The Leo Awards that preceded the opening of PBA Season 50 honored the best of the best from last season. But not all received their much-deserved recognition, as the league only handed out awards for MVP, Most Improved Player, Rookie of the Year, All-Defensive Team, Mythical Teams, and Sportsmanship.
The rest—notably, Defensive Player of the Year, Mr. Quality Minutes, and Coach of the Year—will be given out next week when the PBA Press Corps holds its annual Awards Night at Novotel Manila. (Side note: Why these awards aren’t part of the Leo Awards is beyond us.)
Of these “other” awards, the one for Coach of the Year could be among the most interesting, as it pits a coach—Chot Reyes of the TNT Tropang 5G—who nearly led his team to a Grand Slam against the coach—Leo Austria of the San Miguel Beermen—who denied that near-historic treble. Both coaches deserve to be named Coach of the Year, for sure, and each will get his fair share of votes. But if we had one, we’d give it wholeheartedly to Reyes, and we have four reasons for voting for him:
1. Chot Reyes Reinvented Himself
No, Reyes didn’t abandon the dribble-drive offense, but he did turn himself into more of a mastermind on defense. This refocusing, we reckon, is what helped the former Gilas Pilipinas head coach complete his true masterstroke for Season 49.
2. Chot Reyes Reoriented TNT
TNT during Reyes’ first tenure with the franchise was known more for its prolific, free-flowing, hard-to-guard offense rather than its defense. This iteration of TNT in Season 49 broke that mold as it became a defensive juggernaut that could shut down even the most explosive offenses. That tenacity on defense, paired with a still dynamic offense, helped the Tropa win two titles—and take mighty San Miguel to six games in the Philippine Cup Finals.
3. Chot Reyes Outclassed the So-Called GOAT
One big reason TNT won the Governors’ Cup and Commissioner’s Cup titles is Reyes outcoaching and outclassing Barangay Ginebra San Miguel’s Tim Cone, widely regarded as the GOAT coach of the PBA. Reyes was simply masterful against his former mentor—so much so that Ginebra, down the stretch in Game 7 of the Commissioner’s Cup Finals, just kept giving the ball to Justin Brownlee while the Tropa swarmed the Barangay’s locals. Oh, and TNT did all this without heart and soul Jayson Castro.
4. Chot Reyes Piloted TNT to the Philippine Cup Finals
TNT encountered rough sailing early in the season-ending Philippine Cup, and it looked like that Grand Slam chase would end much earlier after the Tropa started 0-3. But Reyes rallied the troops, steered them to a six-game winning run, and helped them overcome the Magnolia Hotshots and Rain or Shine Elasto Painters to make it all the way to the Finals. With injuries to key players like Rey Nambatac and Poy Erram, TNT just couldn’t complete the fabled Slam. But they sure gave it a great shot, in part thanks to the brilliant coaching of Reyes.
While we believe Chot Reyes should be named Coach of the Year, it doesn’t mean Leo Austria isn’t deserving. It’s just that Reyes did such a great job for the entirety of Season 49 that he made it hard, even impossible, to look past him for this award.
