Returning Chot hits ground running
TNT Tropang Giga head coach Chot Reyes didn’t have to adjust in his first game from a long absence in the Philippine Basketball Association.
Reyes said he still remained with the Tropang Giga despite taking a backseat to call the shots for Gilas Pilipinas in the 32nd Southeast Asian Games and the FIBA Basketball World Cup last year.
The 59-year-old mentor took a break from handling the Tropang Giga in January last year to focus on guiding Gilas Pilipinas in the international arena.
The decision was worth it as the Filipinos regained the SEA Games title in Cambodia last May while having a strong finish in the World Cup that the country hosted last August.
Now, he is back in hardness and quickly made his presence felt when he led the Tropang Giga to a 108-107 win over Rain or Shine in the Philippine Cup last Wednesday.
“I was never away. I’ve always been with the team, whether in practice or games. So, it was like I was never really away,” said Reyes, who was often seen at the back of the Tropang Giga bench even when Jojo Lastimosa was still calling the shots.
“So, there were no big adjustments whether in practice or games.”
With Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser on board, the Tropang Giga are looking to contend for the Philippine Cup title after a lackluster campaign in the Commissioner’s Cup and the East Asia Super League.
Ganuelas-Rosser dropped a double-double of 15 points and 14 assists while drawing a lot of support from veterans Jayson Castro, Kelly Williams, Glenn Khobuntin and brother, Matt Ganuelas-Rosser.
Still, Reyes admitted that there are still some loose ends that they have to attend to, especially after flirting with disaster against a very disciplined Rain or Shine squad.
“If ever there is any adjustment, it is just getting back to the grind. We call it the grind, the grind of PBA cadence of games, practice, games,” Reyes said.
“Just to be very honest, we dodged the bullet and we just caught a break here.”