BARANGAY Ginebra coach Tim Cone hit two birds with one stone last Wednesday when he watched Alab Pilipinas’ game against Chong Son Kung Fu at the Sta. Rosa Multi-Purpose Complex.
Cone went mainly due to an invitation of a friend, who came to watch Chong Son’s Filipino-American import, Caelan Tiongson.
That gave Cone an opportunity to watch resident Ginebra import and current Alab reinforcement Justin Brownlee, who helped the Philippine side come out with a thrilling overtime victory.
“My friend was a friend of Tiongson…We went together, so I could watch Justin and he could watch Tiongson,” Cone said after the Gin Kings’ 103-77 win over Kia exactly a week later. “It just happened that we found out that night that San Miguel was going to be taking over, so it was kind of an opportune time to go.”
“Basically, I went there to watch Justin play, just greet him,” he added. “I saw him here (MOA Arena) after we lost a game, and I kind of ignored him, because I was angry at the loss (to Blackwater), so I wanted to go and support him.”
The visit also gave Cone a chance to look at some prospects, including Tiongson, who Alab coach Jimmy Alapag compared to retired energy guy Rudy Hatfield.
“I wasn’t (scouting). Chance scouting, yeah,” Cone said. “I thought Tiongson played really well. Obviously, I noticed him because of my friend. That (Lawrence) Domingo played well.
“I don’t know if they’ll be able to get in the league, but if they do, they’ll make impacts,” he added.
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