors’ first round pick in the 1975 NBA draft and suited up for Philadelphia, San Diego and Houston in a journeyman NBA career that ended in 1983. Known as “Jellybean,” he moved his family to Italy in 1984 and became a heralded import in the local league. After his playing days were over, Joe dabbled in coaching and went from a high school league to college to SlamBall to the WNBA to Japan and finally, to the ABL. Joe is enjoying his Asian tour of duty with his wife Pam Cox whose brother Chubby played in the NBA.

Kobe stays in touch with his parents and Ballard recounts that before a game against the Slingers, the Los Angeles Laker superstar called Cobras import Gentry Lewis on his mother’s cellphone to remind him “to go out there and kick ass, do what you do and have a good time but remember, it’s time to step up to the plate.” Kobe is the youngest and only boy of three children. Joe and Pam have been married for nearly 40 years.

For a while, Kobe was estranged from his parents who didn’t approve of his marriage to Vanessa Laine in 2001. Joe and Pam didn’t attend Kobe’s wedding. Ballard says, “At the end of that series (2001 NBA finals), the Lakers triumphed and Kobe was spotted holding the trophy in the shower and crying, everyone assumed it was out of joy or relief. But he later told The Los Angeles Times, ‘That was about my dad.’” Joe never watched a game in the finals. Eventually, they reconciled.

“To find Joe Bryant these days requires a trip to Bangkok,” writes Ballard. “It is there that Joe has found his latest last chance. He lives in a small apartment, knows about three words of Thai and gets about using public transportation.” The love of the game keeps Joe smiling despite being so far away from home and those 15 losses by the Cobras.