Chot Reyes airs frustration over subpar playing conditions in Cambodia

Gilas Pilipinas Men’s team head coach Chot Reyes aired his frustration over the subpar playing condition of the basketball court used for official games in the 32nd Southeast Asian Games currently being held in Cambodia.

Reyes voiced his concern over the sweltering heat and the taraflex flooring of the Elephant Hall 2 at the Morodok Techo National Stadium after Gilas forward Calvin Oftana slipped through a wet portion on the floor and sustained a calf injury.

“It’s really dangerous you saw it right in the middle of the plays, players are just going to be slipping. It’s really not an ideal circumstance,” said Reyes shortly after the national team’s 94-49 win over Malaysia.

“We’re just telling the players that all of the team are undergoing the same conditions but honestly we shouldn’t even be playing on that sa totoo lang we shouldn’t even be playing on a surface like this,” he added.

Gilas’ game against the Malaysians was scheduled at 1:00pm (Cambodia time) and the extended time on the court coupled by the lack of air conditioning resulted in excessive sweat on the floor.

“Unfortunately we had a casualty right away, Calvin Oftana strained a calf muscle and that’s why we didn’t play him anymore in the second half. That play I think he slipped parang wala sabi nya and then later on naramdaman na niya so I hope it’s nothing serious but calf strains are no joke,” said Reyes.

While reminding his players to focus on the things that they can control, Reyes couldn’t help but call the attention of the SEA Games organizers for the appalling playing conditions.

“I don’t understand why they allowed this situation to happen. Kung sa Pilipinas ito ni hindi tayo maglalaro sa ganto eh but that’s the situation that we are dealt with. Like we told the players, we just have to accept it and embrace it so we can make the best out of it,” said Reyes.

“There’s nothing we can do about it but I’m appealing to our authorities to do something about it because we’re putting the careers of our players at risk, just to be very honest.”