Coach Tim Cone has the blessing of his predecessor, Coach Chot Reyes, to lead Gilas Pilipinas in the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China.
"He gave me his blessing. He told me that he thought that I was the best guy for the job so that gave me the confidence to step up," Cone said on Thursday, September 7, during a press conference at headquarters of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) in Libis, Quezon City.
Cone takes the helm of the national team after Reyes announced that he will 'step aside' as head coach of Gilas Pilipinas.
Reyes made the announcement on Saturday, September 2, after the Filipinos ended their campaign in the 2023 FIBA World Cup with a win against China, 96-75, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Cubao, Quezon City.
Netizens clamored for the resignation of Reyes from the Philippine team after the hosts suffered defeats in their first four games in the 19th World Cup.
Cone, who has 25 PBA championships under his belt, stressed that he will only serve as 'interim' head coach of the national team for the Asian Games due to the closeness of the Asian Games
The 19th Asian Games will officialy open on September 23, and run until October 8.
"At this point, I'm just interim for the Asian Games, and then give SBP time to really explore and figure out the direction which they want to go," said the winningest coach of the PBA.
