MANILA — Gilas Pilipinas head coach Tim Cone took responsibility for the national team’s back-to-back blowout losses to South Korea, saying the coaching staff has yet to figure out how to maximize its revamped roster with the Asian Games just days away.
The Filipinos were swept in their two-game exhibition series in Suwon, absorbing an 81-55 beating in the opener before suffering another lopsided 69-42 defeat in the rematch.
Despite the alarming margins, Cone urged against pressing the panic button, pointing out that Gilas faced a well-drilled Korean squad that had already developed chemistry through four windows of the FIBA World Cup 2027 Asian Qualifiers.
“Korea was a tough team, the same team that has played the 4 FIBA windows. We obviously couldn’t approach their level of execution and knowledge of each other,” Cone told Panay News.
Rather than pin the disappointing performances on his players, Cone accepted responsibility for Gilas’ struggles as the national squad continues to build chemistry with a largely new group.
“These losses weren’t on the players, it was on us as a coaching staff. We haven’t figured out how to best use the skills of our guys… yet,” he said.
Cone said the setbacks would serve as a learning experience for the coaching staff as it works to sharpen Gilas’ execution and better utilize its personnel before the continental competition.
“But me and our staff will be better and we’ll be better in helping our players prepare for what’s ahead,” he said. “No need to panic.”
Gilas will have little time to make adjustments before opening its Asian Games campaign against Bahrain on Sept. 11.
The Filipinos will then face Kazakhstan on Sept. 12 before taking on host China on Sept. 14./PN
