CAGAYAN DE ORO – Gilas Pilipinas may have failed to get a win in its 114-all draw with Team Mindanao in the first leg of the PBA All-Star Week, but coach Chot Reyes said the game still served as a good test for the national team.
“Yeah, we wanted to get the players in a game situation. That’s what we got. Game situation, trying to defend very good players. We’re very happy,” Reyes told sportswriters.
Despite playing for the first time in a competitive match, members of the national pool put up a decent performance, according to Reyes.
“Of course, we wanted to come out with a win. Like I‘ve said, compared to what we wanted to achieve, we were able to achieve for a team that is playing for the first time,” he said.
“We have 26 assists, but at the same time, we had 21 turnovers. Again, it shows the unfamiliarity with each other.”
Reyes was also satisfied with how the Gilas rookies stepped up. Matthew Wright led the way for Gilas with 22 points, including a steady 8-of-10 shooting from the field, to share the All-Star MVP honors with Team Mindanao member Troy Rosario who topped all scorers with 28 points.
Two other rookies – Roger Pogoy and Carl Bryan Cruz – also made their mark, scoring 14 and 11 points, respectively.
“I was very proud of the way we played. We had seven rookies out of the 12, and they fought against a very good veteran players. I can’t complain. I’m very happy,” said Reyes who also praised pool members Rosario and Jio Jalalon.
“I’m happy as well with the game of our two guys on the other side – Troy and Jio. I thought they also played very well. It’s very important for us.
“I thanked Coach Chito Victolero because he got his players ready to play, they put on a very good effort. That’s very important. It’s very important for us to play that way.”
