By REYNALD MAGALLON
A battle of the best basketball minds will highlight Sunday’s PBA double-header. That’s for sure.
So there will be no scarcity of greatness when two legendary bench tacticians figure in a much-anticipated chess match as the Barangay Ginebra San Miguel of coach Tim Cone takes on the still undefeated Bay Area of Australian coaching great Brian Goorjian in the 2022 PBA Commissioner’s Cup at the PhilSports Arena in Pasig City on Sunday, Oct. 9.
Arguably two of the most successful coaches in the region, Cone and Goorjian will finally get the chance to coach against each other when the Kings take their crack at slaying the Dragons in their marquee duel at 6:45 p.m.
A fitting appetizer to the main event is also set as San Miguel eyes breakthrough against Rain or Shine in the first offering at 4:30 p.m.
Cone, who owns the distinction of being the winningest coach in the PBA with 24 titles including two Grand Slams, is thrilled to face ‘a very successful coach’ in Goorjian who seemingly won it all in every stage he has coached.
“He’s someone I’ve always heard and someone I’ve always wanted to meet and I’ve never met him. He’s basically a legend. He’s done everything,” Cone said of the six-time Australia NBL champion coach and six-time NBL Coach of the Year.
“He’s coached in the NBL, he’s coached in the States, he’s coached internationally, and he’s been really successful. Literally everywhere he’s gone, he was successful, and obviously, he’s successful right here with us. He’s a fantastic coach,” added the multi-titled coach.
Goorjian, likewise, holds Cone in high regards, saying that it’s an honor to coach against a well-respected coach not just in Asia but also in the US.
“When I was in Australia, when I went to the summer league, he was around Miami, the reputation he built, you hear all through Asia, all through to the United States, he’s just a very well respected man, as a coach and as a person and as a developer of talent. So as a coach, it’s fantastic to get the opportunity to play against a team like that, in the coach like that,” said Goorjian.
The Australian coach who steered the Boomers to a bronze medal finish in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics is bracing for a tough match against the PBA’s crowd darlings especially since the Dragons will be making a huge adjustment when Andrew Nicholson takes on the place of Myles Powell in the next four games starting their match against the Kings
“From our side, staff, everybody, nothing but respect for what he’s done here and what he does with his team and we know they’re the fan favorite so it should be a great atmosphere and we just hope you know again, we can make this as a contest”
