Multi-titled coach Tim Cone is set to join Gilas Pilipinas as program director Chot Reyes eyes a collection of the country’s top coaching minds for the FIBA World Cup next year.

Reyes made the announcement during the PBA Press Corps Awards Night at Novotel Manila, Tuesday, June 21.
The move came in the aftermath of the closed-door meeting between the top brass of the SMC Corp and MVP group — two of the biggest stakeholders in Philippine basketball — a few days ago where the preparation for the FIBA 2023 World Cup was one of the topics discussed.
Cone will be joining a formidable lineup of coaches in Reyes’ staff which includes former New Zealand head coach Nenad Vucinic, fellow PBA champion coach Jong Uihico, UP champion mentor Goldwyn Monteverde, and Gilas youth tactician Josh Reyes.
It was also the same formula Reyes did back in the 2014 World Cup in Spain when he had coach Tab Baldwin and Grand Slam coach Norman Black as his top deputies in the crew.
“Well, like I said, I’m here to form the best team possible. Not just the team but also the coaches,” said Reyes.
It will not be the first time that Reyes and Cone will join hands on the same bench with the former being a deputy to the latter during Cone’s days with Alaska and eventually in the national team as well with the 1998 Centennial team.
Cone last handled the national team during the 2019 Southeast Asian Games, steering the country to a gold medal finish. Incidentally, Gilas’ gold medal streak ended three years later as the Reyes-mentored Gilas team settled for the silver in the 2021 SEA Games in Vietnam.