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| We may have seen a preview of what Jayson Castro will be like as a coach. FIBA |
By Ivan Saldajeno
MANILA--We may have to wait if Jayson Castro, arguably the best point guard in the PBA and even in Asia right now, will become a good coach.
But on Friday night, he gave us a glimpse of his coaching chops.
While Matt Wright was taking free throws in one juncture of the game, Castro asked for the whiteboard and mapped out a play for his teammates.
"Yun yung play namin [with Coach Chot Reyes] before. I realized na magiging effective [siya] kasi [Japan denies] the shooters," Castro explained the said move after the game in Tokyo.
He further said that Japan's zone defense stifled Gilas for most of the second half, when the Philippine side lost a 14-point lead, forcing him to literally draw the play.
"Yung defense nila, sobrang effective," Castro continued.
For Reyes, he was fine with it.
"That's the kind of relationship we have. He always teaches me what to do, and it's my job to follow him only," he jokingly said.
Turning serious, however, he continued, "Every player has that right to come in and tell the coaches what they're seeing on the floor because they're the ones on the floor. I thought it was a big adjustment for us because Japan had a very effective zone defense against us."
On what play Castro actually mapped out, both him and Reyes jokingly said, "Secret!"
Whatever that is, however, it was effective as Gilas held on to a 77-71 win.
[Related Story: Gilas opens FIBA WCQ campaign with hard-fought win at Japan]
"Coach Jayson" dropped a game-high 20 points on 7-of-13 shooting together with seven rebounds and six assists.
But none was bigger that his last five points, which highlighted the game-deciding 9-2 run that put the result beyond doubt.
Follow him on Twitter: @IvanSaldajeno
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