Chot Reyes knows it will be an uphill climb come the FIBA World Cup.
Gilas Pilipinas ended the 2023 Heyuan WUS International Basketball Tournament in China with a rousing win over Iran, with AJ Edu and Jamie Malonzo again standing out with monster performances.
Not everyone, though, was impressed, particularly with the overall effort of Gilas. In fact, assistant coach Tim Cone appeared quite displeased with Gilas’ five-point second quarter.
“We got a lead, we took it for granted—again,” Cone told the team at halftime, as shown in a video on the Samahang Basketball ng Pilipinas Facebook page. “That’s what a typical team would do. We can’t accept typical, we need special."
Gilas could not turn things around in the third quarter either and needed a strong finishing kick to finally secure the win.
Unsurprisingly, Cone and head coach Chot Reyes put the hammer down postgame.
“We lost our discipline both on offense and defense,” Cone told the team. “We can’t afford that ‘cause, again, that’s what a typical team would do. We need special.”
Reyes did not hold back. The mentor took notice that Gilas let up in crucial parts of the game.
“'Pag maganda nilalaro natin, 'pag magbitaw tayo nang konti, we lose momentum. The momentum shifts to the other team. Now, gusto na natin seryosohin, that’s not a switch we can turn on and off,” Reyes pointed out.
Like Cone, Reyes was particularly unhappy with Gilas’ five-point second quarter, which allowed Iran to take the lead.
“We can’t be limited to five points against a team like that. Maybe Dominican Republic, or US, or Greece, baka maintindihan ko pa,” Reyes continued. “Some of it was their defense, but some of it was just carelessness and bad decision-making on our part.”
The five-time PBA Coach of the Year then got brutally honest.
“Our margin for error is very small. Ganun ang sitwasyon natin,” he emphasized. “One miss and you die tayo rito. We really have to be on point.”
It's a quite a demand, but it's what the FIBA World Cup requires, especially in Group A where the world no. 40 Gilas will face the likes of world no. 10 Italy and 23rd-ranked Dominican Republic.
“We have to be damn near perfect to beat Dominican Republic. Even that may not be enough,” Reyes reminded his players. “Pero sigurado, if we do not play our best, we have no chance. So, let’s give ourselves a chance.”
The good thing is that Gilas will have NBA star and naturalized player Jordan Clarkson in the fold very soon. They will have about a little over two weeks to chase perfection.
(GM)