Blackwater can be a contending team soon — Cone

MANILA, Philippines: After getting stung by Blackwater’s defense and execution-type of play in the first galf, Barangay Ginebra had to dig deep into its wealth of experience before overcoming the Bossing, 90-87 on Sunday.

Ginebra coach Tim Cone said the Bossing they faced over the weekend at the Philsports Arena was a different bunch of players, with the all-time winning PBA coach giving credit to their new coach Jeffrey Cariaso.

“They’re (Bossing) doing a great job at controlling the tempo. That’s no. 1 to me, by controlling it, he can put up a really good defensive stand,” Cone said, in commending Cariaso, his former player and later, understudy at Alaska.

Cone said in his first match against Cariaso as Blackwater’s new coach, what he saw from the outside looking in, was a mirror of what they used to do at Alaska during the 1990s.

“We had trouble penetrating his defense. They became an execution-type of team, kinda like, I don’t want to insult Jeff, like Alaska of the 90s, execution, tempo and culture-driven team,” explained the 65-year-old Ginebra mentor, whose team had to climb back from a 17-point first-half deficit, before eventually claiming the win to moved up to 3-1 after Sunday’s match.

“For me looking from outside, that’s what he’s striving for, they are very organized, and he’s getting the most of every player,” he added.

Cone in fact, raved at the way young guard RK Ilagan managed to hold his own, despite facing Ginebra’s stable of veteran guards led by Scottie Thompson, Nards Pinto and Stanley Pringle.

“Ilagan played great tonight against us. He had a tremendous first half,” noted Cone.

The American mentor also believed Blackwater forward Troy Rosario is slowly getting back to his old, deadly self since recovering from an assortment of injuries that bugged the many-time Gilas player last season.

“If they continue on this path and continue to give Jeff the opportunity, he’s gonna build a culture, and they’re going to be a contending team very soon, in the next couple of conferences I think, really will be,” he stressed.