Reyes has positive takeaways after the Ivory Coast win. But the negative is worrisome.
Basketball fans are looking hopeful after Gilas Pilipinas' 85-62 win over Ivory Coast on Friday, the first of three tune-ups here at home before the FIBA World Cup.
While the Philippine national basketball team outplayed its African visitors, Reyes was not too happy about how often Gilas coughed up the ball.
"Obviously, still some kinks in the offense. We had 18 turnovers. That's something we have to address," Reyes told the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas in a video posted on Facebook.
It's a crucial factor Gilas needs to work on immediately, especially since the match against Ivory Coast was meant to prepare the Philippines against its Group A opponent Angola, whose defense can be all sorts of pesky.
The Black Antelopes, spearheaded by NBA big man Bruno Fernando, were actually the steals leader in the African qualifiers, recording an unheard of 15.1 swipes per game.
In 12 games, Angola recorded an eye-popping total of 181 swipes—or 61 more than the 120 steals recorded by the Ivory Coast.
Nonetheless, there were plenty of positives for the Jordan Clarkson-led squad, and one of them was Gilas' 19 assists.
"I thought we shared the ball very well. We showed a lot of great intention in moving the ball and finding each other. For me, that was important," Reyes said.
Reyes also acknowledged how Gilas' efforts to lock down the fundamentals of defense are finally bearing fruit.
"The defense we really emphasized and continued working on in Europe and China really showed. These guys played tremendous defense," Reyes pointed out.
Reyes also spoke highly of Clarkson and how important it was to get him in the Gilas groove, along with the return of Scottie Thompson's playmaking, as well as Kai Sotto getting back to the game.
Gilas will next take on Montenegro before taking on Mexico next week.
The Philippines will open its FIBA World Cup campaign on August 25 against the Dominican Republic, followed by Angola on August 27, and Italy on August 29.
(MDB)