During one stretch of last year's FIBA World Cup 2023 Asian Qualifiers, Chot Reyes had one message for his detractors following a Gilas Pilipinas loss to Lebanon.
"Don't judge us now," Reyes said. "Judge us by our performance at the World Cup."
While Gilas' World Cup ended on a high note with a 21-point win over China on Saturday night, their overall performance was disappointing.
"Through all the preparation and all these times, I always said judge us on the performance in the World Cup," Reyes said. "And obviously we did not perform."
You'd be hard-pressed to find a Filipino basketball fan who would disagree with that assessment. While much of the fan criticism is overboard and oftentimes a product of band wagoning, it's also fair to say that Reyes was right.
The team did not meet expectations -- which at the very least was to finish as the highest-ranked Asian team and qualify outright for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
So what happened? Was Gilas really good enough to steal a win in their group? Did some players perform below expectations? And what happens next?
Lack of practice time together
According to Reyes, the final roster had its first complete tune-up game on August 18, just a week before the tournament's opening. Late arrivals Jordan Clarkson and Kai Sotto had little time to mesh with the 10 other players.
Initially, Clarkson's camp said the NBA star had committed to six weeks with Gilas. That seemed like a reasonable amount of time, comparable to the time Andray Blatche spent with the 2014 team. Then it turned into six weeks including the tournament itself, which meant only around four weeks of practice time.
Reyes set a soft deadline of July 25 for everyone to show up, which wasn't followed. There was hope that Clarkson would join Gilas for their China trip, but visa problems cancelled that. In the end, he arrived in Manila on August 8, just 17 days before opening day.
Sotto was already here in late July after his NBA Summer League stint, but with his back acting up, he also skipped the China trip and only started full contact practices in the middle of August. Reports from within the Gilas camp suggested he lacked conditioning.
The team with Clarkson and Sotto had only three tune-up games together, and even then the final roster wasn't set yet with Chris Newsome and Calvin Oftana still seeing token minutes. What's more, Clarkson sat out the final tune-up game to rest.
The lack of familiarity was evident immediately during Gilas' first game. Clarkson had a team-high eight turnovers, many of which came from passes to unaware teammates. Sotto played just 113 seconds after he picked up two quick fouls.
Gilas ranked last in assists per game among the 32 teams, averaging just 16.0. This suggests a lack of teamwork -- a byproduct of the lack of practice.
No outside shooting
With its shorter distance compared to the pro level, the 3-point shot in FIBA play is oftentimes the great equalizer for teams lacking in height. Here, Gilas also fell short.
The Philippines ranked 27th in 3-point percentage and is one of just six teams to shoot below 30% (29.8). Defenses were tough, sure, but there were also a fair amount of missed open shots.
Prior to his performance against China, Clarkson was shooting just 7-of-31 from the outside, including 3-of-21 in the first three games. Among players who took at least 10 total attempts, only Dwight Ramos (40.2%) shot 40% or better. RR Pogoy (6-of-18), Rhenz Abando (3-of-13) and Kiefer Ravena (2-of-12) all couldn't find the mark.
Getting 3-point production from your bigs is also a must in international play, and here Gilas fell way, way short. Japeth Aguilar hardly played and didn't attempt a single 3-point shot. Neither did June Mar Fajardo, which was a bit of a disappointment considering the coaches were reportedly prepping him to shoot more from the outside. Sotto missed all his three attempts. Only AJ Edu managed to convert, hitting 2-of-6.
To be fair, Gilas shot better than 50% on their two-point shots, with Edu, Fajardo, Pogoy, Rhenz Abando and Jamie Malonzo all shooting better than 57% each. But it wasn't enough to compensate for the lack of outside firepower.
Guard play was problematic
In terms of size down low, the Gilas bigs did what was expected of them as the team ranked fifth overall in both rebounding and blocked shots. It was size in the perimeter that was the issue.
CJ Perez and Scottie Thompson, so used to blowing by defenders in the PBA and getting to their spots, just couldn't do it against taller international guards. Gilas' ball carriers faced constant pressure that disrupted their offensive flow.
Once opposing defenses played ball denial on Clarkson, it was difficult for the playmakers to improvise against bigger defenders.
The guards also weren't getting calls they normally get in the pro leagues. Between them, Pogoy and Thompson didn't attempt a single free throw. Ravena took just two. As one national team coach recently said, in FIBA the referees call the play, not the player.
What now?
Reyes' announcement that he would step down as coach at a news conference on Saturday night threw the program into disarray. It was widely expected that any change in the coaching staff would happen after the Asian Games, which opens in three weeks.
But Reyes and his assistants made it clear they wouldn't be sticking around for that, leaving the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas scrambling for a replacement.
The composition of the team is a question mark as well, with only Justin Brownlee a sure bet. Players based abroad - Ravena, Edu, Sotto, Abando, Ramos - all won't be available. College basketball season is just around the corner, effectively ruling out top amateurs.
It's almost certain the Asian Games team will be an all-PBA selection (the league purposely moved its season opening to October 15 to accommodate the schedule), but without a coach a pool can't be named. It's possible whoever will coach the Asian Games team will do so on an interim basis while the SBP recalibrates its program.
Looking at the longer view, the next cycle of qualifiers for the 2027 World Cup to be held in Qatar begins next year, and this time Gilas is no longer seeded as hosts and will have to qualify the old-fashioned way.
But first things first. A new permanent coach must be appointed and be given free rein to run the program. Gilas has qualified for the Olympic Qualifying Tournament next year, but competition there will be very tough. The new coach could instead use the games to test his new team.
There's a lot of work to be done, and SBP must get it right with the next coach. Otherwise Gilas might find themselves mere spectators in 2027.