LAPU-LAPU CITY – Australia head coach Brian Goorjian believes that Gilas Pilipinas is about to go on a ‘surge’ with Tim Cone now manning the sidelines.
The decorated mentor offered that the 65-year-old is the perfect man to steer the men’s program into the future, given what he has accomplished over the past few months plus the amount of young talent at his disposal.
“I think Tim Cone is the perfect coach for the future of the Philippines basketball,” he told reporters during the East Asia Super League”s (EASL) Future Champions basketball camp at the Hoops Dome here.
“He’s been there. He knows the system. He knows the players. He’s respected. He’s smart, knowledgeable,” Goorjian furthered.
The long-time Boomers coach has definitely known a lot about Cone, having figured in a coaching battle against him in the 2022-23 PBA Commissioner’s Cup Finals that saw Ginebra beat Bay Area in seven games.
“I only have one year but there’s no one I have more respect for in the game of basketball in the Philippines than Tim Cone,” he said.
“And again, I talked about the environment for our team and our coaching staff to learn. And I learned that in a tremendous amount. And I hope in turn, that we gave something back to the Philippines that they picked up.”
Goorjian is aware of what he’s done with the national team, too — from steering the country to its first Asian Games men’s hoops title in over 60 years, to a 2-0 sweep of the FIBA Asia Cup 2025 Qualifiers’ opening window.
Making him all the more excited for the Filipino dribblers moving forward is the amount of young talent present such as Kai Sotto and Kevin Quiambao, both of whom suited up in Window 1 against Hong Kong and Chinese Taipei.
The La Salle forward is also someone Goorjian knows well, having mentored him in Strong Group in the Dubai International Basketball Championship last January saw the Philippine-based side settle for a runner-up finish to Al Riyadi.
“Tim Cone was somebody that I learned from,” the 70-year-old coach said. “And his success in the Asian [Games], and now what he’s done already in the window, I just think that the Philippines is gonna go on a surge.
“They’re introducing new young players to their team — Sotto, Kevin — so there are some new, young, exciting players to enter into the Philippines’ team.”
(C) FIBA.basketball
Cone’s appointment has set up the possibility of another meeting with Goorjian, albeit on the international stage leading their respective national teams.
But wherever and whenever that may be, the Sydney Kings head coach in the Australian NBL is just excited to see how this part of Asia grows given the recent developments in basketball, like what he mentioned about the Philippines.
“I’m with Australia, I wanna win a medal at those Olympics but I also love seeing this region getting better. I’m excited about what’s going on in Japan. And I think Tim Cone’s hiring is really big for the Philippines,” he said.
