FILE–Gilas Pilipinas’ CJ Perez. –FIBA
CJ Perez was the sole member of Gilas Pilipinas who was not given any playing time during the team’s 87-81 loss to the Dominican Republic in the opening night of the Fiba World Cup.
However, this was not intentional nor was it due to negligence.
“It’s just the natural flow of the game,” said national coach Chot Reyes when asked about Perez’s lack of playing time.
“We had players inside the court who were performing really well and we were competitive throughout the game. We bring in CJ when we need him during scoring droughts or when we need to change the dynamics of the game,” he explained.
“We were doing fine until the last five minutes and when Jordan [Clarkson] fouled out,” Reyes added.
Many thought it would make sense for Perez to enter the game when Gilas was without their key player, but Reyes believed it wouldn’t be as effective at that point.
“In my opinion, it was too late to insert someone from the bench who hadn’t played yet,” Reyes said.
Perez’s wife, Sienna, expressed her frustration over her husband’s “DNP” (Did Not Play) status that night. In a Facebook post, she wrote, “It is what it is,” but made sure to list Perez’s individual achievements as a star player for San Miguel.
Barring any complications, Perez is expected to play in the next game against Angola. This presents an opportunity for him to seek revenge against the team that caused an overtime loss for the Philippine team in the 2019 World Cup in Foshan, China.
“When the situation calls for it, I’m confident that in the next game, CJ—and even Kai [Sotto]—will be ready,” Reyes said.
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Denial of responsibility! Vigour Times is an automatic aggregator of Global media. In each content, the hyperlink to the primary source is specified. All trademarks belong to their rightful owners, and all materials to their authors. For any complaint, please reach us at – [email protected]. We will take necessary action within 24 hours.
