Gilas Pilipinas coach Chot Reyes admitted that Scottie Thompson’s injury is a big deal.
But despite the setback, they have no other recourse but to move forward with Gilas Pilipinas’ preparations for the 2023 FIBA World Cup.
“It was very important for us first to acknowledge it,” said Reyes in an interview with Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas’ Carlo Pamintuan, referring to Thompson’s metacarpal injury.
“The negativism enveloping the team is always there, so we made sure to, first as coaches, we had to show the players, not just by our words but by our energy, our presence, and our vibe, that it’s business as usual.”
Thompson is one of the lead guards on the team, which is why it is crucial that they make adjustments in his absence.
“We acknowledge that Scottie is a very big piece of what we do, but we need to move forward,” said Reyes.
“Then we talk about it. We talked about it as a team, and a lot of times, what I’ve learned is that when you give players a chance to voice out and air out what they’re thinking and what they’re feeling, it goes a long way toward dissipating that kind of negative energy,” he added.
