‘Thrilled to be part of it’

MANILA, Philippines — Coach Tim Cone can proudly say that he has seen the PBA form from its infant days to where it is right now.

The 16-time PBA champion, whose recent Philippine Cup championship gave him one more title that broke his deadlock with the legendary Baby Dalupan, entered the league as a promising bench tactician in 1989.

But even way before that, he followed the league even before he called his first play on the whiteboard for the Alaska Milkmen.

He started out as a fan then as a color commentator before blazing the trail to the pantheon.

“I grew up watching the MICAA (Manila Industrial and Commercial Athletic Association) and seeing it fold and turn to the PBA, and then, being a part of the PBA itself, watching Meralco form into Tanduay and Ginebra.

It’s been a real thrill for me to be able to watch the league grow and be a part of it,” said the 56-year-old Cone.

The two-time PBA Coach of the Year offered his two cents worth, noting how big the league has grown through the years.

“It has changed a lot in terms of sophistication. It gets so much more sophisticated than we were 20 years ago. The way the game is played is more sophisticated,” Cone said.

He added: “Believe it or not, the referees are more sophisticated. Probably a lot of people will argue with me on that, but truly, the referees are more sophisticated. At the same time, the game is much harder to referee at this time.”

“The front office—the Commissioner’s Office, everything is growing. That’s the key part, to have that stood still that keeps the league on growing and growing and growing. No doubt the game has changed, and the PBA has changed right along with it. They did a great job of changing right along with it.”

Cone also compared the PBA’s growth to that of the NBA and drew parallels, saying: “If you’re following the NBA, the PBA has mirrored the NBA all through this years.”

With the league nearing its 40th anniversary, the outspoken American mentor remains bullish about how big the PBA can still get in the long run.

“I don’t think there’s a limit. I don’t think there’s a ceiling on how good, how big the PBA can be,” said the San Mig Coffee coach.

“With the possibility of three more teams coming in, I still think at some point, and I’ve said this for the last 20 years, the PBA will end up as regional, throughout the country, and maybe regional throughout Southeast Asia or Asia.”

“That’s a possibility for the future. Maybe five years from now, ten years from now, maybe way beyond after my time, I think something like that is coming.”

“I think there’s no such thing as a cap to what the PBA can grow into.”

“Basketball is in the blood of the Pinoy, and will always be in the blood of the Pinoy. That’s something that is not going to change,” Cone said.

“Ten-to-15 years from now, when they look at this age, they’ll be saying, ‘Boy, the game has gotten so much sophisticated than it was in 2014.’ The game will grow and the league will grow,” he added.

“I’m just real thrilled to be a part of it.”