COACH CHOT REYES PLEASED WITH PBA BOARD RESPONSE ON GILAS PILIPINAS REQUEST
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com
Thu, 30 Jan 2014
Reyes.
Gilas Pilipinas national basketball team coach Chot Reyes is pleased with the response of the PBA board of governors to his request regarding the training of the World Cup team and the expansion of the training pool.
Reyes told the Manila Standard as he left the meeting that ?it went pretty well? which supported the contention of PBA chairman Mon Segismundo who told the Standard there was ?a very collaborative atmosphere and it was a very positive meeting.?
Reyes said the PBA agreed to shorten the second and third conferences so the Philippine team could have more time to begin full-scale training whenever the conference finishes either by July 15 or 21-22.
Reyes was also pleased that the PBA ?put no limit on the players we could choose and there will be no limit. I can pick whom I want.? Although he didn?t indicate any preferences for players it is well-known that Reyes wanted Marcio Lassiter from the very beginning and was forced to drop Jared Dillinger after he suffered a nasty injury in a car accident while Greg Slaughter who is teaming up well with Japeth Aguilar and LA Tenorio on the Ginebra squad was also in the pool before and may be recalled.
The coach indicated they could start Monday practices in the first Monday in March.
Reyes was thankful he was given one extra month for training compared to the earlier speculation that it would begin a few weeks before the World Cup opens in Spain on August.
The national coach who steered Gilas Pilipinas to the finals of the FIBA Asia Championships in eleven memorable days last August expressed the hope that Congress will act positively on the bills filed by Congressman Robbie Puno to naturalize NBA players JaVale McGee and Andray Blatche in time for them to be included in the country?s World Cup squad.
This isn?t the first time a bill has been filed for McGee?s naturalization. In May 2012, Puno filed a similar bill in the previous Congress with McGee stating he ?would love to represent the Philippines if given the chance.?
Puno who got the wholehearted support of his colleagues in the naturalization of Marcus Douthit who was a key in the country?s bid to redeem itself in international basketball last August urged Congress to approve legislation to strengthen the Philippine team with two more naturalized players, telling his colleagues ?I stand here today, to urge Congress to naturalize at the minimum two players identified by the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas for the national team that would serve as back up players to one another in case any one of them gets injured. Thus, the Philippine national team avoids the inconvenience of jeopardizing the whole program in the event of an injury.?
McGee is currently playing for the Denver Nuggets, while Andray Blatche sees action for the Brooklyn Nets in the NBA. The 7-foot McGee played in the Ultimate All-Star Weekend at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in 2011 and impressed Filipino fans with his talent. He is currently averaging 7 points and 3.4 rebounds a game while Blatche is averaging 12.6 points, 6.0 rebounds and 1.5 assists.
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