For Gilas Pilipinas and head coach Chot Reyes, their third and final preparatory friendly against Mexico took place at the Philsports Arena last Monday, almost as an afterthought.
Moments after Gilas Pilipinas gave the world No. 30 team, Mexico, a big scare with an 84-77 score, despite the absence of NBA star Jordan Clarkson in the lineup, Reyes and his coaching staff emerged from their baseline dugout. They entered a room adjacent to the glass entrance door, the same room used as media quarters during PBA games.
Reyes was accompanied by Gilas Pilipinas team manager Butch Antonio and assistants Jong Uichico and Josh Reyes. All four of them had solemn expressions, but not due to the game’s outcome.
Also present with them was Tim Cone, Gilas Pilipinas’ main strategist in charge of devising the defense for the FIBA Basketball World Cup. Cone had arrived directly from the airport after a 24-hour flight, including layovers, from Granada, Spain.
In Granada, a city in southern Spain’s Andalusia region with a population of 232,208, nestled in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains, Cone had undertaken a top-secret mission: to compile a dossier on the Dominican Republic, Gilas Pilipinas’ first opponent in the FIBA World Cup.
The Dominican Republic is scheduled to play against the Philippines at 8 p.m. on August 25 at the Philippine Arena in Bocaue, Bulacan.
Cone had been present when the Dominican Republic, led by Minnesota Timberwolves forward Karl-Anthony Towns, secured a victory over Canada with a score of 94-88 in a warm-up game. He was also there when Spain narrowly defeated the 23rd-ranked team in the world, with an 86-77 score.
A lone individual in the room exhibited mild surprise as the Gilas Pilipinas coaches entered. He hurriedly gathered his belongings from a table and left, after Reyes made a remark with a smile, saying, “Me nagsusulat pala rito e. Pano tayo mag-uusap?”
Later, once the Gilas Pilipinas coaches concluded their meeting and left the room, Reyes was asked about the impact of the friendly games on him. He replied, “Wala na, puro Dominican Republic na,” he said, stressing further that “the next three days will be all purely Dominican.”
He emphasized that the upcoming three days of practice would be dedicated entirely to preparing for the Dominican Republic match.
Reyes mentioned that the three tune-up games had successfully achieved the goal of integrating Scottie Thompson, Jordan Clarkson, and Kai Sotto into the team. He added, “Now it’s all about the Dominican Republic.”
Cone had returned with all the gathered information on the FIBA World Americas qualifier. The team would watch the video footage that Cone had brought back from his scouting mission. This viewing was set to be the highlight of Tuesday’s 4 p.m. training session, before the national team, still officially consisting of 16 players, proceeded to the Philsports Arena’s playing court for practice from 6 to 8 p.m.
