The Tim Cone in Gilas Pilipinas agenda has a huge supporter from overseas in the form of Australia Boomers and Sydney Kings coach Brian Goorjian.
LAPU-LAPU CITY — The vibes are immaculate right now for Gilas Pilipinas, with Tim Cone being the head coach and a perfect start to a new FIBA window cycle after twin wins over Hong Kong and Chinese Taipei.
There’s a lot of believers in the Gilas program once again, both new and returning.
As for the new supporters, count Australia Boomers head coach and former Bay Area Dragons tactitian Brian Goorjian as among the coach Tim believers.
“There’s no one I have more respect for in the game of basketball in the Philippines than Tim Cone,” Goorjian said when asked about coach Tim now being the head man for Gilas.
“Tim Cone is somebody that I learned from, and his success in the Asian Cup and now what he’s done already in the window, I just think that the Philippine is gonna go on a surge,” he added.
The two legendary coaches have had little interaction over the course of their respective careers, but both did figure in a huge canon event last year, paving the way for the mutual respect they have for each other now.
In the PBA Commissioner’s Cup Finals, Cone’s Brgy. Ginebra outlasted Goorjian’s Bay Area Dragons in a seven-game Finals series, with Game 7 at the Philippine Arena setting a new league record with 54,589 fans in attendance.
“I think Tim Cone is the perfect coach for the future of the Philippines [national team] basketball,” Goorjian added, who is back in the NBL to coach the Sydney Kings but was present here for the East Asia Super League Final Four weekend.
“He’s been there. He knows the system, he knows the players. He’s respected, he’s smart, he’s knowledgeable. I think Tim Cone’s hiring is really big for the Philippines,” he added.