‘If Chot goes, I go’ ­— Cone

By Robert Andaya

This was the quick response of Gilas PIlipinas assistant coach Tim Cone when asked for his comments following the growing clamor from fans to replace head coach Chot Reyes following the country’s fourth straight setback in the FIBA World Cup 2023.

The clamor is only expected to reach fever pitch with the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, China fast approaching.

But Cone, the multi-titled coach of crowd favorite Barangay Ginebra , said he is standing by Reyes’ side. 

“If Coach Chot goes, I go,” Cone told One Sports.

“Some assistant coaches join a team with the hope of eventually becoming the head coach, but that’s not me. I’m here to serve as Coach Chot’s pleasure. I’m only here to support him because I believe in him,” said Cone, the winningest PBA coach with 25 titles.

Added Cone:“I’ve been with this program for a year now, and I genuinely believe that he is still the best man for the job. I think the steps that he has taken are correct, and we’ve never really been out of any games.”

The 65-year-old Cone, who won two PBA grand slams with Alaska Milk in 1996 and San Mig Coffee in 2014, defended Reyes from critics. “If you have 12 coaches in a room, they will coach any game 12 different ways. In the Philippines, you have 110 million coaches, all with opinions. But as an assistant coach here. I’m the one who sees it up close, and I think he’s done a great job,” said Cone.

“It is really hard to win in the FIBA World Cup “because you’re going up against great teams,” concluded Cone.

The clamor for Reyes’ immediate ouster reach fever high following the Philippines’ worst defeat in four games in the World Cup —a 68-87 setback to World Cup newcomer South Sudan.

With only one game left against Asian powerhouse China, the Philippines is facing another winless campaign in the World Cup similar to what happened in 1978 when the country first hosted the world’s biggest basketball competition. The Philippines is also the first host country to lose its first three games since Colombia in 1982.

The last time the Philippines won in the World Cup was in 2014.  

Among the criticisms hurled against Reyes by fans both at the venue and the social media was his failure to spread playing time among his 12 players and his inability to make the proper adjustments during actual games.