Reyes excited to work with Cebuano star Pogoy

NOW that he’s back coaching at the professional ranks, TNT Tropang Giga’s returning head coach Chot Reyes said he’s excited to be working with Cebuano star Roger Ray Pogoy once again “Very, very excited,” said Reyes during his guest appearance on “The Game” on the ONE News PH channel.

Reyes said that when they started working with the 6-foot-2 wingman who hails from Talisay City, he was a relative unknown. However, Pogoy has since blossomed into one of the league’s most prolific players.

“You know, we picked RR from relative obscurity when we picked him to join the Gilas pool. He was very unheralded,” recalled Reyes.

Pogoy was picked by TNT in the special Gilas draft back in 2016. The next year, he won Rookie of the Year honors before earning a spot in the Mythical Five Second Team in 2019. The recent 2020 PBA Philippine Cup, which was held in a bubble in Clark, though, was when Pogoy really emerged as a bona fide star.

He opened the campaign with a 45-point outing against Alaska and eventually led TNT to the finals against Barangay Ginebra where he had to carry most of the offensive load because of injuries to the team’s top stars including Jayson Castro and Bobby Ray Parks. Although TNT lost in five games, Pogoy firmly established his top-gun status with averages of 20 points, 5.7 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 22 matches.

“Everybody knew that he was a solid player, but nobody expected him to be this good this season. We are excited to get back and see how much better he can become,” added Reyes who was tapped to coach the flagship team of the MVP group after being away from the league since 2012.