Tim Cone, the Philippine Basketball Association’s (PBA) winningest head coach, will be calling the shots for Gilas Pilipinas in the 19th Asian Games, the Inquirer learned on Thursday.
Barangay Ginebra’s revered head coach will be joined by his club deputy Richard del Rosario, according to sources.
Alfrancis Chua, the San Miguel Corporation’s sports director and the Gin Kings’ governor in the PBA Board, will be the squad’s manager.
Another source said the order came from San Miguel’s president and chief executive officer, Ramon S. Ang.
The Asian Games kicks off on September 23 in Hangzhou, China, with the basketball tournament tipping off three days later. Gilas, which finished fifth in the last edition held in Jakarta, Indonesia in 2018 under the guidance of Yeng Guiao, will open its campaign against Brunei.
The composition of Gilas will be unveiled later today by the country’s basketball leaders in the press conference at the PBA’s office in Libis, Quezon City.
Whether Cone’s stint is only a stop-gap measure remains to be seen. He was tapped as a transitional head coach when the Philippines hosted the 2019 Southeast Asian Games. That team crushed the competition.
Cone served as an assistant coach to Chot Reyes in the Fiba World Cup. Reyes has stepped down from the post after a campaign that he deemed as a failure.