(UPDATE) THE Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) is hard at work on finding a new coach for Gilas Pilipinas, especially with the national basketball team set to participate in the FIBA Olympic Qualifiers in July.
But if the Filipino basketball fans and netizens were to pick, decorated coaches Tim Cone, Tab Baldwin and Brian Goorjian are the names they mentioned in various fan pages discussing the vacant Gilas coaching position.
It's no surprise to see Cone, Baldwin and Goorjian as their top picks, with each one tactician sporting a wealthy coaching experience in the international level.
Aside from being the winningest coach in the PBA, Cone was part of the Chot Reyes-led coaching staff that spearheaded Gilas to the Southeast Asian Games gold medal in May last year, defeating home team Cambodia to reclaim the championship the national team lost to Indonesia in 2022.
The 66-year-old tactician was also part of Reyes' Gilas coaching staff in the FIBA Basketball World Cup, where the national team won a game that was enough for the Filipinos to punch a ticket to the Olympic Qualifiers.
Cone then head-coached Gilas in the Hangzhou Asian Games where the nationals, albeit formed hastily, gave the Philippines its first gold in the competition in 61 years, beating Jordan in the Finals last year.
Baldwin, meanwhile, is a renowned international coach who also had his share of coaching Gilas Pilipinas in the past.
The four-time UAAP champion coach led the Philippines to a silver medal finish in the 2015 FIBA Asia Championship and mentored the national team that was highly competitive during the 2021 Olympic Qualifying Tournament.
The 65-year-old Kiwi-American coach also steered New Zealand to the 2001 FIBA Oceania championship and runner-up finishes in the 2003 and 2005 editions of the meet.
Last but not the least is the American Australian Goorjian who is a consultant to the Strong Group Athletics that will represent the Philippines in the 33rd Dubai International Championship.
Goorjian first entered the consciousness of the Filipino basketball fans during the 2022 PBA Commissioner's Cup where he coached the now-disbanded guest team Bay Area Dragons to a runner-up finish.
Goorjian, however, is currently the head coach of the Australian basketball team and his contract won't end until after the Paris Olympics.
Still, his resume that includes six National Basketball League (NBL) titles and six Coach of the Year awards in the same league is enough for him to be one of the fans' picks for the Gilas coaching job.
Other than Cone, Baldwin and Goorjian, netizens also mentioned the names of former Gilas coaches Jong Uichico and Norman Black as candidates for the national team coaching position.
Read The Rest at :
