Cone sees no problem motivating players

MANILA, Philippines — On their own, Gilas Pilipinas’ players are all fired up to wage battle in the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, China.

For coach Tim Cone, such enthusiasm ahead of the Sept. 23 to Oct. 8 Asiad campaign is the Nationals’ strong suit.

“I think that’s the strongest part of this team: They’re all excited to be on the national team, excited by the prospect of playing against (the likes of) China, Korea, Bahrain and Jordan,” Cone said.

“I don’t have to worry about motivation. They’re really motivated so it’s just a matter of trying to pull them together, give them a concept of what they can do. And that’s my job. Luckily, I don’t have to motivate ‘coz they’re excited to be here.”

Cone’s group, a mix of veterans from the recent FIBA World Cup, returnees and a pair of naturalized players, has spent the past week familiarizing with one another and his ball movement and defensive-oriented system.

The Justin Brownlee-led crew checked in at the Inspire Sports Academy facilities in Laguna yesterday as it entered the final week of preparations for the group matches against Bahrain, Thailand and Jordan. The Nationals will be holed up at Inspire for six days and play a tuneup game against a PBA club, likely Meralco, there.

An international-flavored friendly against Korean club LG Sakers on Friday over at the PhilSports Arena will cap the AGC buildup before Gilas boards the plane to China the next day. Cone said the Sakers will give the squad a good look at the Korean brand of play in anticipation of a potential showdown with the Asian nemesis in the latter stages.

“They’re (Sakers) a very, very strong team and they’ll bring a couple of imports, so they’ll be a really good test,” Cone said on One PH’s “The Big Story.”

“It is strategic in the fact that we wanted to play someone from Korea because there›s a certain rhythm and style that Korea plays in. And if you’re not used to it, it could really be hard to figure out so we wanted to have that opportunity to play a Korean team.”

Gilas shifts its buildup to high gear on the heels of the country’s rise to No. 38 in the latest FIBA world rankings. The Philippines moved up two spots, gaining from its first WC game victory in nine years at the expense of China, 96-75. Among Asians, the Filipinos ranked eighth behind Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Iran, Lebanon, China and Jordan.