Tim Cone, the interim coach of Gilas Pilipinas, has issued an apology to former La Salle big man Justine Baltazar and Pampanga governor Dennis Pineda for his earlier comments regarding Baltazar’s exclusion from the World Cup pool.
In a series of tweets posted on his official Twitter account @manilacone, the PBA’s winningest coach aimed to provide clarification for a statement he made during a press conference when he was officially announced as the interim coach for Gilas.
“I don’t want to begin this journey with controversy, so I want to clarify my stance. I apologize to Justine Baltazar for my hasty remarks concerning his omission from the World Cup pool,” stated Coach Cone.
“I did not intend to suggest that he had no interest in playing for Gilas. Rather, I was informed that either someone from SBP (Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas) or his representatives had reached out to him, and he was unavailable. At that time, we were keen to include him, especially with uncertainties surrounding Kai. We needed big men.” The 65-year-old Ginebra mentor mentioned that he hasn’t had a chance to meet Baltazar personally but expressed admiration for the way the Pampanga native plays.
“Whether he had valid reasons for not joining us, whether there was a miscommunication, or whether he wasn’t contacted at all, I cannot confirm, as I was not part of the process to reach out to him. I spoke prematurely during the press conference. I’ve enjoyed watching Justine play for La Salle but have yet to meet him in person, and I haven’t spoken to Mr. Pineda. To both of them, I extend my apologies. My intention was never to involve Justine’s name in this controversy,” explained Cone, who has returned to the head coaching position for the Philippines, the same role he held when he led the national team to a gold medal in the 2019 Southeast Asian Games in Manila.
“In fact, during the press conference, I wanted to highlight how highly we regarded him potentially joining the pool. The young man is a talented player!” Cone has been entrusted with assembling a competitive Gilas team with just about two weeks to prepare before the 19th Asian Games commence on September 23 in Hangzhou, China.
The return of the American coach to the head coaching position for Gilas was prompted by Chot Reyes’ decision to step down shortly after the Philippines concluded its 2023 FIBA World Cup campaign with a 96-75 victory over China.
Coincidentally, Cone was the last coach to guide the Philippine team to a medal finish in the Asian Games, with the squad, known as the Centennial Team at the time, securing a bronze medal after defeating Kazakhstan in the battle for third place. (ai/mnm)
