Chris Newsome is grateful for the opportunities that have come his way, particularly the past few years where he has become one of the players Tim Cone seems to put his trust on.
Newsome is back in the national basketball pool where the core of the team in the coming FIBA tournament will come from and his inclusion is a justifiable reward for being one of the reliable pieces in the Philippine team's success in the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou where the country won the gold for the first time after 61 years.
“I know there’s a lot of people deserving of that spot but for coach Tim to trust me, it shows that I’m doing the right thing. It shows that I’m showcasing my talents and abilities, and making it available for the country,” the Meralco guard told SPIN.ph during the VP Global Management Anniversary event.
Newsome, who was also a member of the national team that won the 2022 Southeast Asian Games gold, said he will continue to work hard to prove that he deserves his place, and hope that Cone will continue to have faith in his talent.
Having said this, Newsome said he is all in on the current setup devised by Cone and the coaching staff in which the pool will continue as a core for a period of time and not one being disbanded and rebuilt when a new coach is appointed.
He thinks this plan will create and strengthen chemistry which are essential when competing internationally.
“Not that we had a problem with it, but before, you can tell that the other teams have better chemistry. They really know each other well, they’ve been playing together on their national teams since they were 13 and 14,” he said.
“And with us, it’s kind of like a new team every time and we got to relearn and study each other and the system," he said. Chemistry is hard to develop in this kind of system, he added.
He said he is looking forwward to playing under Cone’s program, whose style he is familiar with.
“We know coach Tim, his system, and how he runs things, it makes it easy to kind of pick up where you left off, going from window to window, that’s what I’m also looking forward to,” he explained.
One of the things he quickly noticed about Cone's style is that the coach prefers continuity rather than long buildups, and wants few practice sessions than usual.
Newsome said he’s thrilled to see where this brings Gilas in the years to come.
“I already understand coach Tim and his program, it’s an honor to be there, and now, I’m one of the veterans. It’s crazy that I’m one of the ‘kuyas’ now, the next generation’s coming up and they’re in good hands,” he continued.
“I’m excited to see them grow and I’m excited to see us grow as national team.”
Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph
NOTICE ON UNAUTHORIZED AND UNLAWFUL USE, PUBLICATION, AND/OR DISSEMINATION OF SPIN.PH CONTENT: Please be notified that any unauthorized and unlawful use, publication, and/or dissemination of Spin.ph’s content and/or materials is a direct violation of its legal and exclusive rights to the same, and shall be subject to appropriate legal action/s.
