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| Coach Tim Cone clarified that nothing is final yet if he stays as Gilas's coach. PSC-POC Media Pool (file photo) |
PASIG--Coach Tim Cone clarified on Friday night that nothing is final yet about whether he will coach Gilas Pilipinas again ahead of the February window of the FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers.
While Cone admitted to reporters that there was a conversation between him and Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas officials recently, his return to national team coaching is not yet cast in stone at least for now.
"There's nothing to ask me about here. There's nothing going on. We've had some conversations, but there's nothing that's been done so far. I think everybody's jumped a gun on this, and I think that's up to the SBP. I think they're still up in the air about it," Cone, the concurrent Ginebra head coach, said after his team's PBA Commissioner's Cup quarterfinal win against NorthPort at the PhilSports Arena.
"There's been nothing definite, and I think you have to wait for their announcement and how they want to do it if I'm the guy."
Regarding his meeting with the SBP last week, Cone said, "They interviewed me, and they've talked to me about it. But there's been no firm answer yet. So that's where we are at this point."
He then deflects anything about a formal announcement of the new Gilas coach to the SBP.
"It's not on me to announce or say anything. It's really on the SBP. [Do] you want to find out what's going on? You got to go to the source. Go to the SBP president or director, either Erika [Dy] or Sir Al Panlilio. It's not on me to say anything at this point because they're the ones that are making the decisions, not me," Cone continued.
For now, according to Cone, he is keeping his "100 percent commitment" to the Gin Kings as they look forward to a best-of-five semifinal series against the San Miguel Beermen beginning next week.
Follow him on X: @IvanSaldajeno
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