Reyes: Kulang kami sa karanasan

WALANG tatalo sa karanasan.

Ito ang mapait na leks’yon na natututunan ng Gilas Pilipinas sa kampanya nito sa FIBA World Cup sa Espanya kung saan apat na sunod na pagkatalo ang nalasap ng tropa ni coach Chot Reyes.

Ito kasi ang unang pagsabak ng mga Pinoy sa torneo mula pa noong 1978 at sa tagal-tagal na panahong iyon ay lalong umangat ang laro ng mga kalabang bansa.

Isang magandang pangitain ay ang magandang ipinakita ng Gilas sa lahat ng mga laro nito at ang pinakamalaking pagkatalo ay 12 puntos lamang kontra sa Greece .

Habang sinusulat ito ay naglalaban ang Gilas kontra sa Senegal sa huli nitong laro sa Group B ng torneo.

“Every game we played we had the ball in our hands, a chance to make a game winning play and we just didn’t deliver,” wika ni Reyes pagkatapos ng laro kontra Puerto Rico kung saan humataw ang guwardiya ng Dallas Mavericks na si JJ Barea ng 30 puntos.

“Our inexperience, of my players of myself as a coach, played a role. We fought hard, the effort was there but obviously it wasn’t enough. We’d like to apologize to all our Filipino fans and supporters for not being able to give them a win. I guess we have the skill and effort to stay in ball games but not the experience to win ball games.”

Nalungkot ang pangulo ng Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) na si Manuel V. Pangilinan sa nangyari ng Gilas kontra Puerto Rico .

“I was staying positive (na mananalo ang Gilas). When we saw the Puerto Rico team was on the court first, I counted them, there were only 10 of them,” dagdag ni Pangilinan. “It didn’t look like (Carlos) Arroyo was there and they were missing one other player, which was probably another NBA player as well. So I thought, with 10 and two NBA players out, maybe we had a better chance.”

Samantala, sinabi ni dating Meralco coach at Gilas assistant coach Ryan Gregorio na dahil ngayon lang sumabak ang Pilipinas sa ganitong klaseng oposisyon ay nangyari ang mga pagkatalong ito ng Gilas.

“This is brand-new setting for us, we have not experienced something like this, in the global scale,” sambit ni Gregorio sa ABS-CBNnews.com. “We did a good a great job against Croatia , we pushed Argentina to the limit, and again we pass up an oppotunity for us to win against the 17th seed team in the world.”

Puring-puri naman ang isa pang analyst na si Jude Roque si Barea dahil sa kanyang determinasyong tulungan ang Puerto Rico na talunin ang Gilas.

“Sa tingin ko naging maganda naman ang game plan kaya lang sobrang ibang level lang si Barea. I’m sure napaghandaan talaga siya ng coaching staff, scouting pero masyadong magaling eh,” ani Roque. “Si LA [Tenorio] nga nakausap ko after nung game sabi niya, medyo disappointed siya sa sarili niya na dapat pumigil kay Barea. Pero sa palagay ko hindi rin ganoong kadali eh. Madaling sabihin, mahirap gawin.”

(James Ty III)