Chot Reyes on what Gilas program needs to improve: 'Just player availability'

Chot Reyes, the outgoing Gilas Pilipinas head coach, believes that player availability should be a point of focus for the national team program moving forward.

He understands that it won't be easy, though, with so many factors affecting it.

"It's just player availability. But ticklish kasi ang player availability eh, one end is that it's going to be a mandate of the SBP or the leagues or whatever," Reyes said in an interview.

"But there's also one thing, will the players want to or not."

In the build-up to the 2023 FIBA World Cup, Gilas Pilipinas struggled to assemble everyone together.

Jordan Clarkson, one of the most important pieces on the team, flew to the Philippines on August 8, leaving just a total of 17 days to mesh with his teammates and coaches.

Other than Clarkson, Kai Sotto and Scottie Thompson also joined the team late after sustaining separate injuries that forced them to miss the team's campaign in a pocket tournament in China prior to the World Cup.

"We didn't have enough time to practice so the two weeks that he was here, we had three tune-up games which he only played twice and then we couldn't practice naman everyday so we had to take two breaks," Reyes shared.

"So those 16 days, take away those three tune-up games then the two breaks, we had 10 practices. It's not enough."

Gilas officially had its first practice as a complete unit with 10 days to go before the global cagefest. Despite the limited preparation period, Gilas still went toe-to-toe against some of the best teams in the world with competitive losses to the Dominican Republic, Angola, and Italy before another defeat to South Sudan in the second round.

In their fifth game against China, they got their first win of the competition in a 96-75 rout of their Asian rivals.

"It's really not enough. And it really showed, that's why the offense was not as fluid and as smooth," Reyes said.

"But, we still fought. We were still in every game."

According to Reyes, availability at the right time could have made a world of difference.

"Kasi player availability is sagip na no'n 'yung talent and 'yung preparation. Dapat available ka sa ample time na kailangan ng team," he added.

"You cannot say na available ka one week to go na lang or two weeks. I think if we had started as early as July 25, ang laking difference sa laro natin no'n."

("Because player availability encompasses the talent and preparation. They need to be available with ample time according to the team's needs... You cannot say you're available with just one week to go or two weeks. I think if we had started as early as July 25, it would have made a big difference in our play here.")

—JMB, GMA Integrated News