Jimmy Alapag finally got the chance to coach against his longtime mentor, Chot Reyes, on Wednesday night, and the former PBA MVP said it was an honor to share the sidelines with one of the game’s greatest coaches.
The former PBA MVP got the better of his former coach after NLEX scraped past TNT to complete a first-round sweep of Group A in the PBA Season 50 Governors’ Cup, but he felt truly privileged to battle one of the league’s best.
“It’s always an honor when you get a chance to coach against one of the best, right?” he said after their 88-83 victory at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
“I think Coach Chot’s resume speaks for itself — not just his success in the PBA, but also with the Gilas program.”
Much of the narrative surrounding the all-MVP showdown centered on the coaching battle between the two, given the rich history they share, from winning championships together in the PBA to representing the country with Gilas Pilipinas.
Reyes himself had previously said that the honor was his to coach against a legitimate NBA coach, referring to Alapag’s stint with the Sacramento Kings.
At the same time, he admitted he felt concerned about whether his injury-hit squad could keep pace with the fiery Road Warriors.
But they did manage that, giving the Road Warriors the fits and even climbing back from 17 down to even things out at 74-all early in the fourth.
NLEX, however, showed much better composure behind its locals, led by rookie guard L-Jay Gonzales. The team restored order to secure its sixth win in as many games and remain alone atop Group A.
(C) PBA Images
Still, it won’t change the respect that Alapag has for Reyes and the ball club he helped bring to prominence during his illustrious playing career.
“It’s no surprise he has Talk N Text playing where they are even with so many key guys down. It’s a credit to him and their staff,” he offered.
Facing that same staff also brought nostalgia, since he saw the same faces he’d gone to battle — and enjoyed many triumphs — with, in Ranidel de Ocampo and Ryan Reyes.
“I think it shows our age,” the 48-year-old Filipino-American mentor joked.
“Kasi pagtingin sa ibang bench, you have Coach Ranidel, Coach Ryan Reyes. But again, I got so much love for those guys. We had a lot of special memories together, a lot of battles.
“And it’s great to see them make this transition into coaching. A lot of love for those guys and that doesn’t change,” added Alapag.
As much as he loves his former team, the six-time champ was prouder of his present home after staying perfect thus far in the season-ending tilt.
“But again, proud of our guys. It’s not easy to win six in a row in the PBA,” said Alapag, who became the first rookie head coach to go on a 6-0 start in his maiden conference, per league stats chief Fidel Mangonon III.
“The credit goes to DeQuan and the rest of our guys for continuing to weather whatever challenges we faced so far this early in the conference. But at the same time, we understand that there’s still so much work to be done.”
