SEA GAMES NO ‘SLAM DUNK’
As he came on board as Gilas Pilipinas head coach in the Southeast Asian Games, Barangay Ginebra’s Tim Cone cautioned the Filipino cagers against thinking it will be a “slam dunk” in the basketball competitions of the biennial meet on home soil.
Cone, who was officially appointed to the position yesterday by the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP), said teams like Indonesia and Thailand have improved a lot and have beefed up with naturalized players as they bid to topple the Philippine dynasty in the biennial event.
“I know my good buddy, Rajko (Toroman) is coaching Indonesia. He’s gonna have a good naturalized player and they’re going to be tough there. He’s been there already for the last few months. I also understand Thailand got a really good naturalized player,” he noted.
The winningest coach in the PBA credited the Asean Basketball League (ABL) for helping Gilas’ rivals level up.
“The ABL has really helped the Southeast Asian teams grow on their basketball. They got a lot of exposure and they play with imports and imports are willing to come in and be their naturalized player so it’s not a slam dunk by any means,” he said.
“It always seemingly has been in the past but it’s getting harder and harder. Just like in the 50s , the Asian Games was a slam dunk for us and it got harder and harder and harder. So now it’s getting harder. Basketball’s growing more around the world, even to Southeast Asian teams,” he added.
Cone had previously coached the Philippine Centennial Team in 1998, leading the side to the Jones Cup crown but falling short and settling for bronze in the Asian Games.
The two-time grand slam-winning mentor is thankful for being tapped for national team duties.
“Even though my appointment is just a stop-gap measure and a short-term commitment, I am incredibly honored and proud to be selected to coach in the SEA Games. I’m very happy to help in any way,” Cone said.
He expects to sit down with the SBP over the next couple of days to “come up with a plan of attack in terms of preparation.”
“We’re hoping by the end of the week, we’ll have a pool of players working together at full force,” said Cone, who at this point is unsure if he will have an all-pro team at his disposal or a pro-am combo. He knows how precious the basketball gold is to Filipinos. “I know that as well or better than anybody else. I’ve been there, done that, or actually I’ve been there and didn’t do that so if this position goes in, I hope I’ll do it this time,” he said.
The SBP is charting a new course for the Gilas program after the debacle in the recent FIBA World Cup in China.
“We should keep moving forward with the Gilas program. We should keep improving even if it’s just incrementally,” said SBP chairman emeritus Manny V. Pangilinan.