Leaving Alaska was not an easy decision for Cone.
For 23 years, Tim Cone had only coached one team in the PBA—the Alaska Aces.
In that span, Cone, along with the owner Fred Uytengsu Jr., built a lasting impression that would be remembered until today.
But fast forward to 2011, it was announced that the multi-titled tactician would be leaving Alaska to coach the B-Meg Llamados (now the Magnolia Hotshots).
Nearly a decade later, many fans are still wondering why Cone decided to leave the team he once built, and the PBA’s winningest coach finally gave a cut-and-dry answer, admitting that his decision was influenced by multiple factors.
“I've been with the same organization for 23 years. It was like you're looking for new challenges,” Cone said on ClutchPoints Philippines’ Let It Fly podcast. “I think it was a combination of that, I think it was a combination of I thought that Fred was losing interest in the team.”
Out of his 25 championships, Cone won 13 with Aces.
Cone also admitted that the Alaska organization had become ‘very tight’ with one another—something that not a lot of organizations could say about themselves.
“You can't believe how tight that Alaska organization was when we were growing up together in that thing,” said Cone. “We were really tight, it was really a strong family environment. People say that all the time, but they really walked the talk.”
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Cone, however, admitted that winning with Alaska became harder and harder through the years.
It didn’t help either that Alaska had a hard time keeping some of its star players.
In 2011, the Aces had to trade key players like Joe Devance, Willie Miller, Rey Hugnatan, and Larry Fonacier in a bid to keep the team within the salary cap.
“Fred made it very clear to me from the very very beginning that we needed to do more with less. That was the challenge,” said Cone.
There was also that curiosity from Cone to see whether he could repeat his success in Alaska with a new team. Safe to say, the answer is a resounding yes.
“I wasn't sure if it was me that was helping Alaska or was it the culture there. If I pulled myself out, can I still do that stuff? Those are questions you always have and I've been there so long,” Cone pointed out.
“Coming into a new situation, could I bring that stuff and move it forward into another group of people and could I succeed there?” he added.
Years later, Cone added another 12 championships to his record, winning five with the Purefoods franchise and seven (and counting) with Barangay Ginebra San Miguel.
Suffice to say, Cone was the culture.
Watch the whole episode below:
(MDB)