Key players of Gilas Pilipinas remain committed to head coach Chot Reyes despite their sluggish performance in the ongoing FIBA Basketball World Cup.
Kiefer Ravena, Jordan Clarkson and Rhenz Abando rushed to Reyes’ defense after he was booed by home fans prior to their game against Italy last Tuesday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Ravena, who has been competing for the national team since he was in high school, said he will play for Reyes “until the wheels fall off.”
They, instead, should turn the criticisms into motivation to work hard and clinch victories in the classification phase in bid to emerge as the best-performing Asian team that will earn an automatic slot in the Paris Olympics next year.
“I know it’s been happening, but I’m gonna play for my coach until the wheels fall off. This is something I have to lead by example — me, Japeth, and most of the guys who have been here,” Ravena said in the aftermath of their disappointing 83-90 loss to Italy.
“We have to use the crowd as an advantage, right? It’s the reason the World Cup was brought here. We have to flip the script. We ask for your support in this stage of the tournament.”
Clarkson stressed that hearing his coach getting booed is a “little weird.”
“Yeah, I think so, it’s a little weird. I’m really not around to figure out what it’s for or whatever. But I guess, yeah, it’s a little weird especially with us hosting and us being the home country. But yeah, like I said, I don’t really know much about the situation, but at that point, it does feel a little weird, and kind of just out of the ordinary, honestly,” Clarkson, who has been averaging 24 points in their first three matches, said.
“We haven’t really felt like we’ve been out in any games. We are fighting. We’re strong mentally and we’re gonna put it together and try to get these two. We know what it means for the country. We’re gonna leave it all on the floor.”
Things have gotten ugly for Gilas in this prestigious 32-nation tournament.
Despite playing at home, Gilas fell short to the Dominican Republic in their opening game, 81-87, before suffering a 70-90 loss to Angola two days later.
Against the Italians, the local fans let Reyes know their dissatisfaction as they booed him relentlessly during the pre-game players’ introduction.
Reyes was also heavily criticized on social media about everything — from his substitution pattern to his game adjustment and manner of dressing up.
Abando said fans should give Reyes a chance.
“This is not the time for fans to bring my teammates and coaches down. I know I have a few bashers but I’ve been seeing so much bashing towards my teammates and especially to my coaches,” Abando said.
“This is not the right time to bash them because we’re only humans who make mistakes and try to do their best. Coach (Chot) was also just doing his best and he takes all the heat for he is the head coach. We need to support him no matter what. We’re doing this for us (Filipinos).”
