AFTER Gilas Pilipinas’ fall from grace in the 31st Southeast Asian Games in Hanoi, the foot dragging continues over at the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas.
Two days after the nationals absorbed a horrifying 81-85 loss to Indonesia in their gold medal match, the SBP has yet to react to the calls of fans to replace Chot Reyes at the helm of the national team.
Gilas is also reportedly set to take on South Korea in a pair of exhibition games on June 17 and 18.
“From June 17 to 18, we will play an evaluation match against the Philippine national team at Anyang Gymnasium,” new Korea coach Choo Il-seung was quoted as saying in a report from Jumpball.
“I think we should check the physical condition of the players from the 30th,” he added.
Without giving any reason, the SBP called off a press conference yesterday for the FIBA Asia Cup Trophy Tour.
Gilas’ stunning loss to the Indons in the discipline most cherished by Pinoys marked the third time the Philippines failed in its quest for the cage gold, the first in 1979 and again in 1989, both in Malaysia.
Thanks to the Gilas women’s squad, which won the mint despite a 4-1 card, the national cage body averted what could have been a gold-medal shutout after the 3×3 men and women teams failed in their golden bids.
Reyes, who took over from Tab Baldwin last January, has yet to address his detractors, only saying the absence of three key players in Japeth Aguilar, Robert Bolick, and Dwight Ramos contributed to the downfall of the team.
“Two things that really hurt us was Japeth’s injury. We needed a mobile big man, an extra mobile big man aside from Troy (Rosario) and that should have been Japeth,” Reyes said.
“Our outside shooting in the tournament was really bad. That was Dwight Ramos and Robert Bolick. Robert Bolick was our original starting point guard here. But like we said, things didn’t turn out the way we wanted. That’s the way it goes.”
The Filipino cagers will do battle in the third window of the 2023 FIBA World Cup qualifiers in Auckland.
On July 1, Gilas tackles India and two days later, New Zealand.
