Gilas Pilipinas coach Chot Reyes coached in his last Southeast Asian (SEA) Games.

The multi-titled mentor revealed this after the Philippine men’s basketball team defeated Cambodia, 80-69, to win the gold medal in the 32nd SEA Games in Phnom Penh.

“Win or lose, this was going to be my last SEA Games. I promised I’ll never coach in the SEA Games anymore,” Reyes said.

“At least, I will go out with a gold medal,” he added.

Their triumph against Cambodia gave Reyes a measure of redemption. He came under fire last year when Gilas Pilipinas settled for silver in the Hanoi SEA Games following an 85-81 loss to Indonesia in their final assignment.

And he received even more criticism after the Philippines suffered a 79-68 loss to Cambodia in the group stage, with no less than Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas Chairman Emeritus Manny Pangilinan calling the result “disgraceful.”

That loss ultimately worked in their favor, Reyes said.

“A lot of people doubted this team the first time we lost. But the first words I told them when we lost, this was the one we could afford. I thought that was the loss that we needed,” he said.

Gilas went on to exact revenge against Indonesia in the semifinals, erasing a double-digit deficit behind Justin Brownlee to take an 84-76 win.

Against Cambodia in the gold medal game, they clamped down defensively. They limited the host team — filled with naturalized players — to just 11 points in a pivotal second quarter to take control of the contest.

“We kept this team of what, five, six American imports to below 70 points, that is great defense, man,” Reyes said.

Gilas went on to lead by as much as 13 points and responded well to Cambodia’s run in the second half en route to their return to the SEA Games throne. (ABS-CBN News)