THE big man anchoring coach Tim Cone’s famed triangle offense has always proved to be one of the keys to gaining success.
Now the National coach has a new reason to be ecstatic—the reclassification of 6-foot-10 center Quentin Millora-Brown from naturalized into local.
“I think he fits tremendously well within our triangle system,” Cone said on the Power and Play program hosted by former PBA chief Noli Eala. “I think he’s really going to enjoy playing that position in the triangle.
“I think our big men really enjoy being within the triangle,” he added.
The FIBA ruled last week that the highly-touted Fil-Am can suit up for Gilas Pilipinas as a local, which will allow the likes of Justin Brownlee and Ange Kouame to take the Philippine five’s naturalized spot
Cone, the winningest tactician in Asia’s pioneering pro league, likened the likely addition of the former University of the Philippines standout as tabbing the top pick overall in the Draft.
But that doesn’t mean he is keen on overhauling the national team training pool.
“Picking up a QMB is like picking up a No. 1 pick in the Draft for us. That’s awesome. You’ve got to make room for him,” Cone said of the Millora-Brown, who plays for the Macau Black Bears. “We’re going to look at the line-up and try to make tweaks here and there.
“Would it be smart to do a wholesale, find eight new guys? No, there are still eight, nine, 10, 11 of these guys are still the best players in the country.”
A big problem—but a good one—now gnaws at Cone.
“But there’s definitely some guys out there that might be able to contribute in a bigger role or in a more important role,” he said. “These are the things that over the next couple of weeks, we’re going to get together with the SBP and our staff, and discuss.
“QMB is going to obviously be one of the changes, (and) bringing Kai (Sotto) back into the line-up.”
While the jury is still out on Millora-Brown’s anticipated Gilas stint, having a 24-year-old inside presence to form a towering frontline along with 7-foot-3 Sotto, 6-foot-10 AJ Edu, and 6-foot-8 Carl Tamayo can only bring hope to this cage-crazy country.
