Chot upbeat on Gilas' FIBA Asia Cup opener vs China

MANILA, Philippines — Gilas Pilipinas’ first assignment in the FIBA Asia Cup is China, but head coach Chot Reyes is far from fazed.

Speaking to the press during a press luncheon at a hotel in Ortigas, Pasig, Reyes admitted that playing China is indeed a tall order. Nevertheless, he believes there’s a light at the end of that tunnel.

“Hindi nila kaya tayong paghandaan. Paano nila tayo paghahandaan, tayo nga hindi handa?” he asked with a smile. “So baka makabulag tayo. That’s [where my optimism lies] going into (the tournament).”

“The number one priority is basta mabuo ko team ko,” he added.

Reyes admitted to struggling with putting together a cohesive unit for overlapping tournaments. And while that, among other things, puts him and the coaching staff in a tight spot, it also strengthens the camaraderie that is shared by everyone involved in the basketball program.

“Magkahirapan man, we are just going to fight like crazy. Kaya nagpapasalamat kami that efforts are appreciated. Manny V. Pangilinan hosted dinner right away, boss Ronald Mascariñas hosted this lunch—That’s what makes it very worthwhile for me as coach,” he shared.

“This is the story of the unsung heroes pulling together,” he went on. “It doesn’t [matter] who gets the credit. But [everyone fights] until they cant fight anymore. It’s a story of indomitable spirit.”

“We’re going to face huge task in 10 days. 10 days to go before we face the best in Asia,” Reyes offered. “We hardly had any complete practice yet. Regardless of our problems, nobody’s gonna outfight us.”

“We have to beat China in Game One. We have to top our group, if we do not, even if we go all the way to the quarterfinals, chances are we are going to play either New Zealand or Australia—and that’s  going to be very, very difficult,” he shared.

Despite the looming storm in the horizon, the decorated tactician said that he’s tethering all of his focus on assembling a well-oiled machine for the skirmish in Lebanon.

“We’re completely focused on just getting the team together,” he said. “There are so many difficulties surrounding sked and everything else. [But] that’s our main concern,” he noted.

“As long as we get the group together and get a couple of practices under our belt, we’re going to give any team a good fight.”