Josh Reyes steps down as Gilas Pilipinas Youth coach

MANILA, Philippines – Hoping to reclaim its lofty standings in the international stage, Gilas Pilipinas Youth revamps its program, starting with a search for a new mentor. 

Josh Reyes stepped down as head coach of Gilas Boys, the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) announced on Friday, September 20, following the team’s poor performance in recent FIBA tournaments. 

“We thank coach Josh for his service to the SBP and to the country in leading the Gilas Youth program for the past six years,” said SBP president Al Panlilio in a statement. 

“While he leaves his role as head coach, he will still be part of the SBP organization as an assistant to coach Tim Cone for Gilas Pilipinas Men.”

The country’s young standouts struggled in recent international games as the Gilas Pilipinas under-17 squad finished dead last in the FIBA U17 World Cup last July, while the Gilas under-18 team crashed out in the group stage of the FIBA U18 Asia Cup this September.

“The last under-18 team gave me the ending I didn’t know I needed,” admitted Reyes, the son of former Gilas Pilipinas men’s coach Chot Reyes. 

“I thank [the players] for giving me their very best, because as a coach, that’s all you can ask for. It’s my worst finish, but it’s a group that gave me a meaningful experience.” 

“It’s not entirely about the wins and losses but about the journey and how you grow together,” added Reyes, who also credited his coaching staff for going “through many ups and downs” and still showing “belief through the challenges.”

SBP executive director Erika Dy said they already started the search for the next coach. 

“We are already having discussions within the SBP,” said Dy,  who also thanked Reyes for “helping us streamline our processes.” 

“The focus remains to be continuity and synergy with Gilas Men and a stronger connection with our current grassroots program under coach Norman Black.”

World Cup stints

Reyes highlighted his six-year coaching run with two FIBA World Cup stints.

“I’m proud of those achievements but I’m more proud of the relationships I’ve built with our teams. Seeing them succeeding in their basketball careers and being better individuals after their Gilas Youth service outweighs anything that we achieved on the court,” said Reyes. 

“But now I have two young kids at home and the time away is starting to become heavier, so I’m looking forward to having more time for my family while still being a part of coach Tim’s staff. I’m at peace with how my Gilas Youth journey reached its completion.”

Reyes’ involvement with Gilas Youth started in 2017 in an assistant capacity for the FIBA U16 Asian Championship. 

Free from any ties with high school or collegiate programs, coaches entrusted their players under Reyes’ guidance with no worries that he’ll be recruiting them out of their current schools.

Reyes got his first head coaching opportunity in the 2018 FIBA U18 Asian Championship.

In that competition, Reyes led a powerhouse Philippine squad with the likes of Kai Sotto, AJ Edu, and Dave Ildefonso to the country’s best finish in the tournament since 1992, and more importantly, ended a 40-year absence in the FIBA U19 World Cup.

After a brief absence, Reyes returned to Gilas Youth to restart the pandemic-hampered program.

Gilas Youth finished seventh in the 2022 U16 and sixth in the 2022 U18 Asian Championships.

Reyes was finally able to get the preparation he wanted for the 2023 U16 Asian Championship which started with a nationwide tryout and was followed by five months of training. 

They won the 2023 SEABA tournament before going on a dream run by beating South Korea in the playoffs and upsetting Japan in the quarterfinals to reach the final four and book a ticket to the 2024 FIBA U17 World Cup in Istanbul, Turkey. 

Unfortunately, Kieffer Alas, a member of Asia’s All-Star Five, suffered a knee injury days before the start of the tournament, leading to a winless campaign.

This happened again prior to the FIBA U18 Asian Championship where Andy Gemao suffered a hand fracture as Gilas Youth settled for a 10th-place finish. – Rappler.com