Josh has been carving out his own legacy for years.
Josh Reyes has been on the receiving end of vitriol and unnecessary hate for being the son of former Gilas Pilipinas coach Chot Reyes. Some would even go as far as assuming that the younger Reyes was only placed as coach of the Gilas Youth because of his father.
One quick search online though would reveal that coach Josh has been a part of the program since 2018. In fact, Reyes has been involved in three FIBA World Cups, including U17 and U19 in his time with the Gilas Youth (formerly Batang Gilas).
That's why Josh downplays the credits he's been receiving for leading the Gilas Youth to a final four finish in the 2023 FIBA U16 Asian Championship where the squad booked the ticket to the 2024 FIBA U17 World Cup.
"In terms of qualifying for the (FIBA) World Cup, it's just that with all the social media attention, it's getting pumped up a little bit. Really, this is my, in my years being involved with Batang Gilas, I've already qualified for three World Cups," Reyes said in One Ph's Power and Play.
Josh admitted though that he cannot fully escape the shadow of his more celebrated father.
"It will always be something. I cannot say, sit here, and truthfully tell you that everything that's happening around, all the negativity—does it matter? It does. We are human being, we live through it everyday."
Instead of dwelling on that and putting himself at the center of the issue, Josh focuses his energy on the work to help the next generation of Philippine national team hoopers.
For Reyes, the narrative and spotlight should not be on him but on the young talents they are guiding.
"I just want the narrative to be all about how the boys worked," he said.
"After we qualified there's a lot of narrative like stepping out of the shadow or proving people wrong. That wasn't the goal. The goal of this team was playing well and playing well together, playing the right way, and represent the Philippines. We believe that the focus should be how these players sacrificed and prepared, and they were able to perform when they needed to perform."