SCOTTIE Thompson doesn’t mind doubling his effort when it comes to helping Gilas Pilipinas and coach Tim Cone.
Since he knows Cone’s system like the back of his hand, the 30-year-old Barangay Ginebra guard goes out of his way to guide younger teammates in the national team on the intricacies of the game plan.
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Instead of talking, he finds leading by example the best way to do so.
“Unang-una, ipinapakita ko sa practice kung ano yung mga dapat gawin bago ako magturo sa kanila kasi very crucial yun para makatulong kay coach Tim,” Thompson said on Monday during the Gilas open practice at PhilSports Arena.
Having been in the same position as the rookies just a few years back, Scottie bared he was quite impressed with this batch’s young talents such as Kevin Quiambao, Dwight Ramos, Kai Sotto, AJ Edu, and Carl Tamayo.
“Sobrang bilis naman nila turuan kasi lahat ng nandito ngayon very high basketball IQ,” he explained. “Actually nagulat kami na kahit papaano mabilis yung progress sa system ni coach Tim.”
While he teaches, Scottie continues to learn.
“Lagi samin sinasabi [ni coach Tim Cone] na think of the bigger picture ahead, hindi lang ngayon, long journey para sa amin, matagal-tagal pa kami magkakasama, failure man or success, we stay together, we play together.”
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