Gilas tuneup loss vs Estonia a good learning experience ahead of World Cup, says Chot Reyes

Gilas Pilipinas may have fallen short against Estonia, 81-71, but for Philippine national men’s basketball team head coach Chot Reyes, the team is still on the right path on the road to the 2023 FIBA World Cup.

The nationals played Estonia in a pocket tournament early Wednesday (Philippine time) as part of their preparations for the world-level basketball competition, which will be hosted by the country.

Gilas fell behind early in the game, but came back to within three points in the fourth quarter before eventually taking the loss.

“Like I said in the dugout, I was very impressed,” Reyes said in a video published by the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) on social media, noting that the game was the first in months for some of their big men, such as Japeth Aguilar and June Mar Fajardo.

Reyes added, however, that there is still a lot to improve.

“Good first step. Very, very happy. Going into this ball game, we knew we still had and have a long way to go, still a lot of work to be done, because this is a work in progress. [I] Can’t ask for more,” the national team coach said.

“That was a great test for us. Very good first game. That’s why we decided to play this game, because we knew we were going to be tested, both offensively and defensively,” said Reyes.

“That’s why we came here, to learn and to grow.”

Gilas player Kiefer Ravena echoed Reyes, citing that it is important to trust the process at this point in the preparations.

“Positive naman ‘yung outcome nito kahit na natalo kami. Although alam ko ang results na gusto namin is laging mananalo. Right now, the process is more important. And sana maging patient lang lahat sa team para makuha namin ‘yung gusto namin.”

("The outcome is somewhat positive even if we lost. Although I know the result we want is to win every game. Right now, the process is more important. And I hope everyone on the team remains patient so that we can reach our goal.")

Gilas will face Finland in their next tuneup Wednesday and for Reyes, it's expected to be a difficult one as well.

“Tomorrow’s game is going to be five or 10 times tougher than today’s game. We’ll see how we respond. We’ll see how we react tomorrow. Like I said, that’s the reason why we’re here. This is the time that we make our mistakes. This is the time where we adjust and grow and we develop resilience as a team. Tomorrow’s another day, another challenge.”

—Justin Kenneth Carandang/JMB, GMA Integrated News