Heroes' welcome for coach Chot Reyes, Gilas Pilipinas on arrival at NAIA

Published September 9, 2014 6:39pm

Gilas Pilipinas coach Chot Reyes and other members of the Philippine national basketball team were mobbed Tuesday as they arrived home from their FIBA Basketball World Cup stint in Spain.

Reyes and members of the team arrived after 5 p.m. at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3, radio dzBB's Sam Nielsen reported.

A photo tweeted by GMA News' Mav Gonzales showed the Gilas team welcomed by fans carrying cameras, phones and tablets, all asking for a photo op.

Sinalubong ng fans ang iba pang miyembro ng Gilas galing Spain. @gmanews pic.twitter.com/eFWJwDqUK6

— Mav Gonzales (@mavgonzales) September 9, 2014

Fans continued to mob the Gilas members at the airport.

Dinumog ng mga nasa NAIA T3 ang balik-bansa na mga miyembro ng Gilas Pilipinas. | via @VargasMannysen @dzbb pic.twitter.com/60tgQXiXDd

— GMA News (@gmanews) September 6, 2014

Last Saturday, some members of the team arrived home after a solid stint at the World Cup, where Gilas gave the Philippines its first win in the world stage in 40 years.

The Gilas team failed to advance to the next round of the World Cup as it dropped several games by a hair - but ended its stint on a high note with an 81-79 thriller over Senegal.

It earned the admiration of Filipino basketball fans for the heart it showed.

For Reyes and the Gilas members, it was the first time to return to the Philippines after leaving to train in the United States last July. — Joel Locsin/JST, GMA News

Tags: chotreyes, gilaspilipinas, 2014fibaworldcup