Tim Cone does away with neckties for PBA bubble

The Ginebra coaching staff will be in casual wear all season long. PBA Images

By Ivan Saldajeno

MANILA--Tim Cone revolutionized the PBA coaches' in-game fashion by donning a long-sleeved polo shirt and a necktie every game.

Alaska continued the tradition even if Cone left for the Purefoods franchise by having its succeeding coaching staff wear neckties.

Cone would stretch the tradition to Purefoods, now Magnolia, as evident in current coach Chito Victolero's getup--sans the necktie, though--and Ginebra, where he is now the chief tactician.

"I feel like I should be at work," Cone explained why he is doing it for years already.

However, in a strange sight on Sunday night, Cone was seen wearing a casual attire in the Barangay's PBA season opener against the NLEX Road Warriors.

While this is not the first time Cone donned a plain polo shirt if one takes to consideration his coaching stints with the national team and the PBA All-Star Game, seeing him not wearing a somehow formal getup is uncharacteristic of him.

But Cone finds the casual attire fine enough especially that the league is in a bubble that would see each team playing thrice a week.

"I think this is alright for the bubble," he further said.

Cone added that even if he is somehow "under-dressed" this time, he still has a job to do.

"Here at the bubble, we're doing work," he reiterated.

Indeed, Cone and the rest of the Ginebra crew got the job done on Sunday night after romping NLEX at the Angeles University Foundation Sports and Cultural Center.

[Related Story: Ginebra starts bubble stint with win vs. Road Warriors]

However, Cone implied that the fans should get used to seeing him and the rest of his coaching staff like that for the next games.

"We'll be doing this for the bubble," he added.

But Cone further said that this may not take long.

"I'm 99.9 percent sure that when we get back to a normal conference, I'll be back to my necktie," he quipped.

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