TIM Cone was just as surprised as everyone when LA Tenorio was named Magnolia's new head coach for the coming golden season of the PBA.
Not that Cone doubts the ability of his playing assistant coach, who ironically takes his first full-time coaching job for Ginebra's fiercest rival.
It’s that just he felt the Hotshots remain very competitive and continue to thrive under their former mentor Chito Victolero.
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“Surprised? Yes, only because I think coach Chito was a great coach and doing a good job,” said Cone prior to Gilas Pilipinas leaving for Jeddah, Saudi Arabia for the 31st FIBA Asia Cup.
But there’s no questioning Tenorio’s leadership and knack as far as calling the shots for a team is concerned, according to the champion coach.
“He’ll be a great coach because he is a great communicator and great with relationships,” said Cone.
Cone and Tenorio go a long way, dating back to the day when the point guard joined his coach for the first time at Alaska after being traded by San Miguel along with Larry Fonacier for the duo of Mike Cortez and Ken Bono.
They won a championship together with the Aces during the 2010 Fiesta Conference, before parting ways when Cone accepted the coaching job of the Purefoods franchise two years later.
But the two were reunited at Barangay Ginebra in 2016 as Cone joined the team upon transferring from the Star Hotshots, or four years after Tenorio was acquired by the Kings via a six-player trade.
It was at Ginebra where the two worked their magic as Tenorio served as Cone’s extension inside the court, eventually producing a total of seven championships together.
The 67-year-old Cone later named Tenorio as an assistant playing coach for Ginebra and later on, as part of the Gilas Pilipinas coaching staff.
Having worked together for close to two decades, Cone admitted there’s a part of him that left when Tenorio accepted the Magnolia coaching chores.
“I will miss him dearly. He's meant so much for me and the Ginebra team,” admitted Cone. “But he is on the right path.”
While Tenorio will be a big loss to him and the Ginebra franchise, the American mentor nonetheless, is proud seeing a protégé taking on new challenge and an even bigger responsibility.
“I’m incredibly happy for him. We have a long history together, and no one is more ready to take over a high level team than him,” he said.
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