MANILA, Philippines — For veteran coaches Chot Reyes and Tim Cone, newly-retired Gilas Pilipinas and PBA superstar Marc Pingris embodies that type of player every bench strategist would love to have in the toughest of battles.
“The epitome of #Puso (heart),” TNT Tropang Giga coach Reyes told The STAR in describing his former Gilas trooper.
Fuelled by the Filipino fighting spirit, Pingris and Co. earned for the country a spot in the 2014 FIBA World Cup in Spain, where they put up a brave stand against heavyweights Greece, Croatia, Argentina and Puerto Rico.
In the PBA, the 39-year-old pride of Pozorrubio, Pangasinan bagged nine titles in 16 years, highlighted by a rare grand slam in 2014 with Cone and San Mig Coffee.
Cone said Pingris, a two-time Finals MVP and three-time Defensive Player of the Year winner, is “certainly one of a kind.”