MVP more nervous than Chot

MANILA, Philippines - The man behind the country’s hosting of the 27th FIBA Asia Championship did not mince words when asked if he feels the pressure inside.

“Yes,” said Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas president Manny V. Pangilinan during yesterday’s well-attended luncheon at the Mall of Asia Arena.

For Pangilinan, better known as MVP, there is tremendous pressure in just hosting the top-caliber event that was last held in the country exactly 40 years ago.

But there is even greater pressure in the fact that when it was held at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum in 1973, the Filipinos were crowned champions.

Pangilinan is bankrolling Gilas Pilipinas, a star-studded team made up of PBA players, in its bid to make it to the top three and earn a slot to the 2014 World Championship in Spain.

It’s not an easy task.

As hosts, the SBP will also take care of the more than 200 foreign participants, from the players to team officials and their respective VIPs for the duration of the tournament.

And it doesn’t involve loose change.

During the luncheon, Pangilinan sat in the middle of the presidential table together with FIBA Asia secretary-general Hagop Khajirian and other distinguished guests.

In front of them, representatives of five of the 15 competing teams – Iran, Jordan, Kazakhstan, China and the Philippines – were seated.

It included Gilas Pilipinas head coach Chot Reyes, who was also asked about the pressure of matching or surpassing the country’s fourth-place finish behind China, Jordan and South Korea in 2011 in Wuhan, China.

“Thanks for the pressure,” said the coach, “but this is really very, very difficult.”

“There’s not going to be one easy game here. And when we talk among ourselves in the team the way to handle pressure is to acknowledge that it is there. We cannot deny it,” Reyes added.

Reyes looked to his left and saw his counterparts from four of the teams that can give him a big headache in the tournament.

“There’s the pressure that we put on ourselves but the bigger pressure will come from these teams in this table. That’s the bigger pressure and we have to be ready for that,” he said.

Pangilinan listened as the Filipino head coach talked about the pressure.

Yes, he feels it deep inside.

“I’m more nervous than Chot in fact,” said MVP.