CHOT Reyes' return to the helm of Gilas Pilipinas was received with mixed feelings, not entirely due to his capabilities but rather for the reasons of him taking the place of Tab Baldwin.
Yet as controversial as this move by the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) might seem, the decorated mentor may just be hoping that this fourth go-round will end up in better circumstances.
As high as Reyes has steered the national team in the past, his previous stints also ended in ignominous moments, too -- one that he sure is seeking to rectify this time.
But it wasn't always the case for the flamboyant mentor who first got his national team break in 2005.
New face to run the place
Replacing Boycie Zamar, Reyes was called up for national duty in preparation for the 2005 Southeast Asian Games that was set in Manila.
He was the steward when the San Miguel-Team Pilipinas, now backed by PBA players, finished fifth in the 2005 Fiba Asia Champions Cup, losing to Jordanian club Fastlink in the quarterfinals, as well as a bronze medal finish in the Jones Cup that year.
Unfortunately, effects from the aforementioned debacle, where a ragtag all-amateur team lost to the Paranaque Jets owned by celebrity and then-vice mayor Anjo Yllana and the never-ending leadership strife with the then-Basketball Association of the Philippines (BAP), led to the country's eventual Fiba suspension came July and the scrapping of the basketball tournament for the SEA Games.
The Philippines continued to support the national team endeavors and even won back-to-back titles in the Brunei Cup, but most of those tourneys were unsanctioned by the international governing body for basketball.
Reyes waited for two years until he could coach again in a Fiba-sanctioned competition, and when the country was finally reinstated by Fiba in February 2007 under the new leadership of the SBP, he responded in a big way, placing fourth in the 2007 Fiba Asia Champions Cup in Aleppo, Syria and capturing the gold in the SEABA Championship in Ratchaburi, Thailand.
As positive as those developments were, the national team was hastily formed for the 2007 Fiba Asia Championship and the team, which was led by Asi Taulava, Danny Seigle, Jimmy Alapag, and a young Gabe Norwood, was knocked off in the group stages before settling for the ninth place finish.
It was a tough result to swallow, especially with many believing that collection of PBA players should've finished better than they did in Tokushima, Japan.
Reyes' tenure eventually came to an end as Yeng Guiao succeeded him for the role in 2008.
Comeback, new heights, and an 'own goal'
It was in 2012 when the SBP called Reyes' number again, fresh from his dynastic run with Talk 'N Text, and succeed the Smart Gilas program of Rajko Toroman.
Once again relying on PBA talents, the outspoken mentor steered Gilas to ending the Korean curse in the 2013 Fiba Asia Championship at the Mall of Asia Arena en route to a silver medal finish behind the likes of Alapag, Jayson Castro, Marc Pingris, and naturalized player Marcus Douthit.
It also allowed the Philippines to earn a ticket to the 2014 Fiba World Cup in spain, ending a 36-year absence for the basketball-loving country, this time with Andray Blatche in tow.
Yet as solid as that 21st place showing in the World Cup was, Reyes would rather forget what came next as a battle-worn Gilas stumbled to a seventh place finish in the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon -- infamous for Douthit shooting in the Philippines' own basket in a desperate attempt to force overtime against Kazakhstan in the quarterfinals.
Refreshed mindset, and a melee to forget
His last, curiously, also saw Reyes succeed Baldwin as he was once again handed the keys in 2016.
Now behind Terrence Romeo, Calvin Abueva, and designated naturalized player Christian Standhardinger, Gilas easily won the 2017 SEABA Championship at Smart Araneta Coliseum.
However, the Nationals' path in the 2017 Fiba Asia Cup in Lebanon saw them run to a brick wall and bombed out against Korea in to quarters to wound up at seventh.
Unlike his past two runs, his term did not end in the continental championship as Reyes shifted his focus to the 2019 Fiba World Cup Qualifiers and even created a '23-for-2023' list in hopes of future-proofing the national team as early as 2018.
However, we all know how that ended -- with Gilas engaging in an infamous brawl against Australia in July of the same year at the Philippine Arena.
Reyes was meted out with a one-game suspension and a CHF 10,000 fine, although he was no longer brought back for the next windows. The SBP handed the reins to Guiao to qualify for the World Cup, which the Philippines did by the skin of its teeth.
Four years removed from that last trip, Reyes has certainly learned his lesson and will be hoping to have a better end -- with all eyes now geared towards the 2023 Fiba World Cup.
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