RED-LETTERED THURSDAY

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The FIBA-Asia Men’s basketball championship gets underway Thursday with 14 of the 15 teams seeing action. Six of the seven opening-day games will be played at the Mall of Asia Arena starting with the Iran-Malaysia encounter at 11 in the morning while one game –India vs. Bahrain — will be at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.

For the Gilas Pilipinas national team, which opens its campaign against Saudi Arabia at 830 pm, the biennial tournament is the culmination of the players’ and the rest of the team’s hard work and sacrifices for the past two years.

For all the missed days of rest in between PBA conferences and seasons and missed quality time with the family especially with the children, the coming FIBA-Asia wars will be an indication if they were all worth it.

For returning Gilas Pilipinas head coach Chot Reyes, who piloted the national team to a ninth place finish in Tokushima in 2007, another sacrifice beckons. On the very same day the tournament begins, he’ll be turning 50 years old, an occasion which most Filipinos really find a way to celebrate.

But that is actually farthest from his mind right now as his focus is on the task at hand – a Top 3 finish and a place in next year’s FIBA World Cup in Madrid, Spain.

“Wala sa isip ko muna talaga yan,” he said.

Reyes’ wife, Cherry, regrets not being able to celebrate the milestone in his dear hubby’s life but understands the situation.

“It’s sad that we might not even be together on his 50th birthday because it will be the first gameday,” she says. “But this is a dream of his and I think the best way to celebrate it is in a basketball game representing the country.”

Cherry adds they’ll have more than enough time to celebrate it after the tournament anyway and hopefully with added reason should Gilas Pilipinas achieve its goal.

“We just decided to celebrate after the FIBA tournament. But we can’t even plan anything yet because he’s so focused on the team. But we’ll probably take a trip somewhere after August 11,” she reveals.

Cherry adds the pressure they feel in the coming FIBA-Asia tourney is a far cry from what they’re used to in the PBA.

“Not even close. The pressure is more intense than the PBA. Chot will be representing the Philippines and if the doesn’t make it (to a Top 3 finish), the whole country will hate him,” she explains.

Actually adding to the pressure is the fact that the Philippines is hosting the FIBA-Asia championships for the first time in 40 years and third time overall. The previous two times the country hosted the tourney – when it was still known as the Asian Basketball Championships (ABC) in 1960 and 1973 – the team won the title both times. 1973 was actually the last time Filipino players, led by the likes of Sonny Jaworski, Ramon Fernandez, Francis Arnaiz, Big Boy Reynoso and Jimmy Mariano, won the championship.

While they may not be celebrating on Thursday as the Gilas Pilipinas is also quartered like the rest of the teams, Cherry will not let the day pass without having birthday wishes for her husband.

“Just three: of course that they make it to the Top 3 in the coming FIBA Asia tournament, good health, and third, that he’ll eventually be involved in some way in the NBA,” she says.

“Good Luck and I’ll be with you always – win or win,” Cherry added.

Life could begin at 50 for Chot Reyes. (FM)

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