Will the Hangzhou Asian Games be Cone's redemption tour?
Tim Cone has had great success whether it be in the PBA or with Gilas Pilipinas.
But even the PBA's most decorated coach admitted the harsh realties when coaching the national team.
Speaking on The Global Bounce podcast by Rafe Bartholomew, Cone shared how several eyes are fully focused on the Gilas coach to do well.
“There’s a whole bunch of people—from the guys in the Senate, to the SBP (Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas), to the POC (Philippine Olympic Comittee). Their jobs are on the line oftentimes to make sure that you’re doing your job,” said Cone.
Aside from officials being zoomed in on every little detail of the national team, expectations are also sky-high—to the point that some aren’t even attainable, according to Cone.
“There’s an immense amount of pressure around you, which makes it different for the national team,” said Cone. “The expectations are always high and there are really expectations that we can never really live up to, in my opinion.”
Prior to this upcoming Asian Games stint, Cone has only coached the national team twice—one in 1998 and the other in 2019.
But for the Barangay Ginebra San Miguel tactician, the failure to get the gold medal in the 1998 Asian Games still haunts him to this day—so much so that he’s shied away from accepting national team duties.
“Losing to [South] Korea and getting only a bronze in the Asian Games was by far the most difficult time of my life, not getting that gold medal,” said Cone.
“That’s kind of kept me away from the national team ever since. It was like touching the fire and getting burned and I’m not sure if I wanna put my hand back in that fire again,” he added.
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Cone and Gilas will have the opportunity to redeem themselves this coming Asiad. They are coming into the tournament fresh off a victory against South Korea's LG Sakers.
If the country can bring home the gold, maybe Cone could also reconsider coaching full-time for the national team.
(MDB)