Barangay Ginebra coach Tim Cone said he would love to get a chance to help get Gilas Pilipinas back on its feet in international play.
Cone looms as the frontrunner to assume the coaching job vacated by Yeng Guiao after the FIBA World Cup debacle as the Samahang Basketabol ng Pilipinas tackles the immediate task of assembling a top notch squad for the forthcoming Southeast Asian Games on home ground.
There's also clamor for Cone, a two-time grand-slam winning coach in the PBA, to handle the Gilas program all the way through as SBP sets out for redemption in the 2023 FIBA World Cup the country is co-hosting.
"From what I understand they're gonna have a search committee and this (permanent Gilas job) is not what I've been asked. To be in the SEA Games, not for me to be head coach later on down the line. I mean, what a tremendous honor that would be but I have absolutely no control, I don't want any control of that. I just want to focus on helping what I can and what I can help right now is just to be the SEA Games coach in basketball," said Cone.
The multi-titled strategist, is set to meet with SBP brass Monday to hopefully finalize an agreement for what could be his second stint at the National team.
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Cone called the shots for the Philippine Centennial Team in the 1998 Asian Games and went home with the bronze medal, short of his target.
"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.
Cone maintains that the SEAG title defense will in no way be a cake walk.
"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 said.
He noted the vast improvement in the level of play of the Filipinos' Asean rivals.
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"The ABL (Asean Basketball League) 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 stressed.
"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 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. (OL)
