FORMER Gilas coach Tab Baldwin praised Tim Cone and former Blue Eagle star Ange Kouame for their roles in the Philippines' victory in the Asian Games.
For Baldwin, Gilas' glorious triumph in the continental meet was mainly defined by the nationals' 'toughness and defense' as embodied by former Ateneo players Kouame and Chris Newsome.
See Gilas gets back at Jordan to win first Asiad basketball gold in 61 years
"Just a great win. Throw this damn thing out (stat sheet) for that game. That game was all about toughness and defense," Baldwin said.
"Tim Cone did an outstanding job manipulating that lineup. Chris Newsome's job on Rondae (Hollis-Jefferson) was otherworldly and that didn’t show up on this (stat sheet)," he added.
The 65-year-old veteran tactician said he was proud of Kouame's game-changing exploits in the gold medal match against another former player of his in the Jordan national team, Ahmad Al Dwairi, back in 2011 and 2012.
"Ange Kouame getting the minutes that he got and controlling the paint against (Ahmad) Al Dwairi who I’ve known since he was a 17-year-old kid when I was coaching Jordan. He’s a hell of a basketball player and he didn’t like Ange being out there," the Ateneo coach said.
But ultimately, Baldwin, who had two noteworthy stints as Gilas head coach (2015-2016 and 2021-2022), could not be happier for the basketball-crazed Filipino fans in a 'great day in basketball in this country.'
"Just so happy for the team. It’s not up to me to analyze it. I just admired the defense as a coach and I’m very, very happy for Tim and the staff and all the players and obviously very happy for the Filipino public," Baldwin said.
"This is a great day in basketball in this country and it should be treasured. I think, you know, stop analyzing and just enjoy it. This is a great moment. A gold medal in that competition is special."
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