PBA All-Star: Cone’s Minda 5 faces ‘bigs’ of Phl team

DIGOS CITY – For PBA Mindanao All-Star coach Tim Cone, the kickoff leg of the 2018 PBA All-Star series is like the Philippine team versus Team Australia.

“We’ll be playing a team like the Australians, we’ll play like the Nationals,” said Cone ahead of the Mindanao-Smart All-Stars match at the Davao Del Sur Coliseum here tonight.

“Right now, we’re figuring out how to play Mac Belo at center and Sonny Thoss at forward. PJ Simon will be the small forward while Jio Jalalon and Mark Barroca are our guards. They would have to figure out how to guard June Mar Fajardo, Japeth Aguilar, Gabe Norwood and all that stuff. We’ll have fun with it,” Cone also said.

Simon, Scottie Thompson, Allan Caidic, Kenneth Duremdes, Special Assistant to the President Bong Go, Presidential son-in-law Mans Carpio and Major Michael Sabsal are among those featured in a special three-point shooting competition that precedes the 7 p.m. All-Star Game. Sen. Manny Pacquiao was also supposed to compete but may miss the event due to an important task in the Senate today.

But the All-Star Game should be enough to excite the fans.

“It’s always fun coaching the All-Star Game. There’s no pressure but you want to put on a good show and you want to make it close. You would make sure to entertain the fans and get the players to showcase their skills,” said Cone.

For the Smart All-Stars, it’s an opportunity to work with one another, improve their bonding and help their preparation for the national team’s coming matches with Chinese Taipei and Australia in the third window of the FIBA World Cup qualifier.

Team Phl has started its Monday practices two nights ago at the Meralco Gym. But there are a number of no-shows.

For the Digos game presented by Phoenix Fuel with Phoenix Pulse Technology, Troy Rosario and RR Pogoy will be absent as they’re left behind in Manila to practice with Christian Standhardinger and Stanley Pringle in preparation for their campaign in the FIBA 3X3 World Cup at the Philippine Arena on June 8-12.

Calvin Abueva, Carl Bryan Cruz, Allein Maliksi, Matthew Wright, Kiefer Ravena, Terrence Romeo and Jayson Castro are the other players at coach Norman Black’s disposal in the Smart-All Stars team in this event backed by Peak Sports Apparel, Molten, PBA Rush-Cignal, Nature’s Spring, TAGHeuer, Gatorade, and Rain or Shine.

Thompson, Baser Amer, Poy Erram, RR Garcia and Carlo Lastimosa, meanwhile, complete the regional all stars that will try to duplicate the 114-114 deadlock the Mindanao squad scored versus the Nationals over in Cagayan de Oro City last year. The then Phl team won the two other matches versus the Luzon All Stars in Lucena and against the Visayan All Stars in Cebu in 2017.