Chot Reyes has shared countless battles with Ranidel de Ocampo, but definitely none bigger than the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2014 in Spain.
For starters, it was the Philippines’ return to the game’s biggest stage in nearly 40 years, but the former Gilas coach also remembers that as a showcase of his team’s talent–particularly that of one of the PBA’s revolutionary stretch fours.
“When we played Argentina,” he said when asked about his best moment with De Ocampo, who played for the men’s team since his amateur days.
(C) PBA Images
Reyes was referring to their gallant stand against a former world power during the tournament’s Group Phase, which saw the Filipino dribblers give out a major scare before bowing in the end by way of a narrow 85-81 decision.
Gilas were just a few plays away from completing the massive upset, but there was no denying how solid De Ocampo was that night in Seville.
There, the 6-foot-6 forward went 4-of-8 from deep and finished with a team-best 18 points, which he laced with five rebounds and an assist.
And yes, he did most of that while going toe-to-toe with none other than Luis Scola, who went on to finish with 19 points and seven rebounds.
“‘Yung start of the game sa Argentina, he scored eight, 10 points against Scola? I can’t recall exactly the details, but that was Ranidel at his best,” Reyes said.
The champion bench tactician recalled as much on a Friday night that had a kick of nostalgia after TNT retired the jersey No. 33 of De Ocampo.
The ceremonies were held during halftime of the Tropang 5G’s Game 3 meeting versus Meralco in the Season 50 Philippine Cup semis at the SMART Araneta Coliseum, in honor of the service and glory he brought to the franchise.
Even though they would have wanted to win to make it a double celebration, Reyes remained proud to see one of his long-time players get his jersey immortalized within the ball club, which he helped lead to six league crowns.
“Mahaba ang pinagsamahan namin ni Ranidel. Hanggang ngayon pa nga, magkasama pa kami araw-araw. Sabi ko nga sa kanya, sawang-sawa na ‘ko sa pagmumukha niya,” the six-time Coach of the Year said with a laugh.
“But kidding aside, stellar career, great player, even a greater person, and ang laki ng utang na loob ko sa kanya. Not only sa Talk N Text but even sa GIlas.”
“Every time tinawag–not most of the time, all the time. Every time, Ranidel made himself available,” added Reyes, who mentored Gilas thrice.
The two are currently working together within the TNT coaching staff, and the seven-time Coach of the Year is in awe of how impactful De Ocampo is as a mentor, especially to their bigs, and so he took the time to give him his flowers.
“If you’ve noticed the development of Henry Galinato, even the game of Brandon Ganuelas-Rossser, and even Kelly Williams being an outside threat, I can attribute a lot of that to the daily teaching and mentorship of Ranidel,” he said.
ONE OF A KIND 🏀
Ranidel de Ocampo is grateful to be among the few PBA players to have his jersey retired.
📹 @justinebacnis /Tiebreaker Times#PBA50 pic.twitter.com/FHrJXxCeG0
— Tiebreaker Times (@tiebreakertimes) January 9, 2026
