OLYMPICS TARGET NI CONE PARA SA GILAS

DETERMINADO si Gilas Pilipinas head coach Tim Cone na makapasok ang national team sa Olympics.

“I’ve said it before, our goal, in my mind, is to make the Olympics,” wika ni Cone sa isang press conference nitong Lunes sa PhilSports Arena.

“I think that’s really our goal and whether it be Paris or whether it be LA in four years or five years, our goal is to make the Olympics.”

Magsisimula ang daan patungo sa pangarap na ito sa Huwebes, sa pagharap ng Gilas Pilipinas sa Hong Kong sa first window ng 2025 FIBA Asia Cup qualifiers.

Ang regional qualifiers ay bahagi ng four-year roadmap  ni Cone para sa national team, na kinabibilangan ng pagbuo ng permanenteng 12-man roster na pangungunahan ni naturalized import Justin Brownlee, kasama sina June Mar Fajardo, Scottie Thompson, Jamie Malonzo, Chris Newsome, CJ Perez, at Calvin Oftana

Nagpasok din si Cone, na ginabayan ang Gilas sa Asian Games gold medal noong nakaraang taon, ng mga kabataan sa programa tulad nina Dwight Ramos, AJ Edu, Kai Sotto, Carl Tamayo, at  Kevin Quiambao.

At ngayong may malinaw na siyang bisyon, sinabi ni Cone na panahon na para isakatuparan ito.

“I feel like I’m a caretaker of something very sacred being the head coach of Gilas. It’s something that I grew up with, I’ve seen, I’ve witnessed, I’ve been a part of in the past, I’ve watched it from 1998 all throughout the years, and I’m excited to be a part of it,” ani Cone.

“We have a vision and I think everything starts with a vision and now, we have a vision and we have a goal, now it’s all about the process of how we get there.”

Ang huling pagkakataon na nakapaglaro ang national team sa Summer Games ay mahigit limang dekada na ang nakalilipas nang sumabak ito sa 1972 edition.

Binigyang-diin ni Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) president Al Panlilio na ang kanilang  programa ay laging nakatuon sa pagpapahusay sa buong sistema.

“It’s gonna be an exciting time for Philippine basketball. We need to always get better. I think we had a good year last year after hosting the World Cup, winning the SEA Games gold, and of course winning the Asian Games gold medal with Tim,” ayon kay Panlilio.

“If we can keep these 12 players together for the next four years, that’s the objective. It starts this week.”