With help of wine and golf, Chot climbing stairs to greatness
About four months ago, TNT coach Chot Reyes was being carried by his Tropang Giga, his right hand raised in the air, celebrating a Governors’ Cup championship that put him in the PBA’s elite circle of tacticians who have won 10 PBA crowns.
Basketball has always been a sanctuary for Chot. It’s where he operates at his finest.
Save for the tumultuous World Cup on home soil that put him under immense scrutiny, the sport has always shown Reyes in his element—studying film, structuring practices and tinkering with tactics.
“For me, the past is already in the past,” Reyes told the Inquirer. “It doesn’t bother me, nor is it a consideration for me at all.”
Another championship will push Reyes even higher in the PBA’s fabled coaching hierarchy, and it will also mark a second straight title for TNT since his return, a tenure that has been received far differently than his time with the national team.
His former teammate, player and current TNT team manager Jojo Lastimosa feels that it was those turbulent times that transformed Reyes for the better.
“It’s redemption for Chot,” Lastimosa said amid the revelries back in November. “Chot is so much better because of the difficult time he had with the national team. I know a lot of people doubt him, but he’s brilliant.
“I think he’s matured since the World Cup. He’s more circumspect, I would say, and he is not as volatile as before. He’s so much better now than years before,” he went on.
Needs no credit
While he was appreciative of Lastimosa’s recognition, Reyes prefers some kind of insulation from outside perception.
“You know, I don’t care about any kind of credit. Give all the credit to the players—I’m perfectly fine with it,” he said.
Reyes’ focus is anchored on the present, which he navigates with the kind of discipline he champions in his other life as a public speaker and career development coach.
“I have to practice what I preach, don’t I?” he said with a smile. “For me, I make sure I have regular deep breathing, meditation and mindfulness practice.”
There’s also the glass of wine and the round of golf the morning after each game that he is used to sharing on social media. But all these are but small luxuries that Reyes affords himself right before he disappears into the next task.
And if TNT does scale this tournament’s mountaintop, count on Reyes to do the routine all over again. It is, after all, what has made him feel alive the most.
“It’s just the life experience,” he said. “And you know, I have been through the worst.”
