Tim Cone leaves door open for Japeth Aguilar’s Gilas return

Even though Japeth Aguilar recently bid farewell to the national team, coach Tim Cone isn’t ready to call him officially retired, as he’s keeping the door open for a possible comeback.

Cone made it clear that if the need arises, especially in case of injuries or a shortage of big men, the veteran big man could still suit up for Gilas.

“He’s still on call,” Cone said. “Something happens with one of our bigs and we need another big to step in, we will continue to call him because he’s a freak of nature.”

“He knows that if we need him, he’ll come back and help us out,” he added.

Reflecting on Aguilar’s long service for the national team, Cone likened his career to a legend in boxing.

“He’s gonna be like Muhammad Ali: comeback, retire, comeback, comeback, retire, who knows?” he said.

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#WATCH: Coach Tim Cone on Japeth Aguilar’s retirement: He’ll always be on call for Gilas#ReadMore 👉 https://t.co/Mr3AZcROXW

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Cone also revealed Aguilar’s decision to hang up the Gilas jersey, saying that he and his family have been wanting to do this for a long time now.

“It just brings back the idea of how much he has contributed over the years, thinking this is the last one. But he has played so many years. As I told him, his wife Cassie, when she sees my wife, she always tells my wife, ‘Can you please allow Japeth to retire so that he can spend more time with his kids and focus on his Ginebra career?’” Cone said.

With younger big men taking the lead for Gilas, such as Kai Sotto, AJ Edu, Ange Kouame, and Quentin-Millora-Brown in recent years, Cone believes now is the right time to give his veteran big man a rest.

“And I keep saying no. I’ve said no for the last two or three years. But with Kai coming back, hopefully, in February, there’s a chance that now, we can let Japeth retire,” he said.

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