The bashing and the voluminous bad stuff being rained on Gilas coach Chot Reyes is normal.
After three consecutive defeats – and getting booted out of the qualification round – this basketball-crazy nation is angry.
Why?
Because spinmasters under the baton of the SBP employed media hype that the Carkson-led Gilas five could spring a surprise in the group stage of the on-going FIBA World Cup.
The much-publicized enlistment of 7’3” NBA hopeful Kai Sotto was also penciled to raise confidence that the Gilas frontline will give their opponents a run for the money.
There was nothing wrong here.
Except that the coaching staff – Reyes as headcoach – committed strategic errors in decision-making.
Such as the 73-seconds playing time that Reyes gave Sotto against Dominican Republic in a see-sawing match that – had
Kai been fielded adequately enough to help in defending the middle and securing defensive rebounds – the Pinoy dribllers could have turned the tables around.
Pitifully, Gilas lost by just six points, 87-81.
Reyes also benched the shifty CJ Perez for the entire game.
Angola, the African champions, knew Gilas had only Jordan Clarkson as its main weapon.
As in its first outing, Clarkson worked double time but the Africans stayed their course, imposed their superiority in height and heft, and eventually got the win.
Learning from Gilas’ first two losses, Reyes surprisingly fielded Sotto as a starter against the 10th-world ranked Italians.
Again, in the early goings Gilas peppered Italy with outside sniping with Clarkson orchestrating ball distribution and offense.
But the Italians knew Gilas’ playing style. They went for the open man and hit 17 threes to thwart the upset axe.
In all three matches, Reyes was clearly outcoached by his counterparts.
In all three matches, his boys were outplayed in the middle, outboxed in the rebounds department and outhustled.
There is valid reason or reasons why the basketball public booed Reyes during the pre-game introductions.
Again, Gilas’ spinmasters have ketp the public’s hope alive with a characterization that a win over China in the ensuing classification matches may ensure Gilas a spot as the best placed Asian team to the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Clarkson is taking all this in stride as he familiarly knows the odds.
What about Kai? Was he not dicouraged by the treatment given him by Reyes when he could have done better, given the opporunity to display his worth? (Email feedback to fredlumba@yahoo.com). GOD BLESS THE PHILIPPINES!
