'Change together': Tim Cone gives inspirational huddle message to Gilas

When Tim Cone speaks, everybody listens.

It's not a secret that Gilas Pilipinas is not yet 100% in its preparation for the FIBA World Cup. It is critical for the players and supporters to trust the process. And the process is far from easy.

That's why words of wisdom from arguably the greatest coach PBA has ever seen play a huge role in forming a group worthy of the world's stage.

Speaking during the national team's huddle in Europe, the Barangay Ginebra San Miguel head tactician, who serves as Gilas assistant coach, reminded the national team pool members what needs to be done moving forward.

"We've got to be on the same page. We can't have one guy doing this and one guy doing that and one guy doing this," Cone's iconic voice rings true in the silent gym.

Cone asked the Gilas pool, "When we change, we have to do what? When we change what do we have to do?

"Change together." One player answered softly.

Coach Tim continued with, "You have to change together, alright? Change together, and you have to do that new scheme as a group, and you have to have clear understanding of what you're doing, and you have to create habits of what you're doing."

Gilas Pilipinas now has less than two months to build a solid roster that will compete against Angola, Dominican Republic, and Italy.

"The hard part is the habit because normally we don't have a lot of time, but we have the time. We can get really good at this if we really focus in and lock in."

Cone asked the players another question, "When you see a locked-in team, what do you see about a team that's locked in?"

The 25-time PBA champion answered his own query, "When I watch a game and I see a team that's locked in, I see a team that's sprinting back on defense, I see a team that is getting low, I see a team doing all the fundamental work together. That's a locked-in team."

The goal is to see a united and "locked-in" Gilas for the FIBA World Cup because the expectations are sky high, especially with the Philippines as one of the host countries.

(GM)