MANILA, Philippines – Chot Reyes will be at the helm when Gilas Pilipinas competes in the FIBA Asia Cup.

The Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) announced on Friday, July 8, that Reyes will be the national team head coach for the continental showpiece, which will be staged in Indonesia from July 12 to 24.

Reyes will be joined by Nenad Vucinic, Jong Uichico, and Sandro Soriano as his assistant coaches.

The Asia Cup will mark Reyes’ return as head tactician after he handed the coaching reins to Vucinic for the third window of the FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers due to his commitment to TNT in the PBA.

Due to this setup, Reyes previously said he will share the coaching duties with Vucinic in the Asia Cup.

But before flying to Indonesia, Reyes will call the shots for TNT in its final elimination round game in the Philippine Cup against Barangay Ginebra on Sunday.

Drawn in Group D, the Philippines will kick off its Asia Cup campaign against Lebanon on July 13 before it tangles with India and New Zealand on July 15 and 17, respectively.

Only the top team in the group will advance directly to the quarterfinals, while the two next best squads will fight for their tournament lives in the playoffs.

“The FIBA Asia Cup will be a great way to measure how much Gilas Pilipinas has improved as they face off once again with New Zealand and India,” the SBP said on its website.

“It will also be a great chance to test our young squad against another top Asian team in Lebanon in the group stage.”

The likes of Kiefer Ravena, Dwight Ramos, Carl Tamayo, SJ Belangel, and RJ Abarrientos are expected to form part of Gilas Pilipinas’ roster for the Asia Cup. – Rappler.com