Full responsibility for the silver medal finish of Gilas Pilipinas in the 31st Southeast Asian Games men’s basketball tournament in Vietnam.
Unbeaten in the region for 31 years, the Filipino cagers fell to the Indonesians, 81-85, in the gold-medal match in a shocking result that is expected to have repercussions on the Philippine team’s lineup, coaching staff and approach in its formation.
“Our players played their best. Indonesia came with a very good game plan. They shot well from the three-point line. In the end, we just couldn’t match it,” said Reyes after the match at the Thanh Tri Gymnasium on Sunday.
“Obviously that’s on me. I take full accountability and responsibility for the result. Like I said, they tried their best and that’s sports. That’s life. Sometimes, things don’t work out the way we played,” added Reyes.
Team Pilipinas had trouble containing Indonesian big man in Marques Bolden, who finished with a team-high 18 points.
Gilas missed the services of talented cagers like Japeth Aguilar, Dwight Ramos, and Robert Bolick, with Aguilar out with an injury.
