JORDAN Clarkson felt strange about the jeers of a packed Smart Araneta Coliseum crowd aimed at Gilas Pilipinas coach Chot Reyes on Tuesday night.
The Utah Jazz star said it’s a bit strange for the captain of the ship to receive such treatment given that the country is actually hosting the FIBA World Cup.
READ: Resurgent Italy shows Gilas the door
“It is I guess, a little weird especially us hosting and us being the home country,” said Clarkson when asked about the crowd reaction when Reyes was introduced as Gilas head coach just before the game between the Philippines and Italy.
“I really don’t get around the situations, what it is for or whatever as much.”
A chorus of boos was heard at the Big Dome when Reyes’ name was announced during the introduction, obviously from fans riled by Gilas' two losses, including a frustrating one at the hands of Angola last Sunday, 80-70.
The same scenario actually happened at the Mall of Asia Arena last year when the crowd jeered every time Reyes was shown in the giant jumbotron during Gilas’ game against Saudi Arabia in the fourth window of the World Cup qualifiers coming in the wake of the team’s 85-81 loss to Lebanon in Beirut despite Clarkson finally coming on board for the first time.
The 31-year-old former NBA Sixth Man Awardee came to the defense of Reyes back then, saying the coach is ‘one of us and a part of us.’
A year after, Clarkson still finds it bizarre that Reyes continues to get the same treatment from basketball-loving Filipinos.
“I just feel a little weird and kind of just out of the ordinary, honestly,” he said.
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