MANILA, Philippines – From one of his lowest points, Chot Reyes found himself on top again.
The 60-year-old savored winning his 10th PBA championship as a head coach, just a year after he left the Gilas Pilipinas program following a disappointing run in the FIBA World Cup.
Reyes steered TNT to its 10th franchise title as the Tropang Giga defended their PBA Governors’ Cup crown following a six-game conquest of Barangay Ginebra in the finals on Friday, November 9.
“For me, all of the challenges and difficulties I went through in the past were opportunities for me to learn and grow,” Reyes said.
“After all of that, to be back here and win a championship with this group of guys is incredibly satisfying, both on a personal and a team level.”
Reyes endured scathing criticism from fans as the national team struggled during his tenure as Gilas Pilipinas head coach.
He “stepped aside” from his post at the end of the World Cup, where the Philippines concluded its campaign with an inspired win over China but ultimately fell short of its goal of clinching an outright berth for the Paris Olympics.
In January, Reyes returned as TNT head coach after momentarily handing the reins to team manager Jojo Lastimosa, who guided the Tropang Giga to the Governors’ Cup title last year.
Reyes’ first conference back did not go his way as TNT suffered an early playoff exit in the Philippine Cup last season following a quarterfinal ouster at the hands of Rain or Shine.
But Reyes and the Tropang Giga refused to be denied this time, finishing the elimination round with the best record in the league, then winning 11 of their 15 games in the playoffs to capture the Governors’ Cup championship.
Reyes, in the process, became just the fourth head coach in PBA history to reach double figures in titles won, joining Tim Cone (25), Baby Dalupan (15), and Norman Black (11).
“If you’re asking me what my reflections are about this victory, it’s just really the gratitude I feel for everything that’s transpired, everything that’s happened, especially gratitude to the trust and the effort of my players,” he said.
Reyes hailed his players’ grit as TNT got the job done after blowing a 2-0 series lead and coming back from a double-digit deficit in their 95-85 win in Game 6.
“Our pre-game talk was about who’s going to play harder? Who wants it more? The team that’s fighting for its life or the team that’s fighting for significance?” Reyes said.
“There’s something special about this team because a lot of our players are going through a lot of personal adversity, that’s why we said for us, if we win here, it’s bigger than basketball.” – Rappler.com
