Jimmy Alapag and Jong Uichico will make their way back to Gilas Pilipinas for the 30th Southeast Asian Games.
“Jimmy Alapag and Jong Uichico are joining our staff. That’s the new news,” Gilas head coach Tim Cone disclosed moments after his Barangay Ginebra’s 101-103 loss to Phoenix Pulse in 2019 PBA Governors’ Cup action.
Cone said that Alapag will be part of his staff since the former Gilas captain knows plenty about ASEAN basketball thanks to his stint in the ABL as San Miguel Alab Pilipinas’ head coach.
Moreover, Cone revealed that Alapag — who had been part of Gilas’ coaching staff some time between 2016 and 2017 — personally asked SMC sports director Al Chua if he could join Cone’s staff.
Of course, the current San Miguel Beermen assistant coach received the green light from his boss.
“Jimmy’s joining because of his knowledge of the ABL and the players. He knows these guys really well. He called and asked if he could join and Alfrancis approved him,” Cone said.
Meanwhile, Uichico — whom Cone calls as one of his good pals — is an appointee by the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas, where he serves as the federation’s head of its Coaches’ Commission.
This is the first time Uichico returns to the program since his involvement in the infamous Gilas-Australia brawl in the third window of the FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers in July 2018.
Uichico was the head coach of the Filipino dribblers in the 2017 SEA Games in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
“I’ve known Jong for years and years, so we’re good buddies, but he’s basically the SBP appointee on the team. He knows the international game as well as anybody in the country,” he said.
For the PBA’s winningest coach, having the two on board is part of their goal of making everything with the national team a collaboration between two of the country’s competing conglomerates.
“We want to make this a collaboration. We don’t make this an SMC thing, we don’t want to make it a SMART thing — we want to make it a Gilas thing, a Pilipinas thing,” the 60-year-old Cone said.
Cone also revealed that current Ginebra forward Joe Devance will be part of his coaching staff since the 6-foot-7 forward is still nursing a foot injury. Devance is still wearing a protective boot up to now.
Devance has been playing for Cone since their Alaska days, so the decorated mentor believes the 37-year-old will be a good teacher especially to most of the players in the 15-man pool.
“Joe will be part of our staff as well. He’s injured, can’t play, so I asked him, ‘Why don’t you just join us and help us out?’ Because he carries big respect from the players,” Cone said.
“He knows my system probably better than anybody, including my assistant coaches, because he’s been with me for ten or eleven years. He also knows how to impart knowledge.
“He’s a good teacher. He’s always a guy teaching his teammates in practice. For me, it’s all about how quickly and how efficiently teach and learn. That will decide our success,” Cone added.
Cone said that he will bring his Ginebra coaching staff with him, except for Olsen Racela, as Cone would not want to intervene with his head coaching duties with FEU in the ongoing UAAP 82.
“My staff except for Olsen. Olsen’s still involved with FEU. I don’t want him doing FEU, and Ginebra, and Gilas. It’s too much work,” he said. “He needs to focus. Having two teams is hard enough.
“The work we make and do in Ginebra is a lot. It’s hard to justify yourself if you split that much. We want him to be able to focus on FEU as well. He will advise and talk to us,” Cone added.
“He knows the FIBA game really, but he won’t join us in all the practices. His concentration is going to stay with FEU.”
