SMART Gilas Pilipinas was a wholly different team on Thursday, when they took on PBA squad Rain or Shine Elasto Painters in a tune-up. They were firing on all cylinders, and as a result, they went away with a rousing 96-75 victory.
“I thought we played a little bit better,” said coach Chot Reyes.
“It’s obvious that we’re still not in basketball shape, [but] I think we were in better basketball shape than the last tune-up against Alab.”
Judging from their performance, it was safe to say that SMART Gilas appeared refreshed and re-energized compared to the team that showed up last Saturday in the team’s 76-81 loss to Alab Pilipinas.
The team is coming off a three-day trip from Tagaytay, where they had three days of training and team building. And for Reyes, that recent trip down south was well worth it.
“I’m very satisfied,” said the veteran internationalist. “Unfortunately, Andray (Blatche) couldn’t join us. That was scheduled to fit to Andray’s arrival, but at the last minute he had a problem with his Chinese ball club [Xinjiang Flying Tigers].
“That’s for me the only drawback, otherwise it was good.”
What has Reyes upbeat about the trip is that their problems were addressed, particularly their three-point shooting — a weapon they are planning to unleash against Japan on November 24 — and, of course, their bonding as a unit.
“Well one of the objectives of the Tagaytay camp was to get the volume [and get] a lot of shots up,” said the multi-titled coach. “Tagaytay just deepened their bond. I don’t think bonding is a problem [anymore].”
However, Reyes was quick to reiterate that there are still a few aspects that must be worked on — chemistry on the hardcourt, in particular.
“This group knows each other very well. I dont think bonding was an issue. The more depressing problem is the chemistry on the court,” he said. “That’s not only a bonding problem. It’s a lot of things — game condition, focus.”
The 2019 FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers is just over a week away from now. Asked if he and his deputies are about to assemble a 12-man team against the Japanese, Reyes did not give out anything certain.
“First of all we have to make sure Andray is here,” said Reyes.
“That’s going to impact the final lineup of course if Andray’s here. Until he’s actually here, we can’t really be sure.”
