Chot Reyes tabbed to helm Gilas 2

According to sources, Chot Reyes has been chosen by the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) or Basketball Federation of the Philippines to pilot the next incarnation of the Philippine National Basketball team. The news was first broken on Twitter by Patricia Hizon (@patriciahizon), PBA sportscaster on AKTV, a sports programming block owned and operated by TV5, of which Manuel V. Pangilinan is chairman. Pangilinan is also president of SBP.

Congrats to @coachot..He's officially the head coach of Gilas and will continue to handle TNT till end of the season.#gogilas — Patricia Hizon (@patriciahizon) February 19, 2012  

A second source confirmed the information to GMA News, though a press release or briefing has yet to be scheduled. Reyes famously guided the Talk ‘N Text Tropang Texters to multiple PBA Philippine Cup titles in the 2008-09 season, the 2010-11 season, and the 2011-12 season, with the latter two forming the first back-to-back All-Filipino championships in 27 years. Under Reyes, the team also won the Commissioner’s Cup in 2011 and were a game away from a triple crown before falling to the Petron Blaze Boosters. Reyes also has international experience, being head coach of Pilipinas Basketball from 2005 to 2007. He also served as an assistant to Rajko Toroman when the latter helmed the Smart Gilas Pilipinas incarnation of the national team.   Toroman’s contract was not renewed late last year after guiding Gilas to a fourth place finish in the 2011 FIBA Asia Championship. The news comes a day after the Ateneo de Manila University announced that Blue Eagles head coach Norman Black would be resigning from his position after the upcoming Season 75. According to the statement by the university, Black “indicated his desire to return to the PBA where he hopes to replicate his successful system.” It is widely presumed that Black is leaving to take over Talk ‘N Text, where he is currently a consultant.- KBK, GMA News