Chot Reyes returns to coaching, set to lead TNT for a second time

One of the leading minds in Pinoy basketball has returned to coaching as TNT Tropang Giga had announced the return of Chot Reyes as its mentor, more than eight years since he last coached in the PBA.

Before strutting his pen and board for Gilas Pilipinas, he was the mastermind of the Tropang Texters’ golden era. And for team governor Ricky Vargas, it was a homecoming for them.

“It’s like a homecoming for Chot. He is a coach that gave us four championships. We look forward to a successful relationship with Coach Chot,” he said.

Under Reyes, the then-Tropang Texters won three Philippine Cups in four seasons and was a Governors’ Cup away from claiming the Grand Slam in 2011.

Vargas then thanked “active consultant” Mark Dickel for his service as the former UNLV guard was part of Bong Ravena’s staff that became a finalist in both the Commissioner’s Cup and the recently-concluded PH Cup bubble in Clark.

Despite the offer from Reyes to stay on from his current role, but the Kiwi has decided to look for new opportunities apart from his post-operation recovery at his Las Vegas, Nevada home.

With various titles from Purefoods, Coca-cola and TNT under his belt in the PBA, he was more known for his “Puso” mentality with Gilas Pilipinas that ended the 36-year exile of the country in the FIBA Basketball World Cup seven years ago in Spain.

For him, he was humbled to return to the sidelines after a two-year exile after leaving the game temporarily after the fallout of the infamous brawl in Bulacan in 2018.

“Throughout my career, I have always tried to live according to my passion and purpose. My passion has always been coaching and building teams, whether in sports or business. And my purpose is to further the advancement of Filipino coaches, so we can, in turn, help develop the next generation of Filipino leaders,” Reyes said.

“Coaching again in the PBA provides me an excellent platform to advance this advocacy. I have spent the best years of my career as a ka-Tropa, and I look forward to this new challenge,” he added.

FILE PHOTO: FIBA