Tim Cone defends Japeth Aguilar from bashers, 'begged' him to join Gilas in FIBA OQT

"His sacrifice for country was total."

Gilas Pilipinas coach Tim Cone defended team captain Japeth Aguilar from bashers, after the veteran drew criticism in the Philippines' loss to Brazil in the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament semifinals.

Aguilar stepped up as a starter in lieu of Kai Sotto, who got injured in the game against Georgia.

In almost 19 minutes of action, the veteran big man recorded four points from two field goals, while making six rebounds, one assist, two blocks, and two turnovers.

Cone though was quick to speak up in defense of Aguilar, who wanted to let others have a chance in the first place.

"I begged Japeth to join us in Latvia. He wanted to let the young guys do it and spend more time with his wife and new baby. Kept begging him," Cone posted on X (formerly known as Twitter).

The PBA's winningest coach already knew this as early as May, since Aguilar just had his second baby.

And having worked under the Barangay Ginebra San Miguel system for so long, Aguilar was drawn in as early as the FIBA Asia Cup 2025 Qualifiers back in February as a mentor and then as a substitute for the then-injured June Mar Fajardo and AJ Edu.

[ALSO READ: Tim Cone hopes to get Japeth Aguilar again as 'crucial' part of Gilas Pilipinas] 

"When AJ Edu went down, he finally relented after more begging. He led us, he was our team captain. His sacrifice for country was total," Cone emphasized.

I begged Japeth to join us in Latvia. He wanted to let the young guys do it and spend more time with his wife and new baby. Kept begging him. When AJ Edu went down, he finally relented after more
begging. He led us, he was our team captain. His sacrifice for country was total.

— Tim Cone (@manilacone) July 8, 2024

The tactician previously admitted Kai Sotto's absence in the game against Brazil was a huge one, since they were already missing Edu as a "big man stopper". It also forced Fajardo to "overplay" minutes, giving way to exhaustion.

[ALSO READ: FIBA OQT: Takeaways from Gilas Pilipinas' loss to Brazil in the semifinals] 

The entire FIBA OQT experience though was at least a "now we know" moment for Gilas Pilipinas. Now they just need to get over that hump.

[ALSO READ: 'Now we know' | After impressive FIBA OQT campaign, Tim Cone insists Gilas needs to keep getting better] 

Next up, the second window of the FIBA Asia Cup 2025 Qualifiers in November.