COACH Tim Cone and several Barangay Ginebra players didn’t need enough time to lick their championship wounds as they buckle down to work for the national men’s basketball team’s campaign in next week’s 32nd Southeast Asian Games.
Cone along with naturalized player Justin Brownlee rejoin Gilas Pilipinas starting this week, or just three days after the Kings yielded their PBA Governors Cup title against the TNT Tropang Giga.
Also part of the training pool along with Brownlee are Scottie Thompson, Jamie Malonzo, Japeth Aguilar, Christian Standhardinger, Stanley Pringle, and Jeremiah Gray.
“Back to work for me, Scottie, Jamie, Christian even, Justin, and Japeth as he continues to get better. Back to work for us with Gilas,” said Cone.
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After being locked in for two weeks for their best-of-seven title series against the Tropang Giga, the Kings found themselves facing another backbreaking schedule as Gilas crams in its preparations for the May 5-17 biennial showcase.
While it began its regular Monday night training late last month, the national team didn’t have the luxury of a full lineup as the Governors’ Cup playoffs was then ongoing.
One practice session before the Holy Week break was even called off after only seven players confirmed their attendance.
Head coach Chot Reyes though, is expected to call a daily practices for the team a week before it departs to Cambodia.
There was no practice for the team on Monday though, as players and coaching staff attended the sendoff for the entire Philippine delegation at the PICC.
Basketball competitions at the SEA Games are slated from May 6-16.
And so despite just having a small window for the Kings to weigh in on what went wrong in their title series against the Tropang Giga which ended in six games, Cone said they have no choice but to set aside their emotions and get back to work.
“No rest for the weary. We just keep on moving forward,” added Cone.
Gilas Pilipinas will have its work cut out for them in Cambodia as it tries to regain the men’s basketball gold which it lost in a rare moment to Indonesia during the SEA Games last year in Vietnam.
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