Coach Tim Cone took to Twitter on Sunday night to express his deep appreciation for two stars who have wrapped up their illustrious PBA careers.
The 62-year-old tipped his hat to both Peter June Simon and Cyrus Baguio, guards whom he has won championships with and who helped him become the league’s only 23-time champion coach.
“I loved those two and I hope they know my appreciation!” Cone wrote in a tribute Tweet.
His Tweet came on the heels of reports that Baguio has decided to call it quits after playing 17 years in Asia’s pioneering pro league.
‘Skyrus” career is crowned by three titles, one of which was the 2010 Fiesta Conference with Alaska – that was then mentored by Cone.
Baguio’s decision to hang up his sneakers for good came months after Simon announced his own retirement via Instagram.
The guard nicknamed The Scoring Apostle won a total of five championships with Cone, including of course the rare Grand Slam in 2014.
Baguio and Simon, both 40, were supposed to have their one last hurrah with their mother teams NLEX and Magnolia, respectively, last season.
Unfortunately, the coronavirus pandemic struck, forcing the league to suspend play for over eight months. It later resumed in a bubble setup in Clark.
Many then waited to see if the former All-Stars would join their teams until Simon made the announcement last September. Baguio, meanwhile, opted not to join, citing personal reasons, eventually leading to his decision to retire.
Cone lamented that it was “sayang” that the two celebrated players did not have the kind of exit they fittingly deserve.
“It’s sayang that players like PJ and Cyrus didn’t have a chance to play their last year because of the pandemic, and not be able to feel their fan’s appreciation on the court.”
