‘Coach Joe’ reports for duty

A towering, imposing figure reported for duty when Gilas Pilipinas assembled for its second practice in preparation for the 30th Southeast Asian Games.

Ginebra forward Joe Devance said he’s not yet used to his new role as part of the coaching staff since he’s still very much active in the ongoing Philippine Basketball Association (PBA).

“To be honest, it sounds a little weird,” said Devance, who was called as “Coach Joe” by members of Gilas Pilipinas, some of them were drafted way ahead of him.

“It’s a little surreal and I have to get used to it from the time being. I’m just going to cherish this moment and have fun with it.”

Making it to the Gilas coaching staff came as a pleasant surprise for Devance.

In fact, after being drafted by Welcoat as the first overall pick in the PBA Rookie Draft in 2007, Devance moved to Alaska, where he had three glorious years with the noted American mentor.

And when Cone moved to San Miguel Corporation in 2011, he made sure to tag sweet-shooting Devance along, where they won a rare grand slam in 2013.

Now, the tandem of Cone and Devance wants to re-create that magic for Gilas Pilipinas in the prestigious biennial meet.

“It was all good. We didn’t go hard. Coach Tim didn’t want to burn these guys out because they still have other engagements with their respective teams,” said Devance, adding that he’s excited for other players to learn the system that made Cone a two-time grand slam mentor.

“Just looking at the players that we have excites me. We have a very short amount of time to prepare so it’s going to be a huge challenge. We’ll see what we can do.”

Devance said he’s not discounting the fact that he would be a full-time coach very soon.

“It crossed my mind every once in a while, but right now, I’m still focused on recovering from my injury and winning a championship,” before breaking into a smile.