NATIONAL coach Chot Reyes got it from disappointed Filipino fans anew last Tuesday night.
When his name was called during the introduction of players and coaches, the predominantly Pinoy fans of 11,821 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum booed Reyes.
But Reyes’ wards vowed to soldier on and play for him.
“I know it’s been happening, but I’m gonna play for my coach ‘til the wheels fall off,” veteran playmaker Kiefer Ravena said. “This is something that I have to lead by example, (kami) ni Japeth (Aguilar) and most of the guys that have been here. It wasn’t the first time that’s happened, ‘di ba? Parang alam niyo naman iyon.
“Lalaban kami. Again, we have to use this crowd as an advantage, not a disadvantage ‘di ba? Iyon naman ang pinaka-rason kung bakit natin dinala itong event na ito dito,” he added.
The nationals absorbed a stinging 83-90 loss to world No. 10 Italy in Group A that eliminated them in the 19th FIBA World Cup.
Energetic wingman Rhenz Abando also defended Reyes, saying: “Tao lang din tayo, nagkakamali. Hindi ito iyong right time para sisihin kung sino man. Ipinaglalaban niya ang bansa natin, ipinaglalaban namin, so dapat sinusuportahan niyo pa rin siya kasi iyon nga, nagkakamali rin talaga lahat.”
Abando, a former NCAA MVP with Letran now proving his worth in Korea, asked fans to support the rest of their campaign– although it is already in tatters.
“Iyon lang, kailangan namin mai-flip iyong script na gawin namin siyang advantage kaysa kabahan kami, iyong hindi kami nakakapaglaro nang maayos kasi naririnig namin kung ano iyong ginagawa ng crowd,” he said.
“Pero at the end of the day, nagpapasalamat pa rin kami sa mga sumuporta pero sana from this stage on, malapit na rin namang matapos, suportahan niyo na lang kami.”
