Cone’s redemption

Maybe then, he will have his chance at redemption against the Koreans, or maybe even against the Chinese

One of the most iconic national teams in Philippine sports history was the 1998 Centennial Team that competed at the Asian Games in Thailand.

That was one of the first iterations of the national team that I closely followed sans the modern conveniences of reliable online connection.

I loved how the team was composed entirely of some of the biggest Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) stars.

I loved having what was then our tallest frontline composed of Marlou Aquino, Andy Siegle and EJ Feihl.

I loved having Alvin Patrimonio together with both Dennis Espino and Jun Limpot. The duo of Kenneth Duremdes and Vergel Meneses was awesome to watch. Jojo Lastimosa’s veteran composure together with the uncanny shooting of Allan Caidic was amazing.

Of course, who would forget Johnny Abarrientos who was running rings around his defenders while super sub Olsen Racela was solid.

It was such a terrific collection of talent and sheer depth of the squad that had so many Filipino basketball fans expecting a golden showing at the Asian Games.

Their victory in the 1998 Jones Cup in Taiwan further fanned the flames of those expectations and even against such traditional Asian powerhouse sides like China, South Korea and Japan, the Philippines felt they had enough to win the gold medal.

Another big reason why so many people were high on the Centennial Team was the presence of coach Tim Cone, who was and continues to be one of the brightest basketball minds in the country.

His triangle offense was so effective for the Alaska Milkmen in the PBA and fans wanted to see if it would just be as potent in the international basketball.

Die-hard Filipino hoop nuts remember what happened, of course.

The Centennial Team won their first four games against Kazakhstan, 53-52; Kyrgyzstan, 91-50; and host country Thailand, 86-90; until running into its old nemesis on South Korea.

The Centennial Team needed to beat the Koreans to avoid China in the crossover knockout semifinals and since the Koreans were devoid of any big names or NBA prospects, and because the Filipinos easily beat a slightly younger Korean team in the Jones Cup, fans were upbeat about our chances to win.

Alas, the triangle offense was rendered ineffective and our defense was torn to shreds by a hot-shooting Korean squad that made winning look easier than it should have.

One guy in particular — Moon Kyung-Eun — was red-hot in that match. He hit a bunch of threes against our boys and at some point in the fourth quarter even fancied a grin after hitting a triple, as if rubbing salt on the wound as the Centennial Team saw their gold medal dreams go up in smoke.

Newly-minted Gilas head coach Tim Cone still remembers that drubbing at the hands of the Koreans, and though he won’t face the Koreans in the 30th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games, who knows if he would be able to face them again as he helps out the national team in the foreseeable future?

If Cone meets expectations and wins his first SEA Games gold medal with the national squad, that could pave the way for a similar role for the Gilas team that will gear up for future competitions.

Maybe then, he will have his chance at redemption against the Koreans, or maybe even against the Chinese, who beat the Centennial Team twice in 1998 — one in a tune-up game in Manila and the other in the knockout semifinal contest in Thailand.

In any case, I’m happy that the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas chose Cone at least as an interim coach.

I have no doubt he would do a great job in the SEA Games, and if he continues as a member of the coaching staff after that, I’m sure he will cherish the chance to help the national team rise even higher in Asian and world basketball.