BOCAUE, Bulacan – Gilas Pilipinas coach Chot Reyes consoled Scottie Thompson after missing two key free throws in the closing moments of their loss to Jordan on Friday at the conclusion of their Fiba Basketball World Cup Asian qualifiers campaign.
Chot on Scottie Thompson misses
Reyes told Thompson during the postgame talk at the dugout not be hard on himself after his missed charities allowed Jordan to escape Gilas, 91-90, at the Philippine Arena.
Reyes said Gilas wouldn't have been even in the position to win the ballgame if he didn't get the miss of Justin Brownlee amidst a phalanx of Jordan defenders.
The Gilas coach said Thompson will come out as an even better player following his missed free throws.
“Like I told Scottie, (I told him) not to get down on himself,” said Reyes during the postgame press conference. “We wouldn’t have gotten to the free throw if he didn’t rebound it anyway.”
“Siya rin naman kumuha ng rebound na ‘yun eh. Those things happen,” said Reyes.
Reyes said Thompson’s crucial misses isn’t new in Philippine basketball, and national players eventually overcame adversity through their continued hardwork.
The Gilas coach said he is sure that when Thompson gets into the same situation in the future, he is sure that the reigning PBA MVP would make the shots.
“Scottie is going to be a much better player from that. It happened already in our history, and I’m sure you remember those things in the past. And like I said, it was his efforts that he got the offensive rebound. Unfortunately, he missed,” said Reyes.
“When it mattered, I don’t think Scottie will miss again,” said Reyes.
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