Chot Reyes to ‘step aside’ as head coach of Gilas Pilipinas

Chot Reyes said it’s time for him to “step aside” as the head coach of the Philippine men’s basketball team.

According to The Philippine STAR, Reyes announced he has coached his last game for Gilas Pilipinas in an interview with the media on Saturday, Sept. 2.

“Through all the preparation and through all these times, I always said judge us on the performance in the World Cup. Regardless of what happened between the time I was appointed and today, I said judge us by our performance,” he told the press.

“Obviously, we did not perform. We didn’t perform and like I said in the last game, I take full accountability, and because of that, I think it is time for me to step aside,” he said.

While he emphasized he “hates” using the word “resign” as he’s not a quitter, Reyes explained that he “signed up to do a job” and they “did not deliver the result” after all.

“So, I think it’s time to step aside and allow the SBP to make a decision for the good of the team and the program,” he said.

Reyes has been a hot topic online due to the performance of Gilas Pilipinas at this year’s FIBA Basketball World Cup, where it garnered a win-loss record of 1-4.

The national team won against China (96-75) as it concluded its FIBA World Cup campaign on Saturday, Sept. 2.

The STAR tweeted that with Reyes' latest move, Gilas is now "left without a head coach" for the Asian Games, which will run from Sept. 23 to Oct. 8 in China.