MANILA, Philippines - Multi-titled PBA coach Chot Reyes will make a big jump from Talk N’ Text to Smart Gilas Pilipinas II.
This was made formal yesterday after Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas president and Talk N’ Text owner Manny V. Pangilinan announced Reyes’ official appointment as new head coach of
the national team, replacing Serbian Rajko Toroman.
“While we are extremely happy with Chot’s performance with our TNT team these past years, our duty to flag and country dictates that we engage the right person for this important national position,” said Pangilinan, who is also known in the corporate and sports worlds as MVP, in a statement.
Reyes will assume national team duties only after the ongoing PBA season, which could end late in the year.
Norman Black, a Grand Slam coach in the PBA as well as in the UAAP where he led the Ateneo Eagles to four titles, will make his return in the pros as he takes over from Reyes.
This means Black will coach Ateneo, which is seeking a fifth straight championship, one last time.
“After having been Gilas’ assistant coach for the past two years, and with a sterling track record as coach, I believe Chot deserves this appointment,” said Pangilinan. “He will continue to be the head coach of the Talk N’ Text team until the end of the current PBA season, which will happen sometime in August.
“Thereafter, Chot will concentrate full time on preparing Gilas for the 2013 FIBA-Asia tournament, which is the qualifying competition for the FIBA World Championships to be held in Spain in 2014,” he added.
It will be Reyes’ second tour of duty with the national squad after a dismal ninth place finish in the 2007 FIBA-Asia Championship in Tokushima, Japan.
As this developed, Pangilinan also appointed Reyes as executive director of the MVP Sports Foundation, the umbrella organization of the MVP group of companies funding several sports like football, basketball, taekwondo and badminton among others.
“Chot (will be) executive director of the MVP Sports Foundation, the umbrella organization of our group’s over-all effort in sports promotion and development,” said Pangilinan.
As coach of the Tropang Texters, Reyes has won four PBA championships in five finals appearance spanning eight conferences.
Reyes is expected to inherit naturalized player Marcus Douthit, who is currently playing as an import of Air21, and some remnants of Smart Gilas like skipper Chris Tiu, Greg Slaughter and Aldrech Ramos and stalwarts of the Black-mentored Sinag Pilipinas team that won the 2011 Southeast Asian Games gold medal.
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