By REYNALD MAGALLON
Barangay Ginebra head coach Tim Cone has a knack for bringing in an import who would turn out to be one of the greats in the PBA.
So when Tony Bishop reminded Cone of someone from the best imports he handled, everyone knew that the new partnership between the former Meralco import and Ginebra is off to a promising start.
Filling in the big void left by the absence of Ginebra resident import Justin Brownlee, Bishop made a good account of himself after finishing with 34 points and 12 rebounds in Ginebra’s 100-86 win over Converge.
It was a performance that hardly surprised Cone especially seeing how the 32-year-old import works in practice – a work ethic that even reminded him of Alaska great and his former import Sean Chambers.
“He has a high basketball IQ. He works really hard in practice every day, he wins all of our drills, and he kind of reminds of a little bit of Sean Chambers in practice. Sean would never lose a drill either,” said Cone.
“He’d come to work every day in practice and it carries over to the game. Players see that in practice. That gives them confidence in the game,” he added.
While the similarities between the two ends there, given with how successful Chambers was in the PBA, an owner six PBA titles and one-time Best Import award, Bishops solid outing in his first outing with Ginebra is a step towards the right direction in terms of making his case as one of the great imports that came ashore.
Cone, for one, felt he has the potential to be a good fit for the team although the veteran coach stressed that it will still be a work in progress.
“We didn’t feel like Tony was the foreign to us when he came to the team. We felt we had a really good feel for the kind of game he plays and the personality he has. Of course, you see a little bit more close up, but from a distance and being in that championship series with him, we learned a lot about him,” noted Cone
“I think he has the potential to be a really, really good fit for us. But again, it’s a work in progress still,” he added.
The rest of the Kings are very much welcoming of their new import despite being used to playing with Brownlee for the past seven years. They are making sure to have their part in easing Bishop into the flow of things at Ginebra
“Christian, Japeth, they’re trying to figure out how to mix with him and the guards are trying to find the best spot for him. But we’re confident that it’s going to work out well,” said Cone.
