Chot finds new task ‘challenging, exciting’

MANILA, Philippines — Comebacking TNT coach Chot Reyes looks forward to unraveling the full potential of the Tropang Giga’s young guns led by RR Pogoy and Ray Parks Jr. while reuniting with the team’s old guards like Jayson Castro.

Pogoy and Parks emerged as the new stars for TNT in the nearly 10 years that Reyes was away from PBA coaching. The five-time Coach of the Year said he’s stoked to handle Pogoy, Parks and Co. in the pro league after their days as Gilas cadets.

“We picked up RR from relative obscurity. When we put him in the Gilas pool, he was very, very unheralded. People know he was a solid player but nobody expected him to be this good this soon,” Reyes said in Monday night’s “The Game” on One Sports.

“So, we’re very excited to get back and take a look at how far and how better he will become. Same thing with Troy (Rosario). And Ray Parks, I worked a lot with him in the Jones Cup and the Gilas pool. Looking forward to (also) working with Poy Erram and the others,” he added.

Reyes finds “comfort” in seeing familiar faces such as Castro, Jay Washington and Ryan Reyes, who were still there when he last coached TNT in 2012, and assistant coaches Ranidel de Ocampo, Josh Reyes and Bong Ravena.

He maintained there’s some sort of “discomfort” starting from scratch with the new coaches and players but stressed he finds this situation “challenging and exciting.”

“It’s ‘comfortably uncomfortable’ and it’s exciting but we want to temper it just by making sure we’re very realistic in terms of expectations,” he said.