ASIAD notes

No medal, no problem

HANGZHOU – In the Asian Games, the SEA Games or perhaps anywhere else, coaches are not awarded any medal – of any color. Gilas coach Tim Cone doesn’t really mind, at all. “No, we don’t get a medal. Even in the Southeast Asian Games, we didn’t get a medal. But they allowed us to get to the podium to get some pictures taken. Here they didn’t even allow us to get to the podium to take pictures,” said Cone last Friday. “But they allowed us to take pictures at the sidelines and that was nice. Chris Newsome took his gold medal and put it over me then June Mar took his and put it on (team manager) Alfrancis Chua. So, we had our gold medals for a moment and that’s good enough,” he said. For Cone, it’s the glory, not the medal.

Brownlee statue

HANGZHOU – For his incredible performance here in the Asian Games, particularly in the stunning come-from-behind victory over China in the semis, Filipino fans have gone gaga over Justin Brownlee. They want a statue of him put up in Manila. “Man! I wish! That will be incredible, man. That will be something very special. But I don’t know. Let’s see if that happens,” said Brownlee, chuckling. The reliable 35-year-old recently became Gilas’ latest naturalized player, a move that was hatched and pushed hard in Congress by NorthPort (PBA) team owner Rep. Mikee Romero. “I’m so happy for Justin. I’m so happy for our country,” he said.

Awesome newsome

HANGZHOU – Chris Newsome admitted Friday that he “got hurt” being cut from the final Gilas roster that saw action in the FIBA World Cup last month. Then he earned a second chance. “It hurt to get cut because everybody knows I wanted to be on that team,” said Newsome, who played a key role in Gilas’ successful run at the 19th Asian Games here. “But if this isn’t my time (the World Cup) then it’s anybody else’s time. God had better plans for me and this is it,” he said. In the final game, he helped put the cuffs on Jordan’s top gun, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, and it worked. RHJ was bothered all night, shooting poorly from the field (8-of-29) and going 5-of-11 from the stripe. Where RHJ went, Jordan went.