GILAS Pilipinas head coach Tim Cone explained that personnel considerations, limited preparation time and his unfamiliarity with the team’s system led him to hand over the primary play-calling duties to his coaching staff following the team’s loss to Bahrain.
In an interview with Fastbreak columnist Homer Sayson, Cone said Gilas adopted a system different from the one he normally teaches because of the makeup of the roster and the short period available to prepare for the Asian Games.
“Because of the personnel on the team and the short preparation time, we decided to go with a different system from what I usually teach,” Cone said.
Cone also admitted that he was not involved in the early stages of the team’s preparation because of his responsibilities during the FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers.
“Plus I wasn’t with the team in the beginning of their preparation since I was so immersed with the (FIBA) Window,” he said.
After joining the team in South Korea and coaching its first friendly, Cone initially decided to take charge. However, he eventually felt that his lack of familiarity with the system was affecting the team’s progress.
“Once we reached Korea and after we played our first friendly, I decided to step in and lead the team. However, I just never felt comfortable coaching the nuances of the system and I felt I was holding the team back,” he said.
Cone then returned the lead coaching responsibilities to his staff, saying the decision was made in the team’s best interest despite it not being his preferred approach.
“So I gave the lead back to the staff. It was not something I wanted to do, but I felt it was better for the team,” Cone said.
The move paid off as Gilas responded with a convincing 109-78 victory over Kazakhstan. Cone praised assistant coach Richard del Rosario, along with Josh Reyes and Jong Uichico, for their game management, while also crediting Patrick Partosa for providing valuable scouting and video analysis.
“As it turned out, the staff did a great job of preparing for Kazakhstan and coach Richard, along with Josh and Jong, did a great job of game management,” Cone said.
“We also had some great scout and video from Patrick Partosa that put it altogether. It was a great team win, even from the coaching staff,” he added.
Gilas Pilipinas will next face powerhouse China on Monday afternoon with a spot on the quarterfinals round on the line. (Adrian Co)
