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Gilas U16 coach hopes Rizal Museum visit reminds players of purpose

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Levi Joshua Verora Jr.

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="Handout Photo" src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2023/sports/07/08/20230708-gilas-u16.jpg"/><figcaption><em>Handout</em> Photo</figcaption></figure></div><p>CALAMBA -- The prestige of playing for the national team in the youth level can be overwhelming at times, but Gilas Pilipinas Youth head coach Josh Reyes came up with a way to remind his 18-man pool of its relevance and stay the course.</p><p>Reyes personally initiated a team visit to the Museo ni Jose Rizal (Rizal Shrine) in Calamba City, Laguna on Wednesday, as the nationals are currently training in the province in preparation for the SEABA Under-16 Championship later this month.</p><p>“It&#x27;s really the name they’re representing. The one name, if there was one name we talked about, it was our national hero, Jose Rizal. We’re in Calamba, so it’s natural to visit the ancestral house of Rizal,” Reyes said on Thursday at the Inspire Sports Academy where the squad is billeted.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/07/06/23/gilas-scottie-thompson-sustains-injury-in-training">Gilas&#x27; Scottie Thompson sustains injury in training</a></li></ul><p>“Talking about Rizal, I think that gave them a good sense of what they are fighting for -- why they’re doing two-a-days, why they’re putting all their sweat and effort into it is because of what it means. That’s what it means to put on that jersey.”</p><p>The Gilas Youth will face Malaysia, Thailand, and Indonesia from July 17 to 19 in the regional tournament which serves as a qualifier for the FIBA U16 Asian Championship in Doha, Qatar this September.</p><p>Not wanting to take any risks, Reyes has constantly reminded his players as early as now that sweeping the opposition is the ultimate short-term goal.</p><p>“We need to win to qualify,” Reyes stressed. “The format is three games lang. There’s no playoffs. You don’t know what’s going to happen. You really have to win all the games to make sure you’d qualify.”</p><p>Included in the 18-man pool are some high school basketball standouts from both the UAAP and NCAA juniors basketball tournaments, including familiar names coming from basketball families like Kieffer Alas, Ziv Espinas, CJ Amos, and Jaime Gomez de Liaño.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/07/05/23/plenty-of-lessons-for-gilas-in-loss-to-lithuania-chot">FIBA: Plenty of lessons for Gilas in loss to Lithuania, says Chot</a></li></ul><p>Overseas-based talents Elijah Williams, Paul Diao, and Edryn Morales and Brent International School&#x27;s Irus Chua, who went viral for scoring 121 points in a local youth league earlier this year, are also part of the pool.</p><p>Reyes, who is assisted by a pair of high school champion coaches -- Far Eastern University’s Allan Albano and Colegio San Juan de Letran’s Allen Ricardo -- is bracing for a competitive challenge from the Philippines’ neighbors.</p><p>“We don’t know if teams like Indonesia or Thailand have things up their sleeves, but we’re practicing as if they have. We’re practicing to be ready for whatever,” he said.</p><p>“We might face a naturalized player. I know a bunch of their players are also in the NBA Academy [Asia] and did well in the last academy in Singapore. We’re really practicing to be in a dogfight.”</p><p>Like his father Chot, who is widely known for exemplifying “puso” in his locker room talks to empower his players, the younger Reyes also found his own unique way of instilling a sense of national pride for those wearing the tricolor and putting “Pilipinas” on their chests.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/03/30/23/uaap-top-high-school-star-jared-bahay-commits-to-up">UAAP: Top high school star Jared Bahay commits to UP</a></li></ul><p>By doing it, Reyes hopes his youngsters can be reminded of the privilege they have in fighting for a slot in the roster’s final 12.</p><p>“How many kids their age would give an arm or a leg just to be in the position they’re at right now? At the same time, it’s good for our young Filipinos who live abroad to reconnect,” he said.</p><p>“It’s great for them to know what it means, learn Philippine history, stuff like that. I guess having a deep understanding of Philippine culture will give them a better understanding or view of what they’re fighting for, what they’re doing. Hopefully, that helps them in this process.”</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/06/07/22/caelum-harris-headlines-gilas-youth-for-fiba-asia-u16-tilt">Caelum Harris headlines Gilas Youth for FIBA Asia U16 tilt</a></li></ul><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO</strong></div><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Kt3kX6yj4dw?enablejsapi=1" width="560"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more News on <a href="https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news" target="_blank">iWantTFC</a></div>

The prestige of playing for the national team in the youth level can be overwhelming at times, but Gilas Pilipinas Youth head coach Josh Reyes came up with a genuine way to remind his 18-man pool of its relevance and stay the course.