Pag-boo at kantiyaw ng fans kay coach Chot, foul!

ni Gerard Arce - @Sports | August 31, 2022

Hindi nagustuhan ng mga manlalaro ng Gilas Pilipinas ang ginawang pangangantiyaw ng mga fans at manonood kay head coach Chot Reyes, higit na si Filipino-American at Utah Jazz guard Jordan Clarkson sa nagdaang laro kontra Saudi Arabia sa 2023 FIBA World Cup Asian qualifier sa MOA Arena sa Pasay City noong Lunes ng gabi.

Naglabas ng saloobin ang 30-anyos na tubong Tampa, Florida sa patuloy na pagbato ng kritisismo sa six-time PBA coach of the year awardee kasunod ng 84-46 na pananambak sa Saudi, na lubhang nararamdaman din ng bawat manlalaro sa koponan.

“He’s part of us and he’s one of us,” wika ng 2021 NBA Sixth Man of the Year awardee.

“Booing him in the crowd, whatever is going on, I’m not here a lot throughout the years so I don’t really know what’s going on. But seeing these last days, he kinda received some boos here and skip my language, I don’t know if I’m getting fined by FIBA for cussing but yeah, he’s our coach. He’s one of us. He works hard. He put us all together. From when I’ve been here, he poured it all out in the game.”

Naiintindihan ni Clarkson ang ginagawang sakripisyo at pagmamahal sa pampalakasan ng Tropang Giga chief tactician na ipinagsasabay din ang pagmamando sa koponan na kasalukuyang sumasabak sa PBA Philippine Cup Finals kontra San Miguel Beer at ang dedikasyon sa national squad.

Lubos naman ang pasasalamat ni Fil-Am Dwight Ramos sa suporta ng 19,829 na fans na nanood sa MOA Arena, pero nakiusap siya sa fans, “Thank you for coming out and supporting, but if you're gonna support us, I'll appreciate you guys not booing our coach,” wika ng 23-anyos na tubong West Covina, California. “We're all together as one and I really didn't appreciate that. It wasn't a good way for us to start the game.

So, if you're gonna support us, support all of us cause we're all in one team.”

Maging si Kiefer Ravena ay nadismaya rin sa inugali ng fans sa coach, "Syempre bilang bayan, 'di mo talaga maa-appreciate 'yung ganun kahit sino naman, kahit anong nangyayari. Maiintindihan namin kung nasa abroad kami pero nandito tayo sa Pilipinas."