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Manila Bulletin devider Sports devider Basketball devider Tim Cone apologizes to Baltazar for 'hasty remarks' on his exclusion in Gilas' WC pool

Tim Cone apologizes to Baltazar for 'hasty remarks' on his exclusion in Gilas' WC pool

Published Sep 10, 2023 08:25 am

At A Glance

  • Gilas Pilipinas interim head coach Tim Cone apologized to Justine Baltazar for his 'hasty remarks' about the young big man's availability – or the lack thereof  – for Gilas Pilipinas during the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup.
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Gilas Pilipinas interim head coach Tim Cone apologized to Justine Baltazar for his "hasty remarks" on the young big man's availability – or the lack thereof  – for Gilas Pilipinas during the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup.

 

baltazar.jpg
Justine Baltazar last played for Gilas Pilipinas during Olympic Qualifying Tournament (FIBA)

 

Cone, after the announcement of his appointment as new head coach, expressed his desire to have Baltazar in the pool for the World Cup but the 6-foot-7 was allegedly not interested and unavailable for the national team.

Baltazar, however, refuted the statement saying that he never really got an invite from the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas to join the pool for the national team.

" I don't want to start off this journey with a controversy, so I'm going to do my best to clarify it. I apologize to Justine Baltazar for my hasty remarks regarding his exclusion from the World Cup pool," said Cone through a post on his official X account (formerly Twitter).

Cone said he spoke out of order during the press conference and clarified that what he actually wanted was to express how much Baltazar was wanted by the national team.

"I did not mean to infer that he didn't want to play for Gilas, but rather communication or whether he was actually not called at all, I do not know because I was not part of the process to contact him, and I spoke out of order in the press conference," said Cone.

"I loved watching Justine play in La Salle but have not met the young man, nor have I met or spoken to Mr. Pineda. But to both, I apologize," added the multi-titled mentor.

Baltazar seemed to be one of Gilas' up-and-coming big men during the coaching reins of former head coach Tab Baldwin but was curiously left out in the pool for the World Cup formed by Chot Reyes.

"It was not my intention to run Justine's name through this controversy. In fact, I wanted to mention at the time of the press conference how much we had thought of him joining the pool. The kid can play,” he stressed.

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