By JONAS TERRADO
Barangay Ginebra San Miguel coach Tim Cone apologized to Rain or Shine’s Beau Belga after got into a heated verbal exchange during the second half of their PBA Philippine Cup game in Bacolor, Pampanga.
Cone said he personally went over to Belga after Ginebra’s 83-77 win and expressed regret over the incident that took place with 6:14 remaining in the third quarter of their game held at the Don Honorio Ventura State University.
The Ginebra coach earlier took offense to a Belga’s second motion which came after fouling Christian Standhardinger who was going for a basket inside the shaded lane.
“Beau just got his second motion on Christian and I said something to him and he took offense, which he should,” Cone recalled. “And then after I went over to apologize, I said ‘I shouldn’t be doing that. The opposition coach shouldn’t be saying stuff like that.’
“And I just apologized to him for what I said earlier. I just got mad at him for giving the second motion to Christian. That’s not me, I shouldn’t be doing that. So I just apologized to him,” added Cone.
He then proceeded to praise Belga for being cerebral and putting him in the same category with one of his former players with Alaska.
“Beau and I have a good relationship and no one plays a smarter game, I think, in my last 30 years of coaching, I think Beau might be the smartest player,” Cone said.
“I have to give maybe a little bit of an edge to Bong Hawkins, but Bong and Beau are the two smartest players I’ve ever seen play in the PBA just in terms of pure intelligence. And I appreciate Beau’s game.”
Belga had 12 points, six rebounds and three assists but Rain or Shine dropped to 4-4 after its second straight loss in Bacolor.