HEFTY guards in Gilas Pilipinas coach Tim Cone’s squad hold the key in his defensive game.
That explains why the National team tactician prefers to go big when it comes to his backcourt.
“I’m just a little bit different when I look at defensive matchups first,” Cone said. “I like big guards, so I don’t get overwhelmed defensively.
“That’s important to me as it’s just my system–the way I coach and the way I see the game,” he added.
Cone said his coaching philosophy differs from other strategists.
“If you asked (former Gilas coach) Chot Reyes, he wouldn’t demand big guards as he likes speed and the open court,” Cone said. “If you ask most coaches, I think they’re gonna be that way. That’s why (we got) a (Chris) Newsome, a Dwight Ramos.
“Other guys, like Matthew Wright, would’ve been great for us or some guys who can play guard and transition back and be bigger, which we saw in Dwight.”
But there’s an exception to the likes of Newsome (6-foot-2) and Ramos (6-foot-5)–former MVP and Cone’s prized cager in Ginebra in the PBA, Scottie Thompson, and San Miguel Beer star CJ Perez.
“Scottie was like the limit. Even though he is 6-foot-1, he plays a lot bigger than that,” Cone said. “His ability to get up off the floor and his strength. That was basically the limit that we were looking at CJ, because of his athleticism.”
The Filipino cagers fell two victories short of a Paris Games slot after a surprise semifinals stint in the Olympic qualifying tournament in Riga earlier this month.
They resume their bid in the Asia Cup qualifiers in a pair of home games against New Zealand on Nov. 21 and Hong Kong three days later at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay.
The ultimate prize for Cone and his 12-man team is the World Cup in Qatar in 2027 and the Los Angeles Olympics four years from now.
While changes could still happen to his squad, Gilas’ present young core should be shoo-ins in the future.
“You never know. I said that the 12 guys we have now, the way the team is now could be different three or four years from now. Every team evolves, changes and gets better. So, hopefully, we do that with this team,” he said.
