Four-time PBA MVP winner and now Philippine Sports Commissioner Ramon Fernandez believes the Philippine men’s basketball team under many-time champion coach Tim Cone is unbeatable.
“He (Cone) knows what it takes to win in the Southeast Asian Games. It can be done with an all-pro lineup and even with a mixture of collegiate stars,” said Fernandez.
Even Fernandez himself knows the thrill and joy of winning a medal for the country so he’s backing the campaign of the all-PBA players in the SEA Games.
In 1990 Asian Games in Beijing, Fernandez was part of the all-PBA team under Robert Jaworski that won a silver medal.
The men’s basketball competition will be held on Dec. 1 to 10 at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City with Fernandez expected to lead the nation in cheering for the PH cagers.
Cone formed recently the Gilas Pilipinas 15-man SEA Games pool headed by six Barangay Ginebra San Miguel players – Japeth Aguilar, Greg Slaughter, Scottie Thompson, LA Tenorio, Art Dela Cruz and Stanley Pringle.
Other players selected were June Mar Fajardo, Marcio Lassiter, Chris Ross, Christian Standhardinger, Roger Pogoy, Troy Rosario, Jayson Castro, Vic Manuel and Matthew Wright.
“We don’t want to lose this one. This is our home court. This is not the best talent, but we are trying to be the best team that we can,” said Cone, the winningest PBA coach with 21 titles highlighted by grand slam crowns in 1996 and 2013.
In the last 2017 Southeast Asian Games in Malaysia, Gilas Pilipinas was led by a mixture of professional and amateur players to win the gold.
