Tim Cone shares the coaching philosophy that has made him a Gilas and PBA legend

Gilas Pilipinas and Barangay Ginebra San Miguel head coach Tim Cone has established himself as arguably the greatest coach in Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) history, as evidenced by his numerous achievements in the league.

Cone, who started his coaching career in 1989 with the Alaska Aces, is the most accomplished coach in PBA history with 25 titles to his name, including two Grand Slams, five Coach of the Year awards, and he holds the record for the most wins by a coach in the league’s history with over 1,000.

The 67-year-old is widely revered in Philippine basketball circles. The American mentor opened up about his illustrious career and coaching philosophy when he served as a guest speaker at an event organized by the Management Association of the Philippines at Shangri-La Fort.

“It’s something I enjoy talking about. I just try to approach it like I’m in a classroom when I’m teaching,” Cone said.

He also reminisced about the time when San Miguel Corporation’s boss Ramon Ang informed him about his transfer to Barangay Ginebra—something he was initially not too happy about.

Tim Cone:

25 (!!!!!) PBA championships
2 grand slams
4x Coach of the Year
1st coach to win 1000 games
Undisputed legacies with 3 historic PBA franchises

And he’s far from done.

🐐👑 pic.twitter.com/gIXQFLntN9

— Naveen Ganglani (@naveenganglani) January 15, 2023

“I really didn’t want to leave at that point. I remember walking out of the meeting with Mr. Butch Alejo and asking him if there was any way I could say no. And he looked at me and said: ‘Absolutely not,’” he added.

It’s worth noting that Cone was made head coach of Barangay Ginebra at a time when they were suffering from a title drought, having last won a championship in 2008 during the Fiesta Conference. Notably, under Cone’s leadership, the franchise has won seven PBA championships.

“There was a sense that players felt like there was just this big monkey on their back that they couldn’t get rid of. So we had to deal with expectations. But the bottom line was that we got them focused not on the event, not on winning the championship, but on being process-oriented. And that was how we got over the hump,” Cone added.

While he has made Barangay Ginebra a PBA powerhouse since his appointment as head coach in 2015, the franchise is currently going through a lull, with their last title coming in the 2022-23 PBA Commissioner’s Cup.

His immediate aim will be to end that title drought in the ongoing PBA Philippine Cup, with his team currently placed fourth in the standings with a 4-2 win-loss record.

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