Reyes plays down concerns over safety of team

BY NOLI CORTEZ

NATIONAL coach Chot Reyes yesterday shrugged off concerns about his RP-San Miguel team’s safety in the FIBA Asia Champions Cup in Tehran, Iran.

Much has been said about Iran’s nuclear program, raising the possibility of a pre-emptive military strikes by the United States and its allies.

Reyes, however, said any such incidents have yet to rise from the horizon, adding there’s no real cause for worry.

"Of course we’re a little concerned," he said. "Everyone wants to know if it’s safe to go there and everyone we’ve talked to said we shouldn’t worry, that it’s safe there."

One good barometer of how things will go is the presence of imports, mostly Americans, in the tourney, according to Reyes.

"It’s not us who should worry, because most of the (other) teams will have Americans as imports, dala-dalawa pa," he said. "Kahit nga mismong Iranian basketball tournament may mga American imports din."

The Champions Cup, set May 12-20, serves as a critical tune-up for the RP-San Miguel team before it flies to Ratchaburi, Thailand, for the May 24-28 SEABA Men’s Championship, the elimination tourney for the Olympic-qualifying FIBA Asia Championship in Tokushima, Japan, in July.

All the team members, except for Red Bull center Rico Villanueva and assistant coach Nash Racela, will leave via Air Emirates flight 335 at 12:20 a.m. today for the six-hour trip to Dubai. From there, it’s a two-hour flight to Tehran.

The Philippines and Iran have a five-hour time difference.

Red Bull has a scheduled game against San Miguel Beer tomorrow in Cebu City and Villanueva, accompanied by Racela, will leave the same evening and link up with the rest of the Nationals at the Leyah Hotel in Northwest Tehran.