HISTORIC as the Philippines' win over Korea in the 2013 Fiba Asia Championship semifinals was, it wasn't all about the players.
Coaches of that famed squad also deserve equal applause as the mentors were crucial in putting the team in a good position to win.
And Gilas did, not only exorcising the demons of past but also achieving milestones in booking the country's first ticket to the global hoops conclave when it qualified for the 2014 Fiba World Cup in Spain.
Seven years since that sweet victory, Spin.ph takes a look at where those minds are roaming now.
Chot Reyes
Reyes relinquished his post in Talk 'N Text to solely focus on the national team endeavor, and he certainly achieved his goals with the breakthrough victory over the Koreans and a subsequent silver medal in the tilt.
He continued his run of glory to the 2014 Fiba World Cup, where despite the Philippines' 1-4 win-loss record, earned the adulation of the globe thanks to Gilas' undaunting grit. The team was duly rewarded with a win, taking an 81-79 overtime victory over Senegal in its last game.
Reyes' term, however, wasn't long as the debacle of the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon, where Marcus Douthit infamously scored an own goal in a desperate attempt to force overtime against Kazakhstan, led to his undoing.
He made his comeback two years later when he was named as the replacement of Tab Baldwin in 2016, but two years later, controversies continued to hound him as the ugly brawl between the Philippines and Australia in the Asian qualifiers of the 2019 Fiba World Cup forced him to step down from his post.
Outside of basketball, Reyes has served as the president of TV5 Network from 2016 to 2019, and is now focusing on his businesses while also serving as a public speaker.
Norman Black
Black was handling TNT at that time when he served as Reyes' deputy in the national team.
In 2014, he was part of a coaching shuffle in the MVP Group teams in the PBA and was sent to Meralco.
Black has guided the Bolts to three Finals appearances in the last four years, although those trips always ended in heartbreaks at the hands of Ginebra.
Jong Uichico
Uichico was then serving as a team consultant in Meralco to Ryan Gregorio while also being one of the active voices in the Gilas bench.
The veteran mentor continued to play his role as an assistant for the national team even after Reyes' departure in 2014. Uichico worked with Tab Baldwin up to 2016 and in Reyes' return before the infamous brawl against Australia cost them both their jobs.
In 2014, he was sent to work as an assistant to Black in TNT before a coaching rigodon placed him at the helm of the KaTropa and won the 2015 Commissioner's Cup crown. He stepped down in 2016.
Uichico has since been appointed to head the coaches academy of the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP).
Nash Racela
Racela has long been a protege of Reyes and it's no surprise that he was a key part of his staff in Gilas.
Also the head coach for Far Eastern University, Racela led the Tamaraws to a UAAP championship in 2015 while serving as an assistant in TNT for Black and Uichico.
He also handled the Mac Belo-led Gilas cadet side which won the championship in the 2016 SEABA Cup in Thailand.
Racela was soon named as the head coach for the KaTropa in 2016, forcing him to leave FEU to the care of his older brother Olsen. That campaign, however, only lasted for five conferences, reaching the Finals once but lost to San Miguel in the 2017 Commissioner's Cup.
He remains a consultant for the Tamaraws, while also recently being signed to be the Blackwater head coach for the upcoming season.
Josh Reyes
The son of head coach Chot Reyes, Josh was also a valuable piece in the coaching staff of the Gilas team of 2013.
He worked as an assistant coach for the national team and also fulfilled the same role in TNT up to 2018 following an organizational overhaul in the MVP Group.
Reyes also worked under coach Mike Oliver in the Gilas Pilipinas Youth team before his elevation to the head coaching job, handling the squad in the 2018 Fiba Under-18 Asian Championship in Nonthaburi, Thailand where the Kai Sotto-led crew finished fourth before his departure in October that year.
He did return to the KaTropa camp in late 2019, now under coach Bong Ravena and team consultant Mark Dickel.
Ryan Gregorio
Then the head coach of Meralco, Gregorio joined forces with Reyes in the national team after years of engaging in coaching chess match in the PBA.
Handling the Bolts in their formative years in the PBA and with success few and far in between, Gregorio stepped down in 2014 to focus on his corporate role with the company.
Despite his new role, he remained engaged in the basketball affairs of the MVP Group and was named as the special assistant to SBP president Al Panlilio in 2018, a role he fulfills until today.
He was also included as a part of coach Yeng Guiao's staff for the 2018 Asian Games and later on, for the 2019 Fiba World Cup.
Aboy Castro
Castro, a former head coach of the University of the Philippines, was part of Reyes' staff in the 2013 Fiba Asia Championship. The two go a long way, with Castro serving in Reyes' staff in Coca Cola, San Miguel, TNT, and in Gilas.
He soon assumed the role of team manager, replacing Butch Antonio in time for the 2014 Fiba World Cup in Spain.
Castro stepped down shortly after the 2014 Asian Games and has since focused on his businesses.
Butch Antonio
Antonio served as the Gilas team manager for the 2013 Fiba Asia Championship before his re-appointment to the MVP Sports Foundation in 2014.
He returned soon enough when Tab Baldwin was hired for the job in 2014 and stayed at his post until 2018, when Gabby Cui took over after the infamous Gilas-Boomers brawl.
Antonio has since been named as the SBP's director of operations.
Tab Baldwin
Baldwin, a seasoned internationalist who has handled Malaysia, Lebanon, and Jordan, came in as a decorated mentor who steered New Zealand to a fourth place finish in the 2002 Fiba World Championship in Indianapolis.
His inputs were key in Reyes' ears in the silver medal finish in the 2013 Fiba Asia Championship and, together with former Ivory Coast mentor Natxo Lezkano, in the Philippines' strong showing in the 2014 Fiba World Cup.
The SBP later on picked Baldwin to take over Reyes' post in 2014 and guided an undermanned Gilas side to the silver medal in the 2015 Fiba Asia Championship in Changsha. His run, however, only lasted until 2016.
Baldwin, though, has been in charge of Ateneo since 2016, coaching the Blue Eagles to a UAAP three-peat from 2017 to 2019.
The SBP has since given him the responsibility as the program director for the seniors team, tasked to prepare the national team for the 2023 Fiba World Cup here.
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