Don't judge Gilas Pilipinas program on Asian Games, says Chot Reyes

The Gilas Pilipinas national team fell short of the medal rounds in the Asian Games basketball tournament on Sunday despite winning against Kazakhstan.

But Gilas coach Chot Reyes said the program should not be judged on the team's performance in the tournament.    

"It would have been great to medal here but our goal now is to get into the Olympics. I think it would be a shame to judge the program on the tournament," Reyes told reporters after the game.

Reyes has come under fire from fans because of Gilas' disappointing performance in the tournament, as well as his public tirade against naturalized center Marcus Douthit, who was benched on Saturday against South Korea.

Douthit himself was a late insertion into the lineup after Andray Blatche was disqualified from playing in the tournament.

Reyes said that he had modest expectations for the Asian Games after losing Blatche and Jayson Castro, who was a key player in Gilas' silver medal run last year, from the team that competed in the FIBA Basketball World Cup.

The coach also noted that the squad only had six days to practice with Douthit before the Asian Games.

Looking forward

The Philippines' next major international basketball foray will be the 2015 FIBA Asia Championship, which serves as qualifier to the 2016 Olympic basketball tournament.

Reyes said that remains the goal, noting Blatche's commitment to continue to play for the Philippine team.

On whether he would still be the coach, Reyes didn't answer directly.

"The players might not be the same, the coach might not be the same but the program continues," said Reyes. — JST, GMA News