Cone wants Gray to gain confidence, realize his importance to Ginebra

Since returning from a second ACL injury, Ginebra’s Jeremiah Gray’s progress has been slow but steady.

But progress is still progress.

Gin Kings coach Tim Cone himself is making sure they are carefully easing Gray into intense action after being out for one year and seven months.

“You've got to remember he was out for nearly two years. He had a catastrophic injury, so we've been careful with him,” said Cone after Ginebra’s 104-74 win against NLEX Sunday, Nov. 2.

“We’ve been starting him in the lineup because we want him to understand how important he is to the team. We want him to get confidence from there.”

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After a scoreless outing against San Miguel in Dubai last Oct. 26, the lanky winger quickly allayed concerns with his performance against the Road Warriors, where he collected nine points, seven rebounds, four assists and a steal.

Cone knows Gray can do more than that. But that’s up to his ward to realize.

“We want to use all of his skills. He’s got great size for his position, so he can rebound. He’s got good vision to pass. He can score outside and inside,” the outspoken mentor said.

“But he just needs to realize on his own that he could do that. We can tell him all we want, but he has to really feel it.”

Still, the 25-time PBA champion coach is happy with the steps Gray has made since returning to an active role early this year.

“I think this is another big step for him. It’s all steps forward for him. He took a step back in Dubai, but that was my fault more than his,” Cone said.

Cone believes that Gray will prove to be a problem for teams in the distant future once the 29-year-old realizes his full potential.

“We expect by the end of the conference that he’s going to be a really dynamic, impactful player for us. Teams are going to worry about him,” he said.

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Like most sportswriters, Jan Ballesteros once dreamed of becoming a professional hooper. But he learned the hard way that it’s not for everyone.

He continues to be involved in the sport he loves, but this time as a member of the PBA Press Corps. Aside from primarily covering the PBA, he is also assigned to cover Gilas Pilipinas.