Jimmy Alapag is hoping that his recent stint as an assistant coach with the Sacramento Kings in the NBA Summer League will open the door for possible opportunities moving forward.

“I hope I’m closer, but we’ll see what happens” Alapag told former PBA commissioner Noli Eala on the latter’s program Power and Play.

Alapag said he has a scheduled meeting with the Kings front office led by general manager Monte McNair, but offered no hint as to what things will be discussed following the team’s triumph in the Summer League in Las Vegas.

“They just said they want to talk again,” he said. “But I hope that the impression I made this first two stints with Sacramento that they were able to get a chance to see not only the type of coach that I am but the type of person I am as someone who takes a lot of pride in the game and values the opportunities that I get and who’s ready to come to work.

“I’m excited to hear what they have to say and we will go from there,” added Alapag, who previously joined the Kings in the 2019 Summer League.

The Vegas stint was Alapag’s first coaching job since he and his family decided to leave the Philippines almost a year ago.

But Alapag, who had stints as head coach of Alab Pilipinas in the ASEAN Basketball League and an assistant of the San Miguel Beermen in the PBA, is not ruling out a return to the country.

“I’m always open to coming back one day and possibly coach in the Philippines again,” he said. “But at the same time while we are here, you have a family to feed and a family to take care of. So just trying to continue to be persistent, build relationships, continue to network with different people and to see what opportunities there might be.

“And for this opportunity of joining the Kings, it meant a lot. To have a more active role in this second stint with them and give some wisdom to the younger players, it was really, really cool.”