Gilas definitely got a huge momentum after their tune up win over the Korean visiting team.
But after the unexpected changes the team needed to make how ready is Gilas Pilipinas for this year's Asian Games?
Joining me right now to have an all out conversation about the team is Gilas'es Interim Head Coach and 25-time PBA Champion Coach Tim Cone and one of the naturalized players of the national team Justin "Noypi" Brownlee.
Visit our website for more #NewsYouCanTrust: https://www.cnnphilippines.com/
Follow our social media pages:
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CNNPhilippines
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cnnphilippines/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/cnnphilippines
But after the unexpected changes the team needed to make how ready is Gilas Pilipinas for this year's Asian Games?
Joining me right now to have an all out conversation about the team is Gilas'es Interim Head Coach and 25-time PBA Champion Coach Tim Cone and one of the naturalized players of the national team Justin "Noypi" Brownlee.
Visit our website for more #NewsYouCanTrust: https://www.cnnphilippines.com/
Follow our social media pages:
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CNNPhilippines
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cnnphilippines/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/cnnphilippines
Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00 From the pitch, let's go to the hard court.
00:01 Gila's Filipinas definitely got a huge momentum
00:03 after their tune-up win over the Korean visiting team, the LG Sakers.
00:07 But after the unexpected changes the team needed to make,
00:10 how ready is Gila's Filipinas for this year's Asian Games?
00:13 Joining us right now to have an all-out conversation about the team
00:17 is Gila's Filipinas' interim head coach and 25-time PBA champion coach, Tim Cohen,
00:23 and one of the naturalized players of the national team, Justin "Noipi" Brownlee.
00:28 And I believe both of them are joining us via Zoom.
00:31 Our coach Tim is...
00:32 Okay, coach Tim is...
00:34 I'm just being told now that coach Tim is joining us on the phone.
00:37 Justin is joining us via Zoom, about to have his late dinner.
00:41 I'll start with you, JB, because I can see you.
00:43 Welcome back to the show.
00:44 Thank you for giving in to my relentless ways of trying to get you back on the show.
00:52 Thank you for having me, I appreciate it.
00:55 At least I know now, Justin, that you haven't forgotten about me.
00:58 How about this guy? I was also relentless trying to carry his bag.
01:01 Coach Tim, good evening to you.
01:03 I think you're in a good mood, right coach?
01:07 Well, yeah, I'm tempered.
01:09 I can only win one game and it certainly wasn't the Korean national team
01:15 or the Chinese national team.
01:16 But we trended well in that game.
01:21 We trended well.
01:21 So, yeah, I'm a little bit happy, but still tempered,
01:26 making sure we're keeping our feet firmly on the ground.
01:29 Yeah.
01:30 Coach, it's been...
01:32 I'm trying to find the right words to describe your week.
01:35 Oh, so we just lost coach Tim.
01:37 But we'll get back to coach Tim.
01:38 We'll try to get back coach Tim Cohn on the line.
01:42 JB, as you heard, we...
01:44 That dial tone.
01:45 So we'll try to get coach Tim again back here.
01:48 But JB, you led the team in scoring today.
01:51 Final score 86-81.
01:53 And your numbers as we speak, 19 points,
01:58 7 of 20 from the field, shot 35%.
02:00 I'm sure you're not happy with that, but you still got five boards,
02:04 three assists, a steal and a block.
02:07 Overall, how would you rate or assess your performance personally
02:12 and also the team's performance,
02:14 considering the amount of time that you guys just had, like blending in?
02:19 Yeah, I definitely could have shot the ball better.
02:23 That's 2% down, you know, way further than I would like.
02:29 But I think, you know, the team, I think we did okay.
02:34 It's definitely not going to be perfect.
02:35 You know, it's our first time out and we haven't been together,
02:39 you know, too long.
02:40 But you can see some things that we can, you know,
02:44 build on, be really good at.
02:45 Yeah.
02:46 So I think I'm satisfied with the way the team, you know, came out.
02:50 I think we played, we gave great effort and I think we did okay.
02:54 How are you though, out of 100%,
02:56 I know you had to go through a lot of things, the injury.
02:59 How are you feeling with your body, JB?
03:03 I feel okay.
03:05 Just some discomfort, you know, after having surgery, you know, that's normal.
03:10 So I'm not expecting to be at 100% at this point.
03:14 At 100% at this moment, but I feel good enough to go out there and play
03:20 and give a, you know, 100% effort.
03:23 And, you know, I'm willing to do that and just help the team, you know,
03:27 any way I can and, you know, push through anything, you know,
03:32 if it is something, you know, I just push through it.
03:34 And I think I'd be okay though.
03:36 That's the thing with Justin Bradley, with you, you know, even Junemar,
03:40 I was speaking with Junemar earlier, he had all praises about you.
03:43 Just, you know, that competitive spirit that you have and all heart.
03:47 I believe we have coach Tim back on the line.
03:50 Coach, can you hear me?
03:51 Yes.
03:51 There you go.
03:52 Sorry, I apologize.
03:53 Yeah, we got cut earlier.
03:54 But my question earlier to you, how are you holding up coach Tim?
03:57 I know it's been a whirlwind, a roller coaster past few days for you
04:01 since taking this job, but how are you holding up after,
04:04 especially that win earlier over the LG Sakers?
04:09 Well, I'm just, you know, I'm just moving on, you know,
04:11 for anything that happens, we just, I've just always been that kind of guy,
04:15 just moves on and worries about what the next thing is and not,
04:18 I don't look back, you know.
04:20 So this is the way we are.
04:22 This is our situation.
04:23 Let's make the best of this situation.
04:27 You know, whenever I feel bad, I think, well, I still got Justin around,
04:31 you know, as long as I got Justin, I'm in good shape.
04:36 So, you know, that's basically the way I look at it, you know.
04:40 We'll do the best we can with what we have.
04:43 You know, no matter what's thrown at us, we're going to figure out the best course
04:47 through all those, everything that goes through it.
04:50 Well, he's, Justin's about to have his dinner steak and I'm interrupting it,
04:54 but he deserves all the steak he wants to eat right now
04:57 after that performance earlier.
04:59 Coach, out of 10, how satisfied were you with what you saw earlier?
05:04 All things considered, you even shot better from three.
05:07 You shot 58%, 7 of 12, compared to the Korean team, the LG Sakers,
05:13 36% from downtown.
05:16 All in all, on both ends on the floor, I think you had great defense also.
05:19 But coming from you, Coach, what did you think of your assessment
05:23 of this team so far?
05:25 Well, I think we could have been better defensively.
05:27 I didn't think we were as good as we need to be defensively.
05:31 And we want to be a defensive team first, so that's big.
05:36 You know, we're not going to shoot a lot of three-pointers,
05:38 but the three-pointers we shoot, we think are going to be high percentage.
05:44 You know, guys are going to hunt their threes,
05:46 but we're going to be able to hit shots, I think.
05:51 So we're going to hit a high percentage of our shots.
05:53 We may not take a lot, but we're going to hit a high percentage.
05:56 And that's really kind of what the way we approach things.
06:00 The thing I liked was 14 assists in the first half.
06:03 I actually don't know yet what we finished with,
06:07 but I did like the ball movement that we had.
06:13 And as much as we were relying on Justin,
06:16 his guys still stepped up and took shots when they were supposed to take shots.
06:20 Yeah.
06:21 Well, you shot better, Coach, 55% from the field, 33 off 60,
06:26 compared to their 29 of 66, just 44%.
06:29 Coach, a lot of fans, of course, still hoping.
06:32 What we saw earlier, I saw them at the venue as well,
06:35 the Phil Sports Arena.
06:37 Terrence Macromia was there, Motautua, Jason Perkins.
06:39 Of course, fans also hoping the Beast, Calvin Abueva,
06:42 will be allowed to play.
06:43 Philippine Olympic Committee President, Bambol Tolentino,
06:46 says they will keep on fighting for their inclusion.
06:49 Can you clarify the air right now, live on SportsSF?
06:52 What is the status on this situation?
06:54 Is that still possible, having those four?
06:57 I really can't clarify.
06:59 OK.
07:00 It's long, because it's really there.
07:03 They said it wouldn't happen or it wouldn't--
07:05 it would not be the season to the 24th.
07:08 That's the day we're leaving for the Asian games.
07:11 That's Sunday.
07:13 So again, if we have those four, that's great.
07:22 I'm real happy about that.
07:23 And we're moving forward.
07:25 If we don't have those four, that's great.
07:28 I'm happy.
07:29 We're moving forward.
07:31 So no matter what happens, we're going to move forward with it.
07:34 We will make a decision when and if that decision is even
07:38 needed to be made.
07:40 But if it's needed to be made, we'll make that decision.
07:43 JB, you saw what happened on the World Cup.
07:45 And four of those players who played in the World Cup
07:49 will be part of this team.
07:51 Of course, you know most of them with Japet,
07:54 with Scotty being your teammates, with Inebra.
07:57 You've played with Junmar before.
08:00 And now, these guys coming in, coming out,
08:05 you have Marcia coming in, Chris Ross coming in.
08:08 How's the chemistry with you, especially with the guys
08:12 that you're not that too familiar with probably
08:15 teaming up with, but you also played
08:16 with Marcia in the SEA Games.
08:18 But the chemistry, how would you rate it?
08:19 Answer that question and a lot more after the break.
08:22 You're watching Sports Desk only here on CNN Philippines,
08:24 where we go all out for the day's top sports stories.
08:27 We will return with Coach Tim Cohn and Justin Brownlee
08:29 after the break.
08:30 Stay tuned.
08:31 Welcome back to Sports Desk only here on CNN Philippines.
08:34 And still with us this Friday, of course,
08:36 arguably the greatest coach in Philippine basketball history,
08:39 most decorated winningest coach in the PBA,
08:41 one and only Coach Tim Cohn.
08:42 And one of the best imports of all time, the GOAT,
08:46 Justin Brownlee via Zoom.
08:47 About to have his dinner, so I'm going to make this really quick.
08:50 My question before the break, JB,
08:51 was you saw what happened at a World Cup.
08:55 And now looking at the lineup, of course,
08:57 trying to work with what you have.
08:59 And I credit because you guys are still fighting.
09:03 And I saw earlier, I saw the effort, I saw the chemistry,
09:06 I saw the bonding of this team.
09:07 But how would you rate the chemistry so far of you
09:10 and the guys that will be competing in China?
09:14 I mean, it's very good, to be honest.
09:17 And just give a lot of credit to the team.
09:21 Like you said, guys have been moving out, coming in.
09:25 Yeah.
09:26 Just got to give credit for guys just trying.
09:29 And we want to win.
09:31 And the only way we're going to do that
09:34 is if we come together and really
09:37 think about the bigger picture.
09:39 And just excited all around, though.
09:42 It's a good group of guys as well.
09:44 Everybody on the team, they bond well.
09:47 And we laugh.
09:49 And we had an Inspire Camp.
09:51 I think that was a big help for us this past week.
09:54 We went to Inspire.
09:56 And we had like two days, three days there.
09:58 And I think that was a big help for the guys.
10:01 Just get together and learn some things about each other.
10:05 And it's definitely been benefiting us
10:08 with the chemistry.
10:09 I like, personally, Calvin Oftana shot the lights out
10:12 earlier, 6 of 7 from the field with 13 points,
10:15 11 boards for Oftana.
10:18 Arvin Tolentino came off the bench.
10:20 And Tolentino, 9 points in 12 minutes.
10:23 Coach Tim, 25 years ago, 1998, you
10:28 handled the Centennial team with all-time greats
10:32 like Johnny Barrientos, Alvin Patrimonio, JoJo Lastimosa,
10:35 Alan Kaydick, and a lot more.
10:37 I know it's unfair to compare that team to this team
10:40 and to say we're going to try to eclipse that
10:43 or try to level that.
10:45 But where do you see-- how far do you see you guys right now?
10:49 Like, on a personal note, what are you feeling right now?
10:52 How far do you see this team going in the Asian Games?
10:57 Well, as I keep saying, we have to temper ourselves.
11:02 And you never judge a team by one game and one performance.
11:07 But there were good indications in that thing.
11:12 Like Justin was saying, our trip to Inspire,
11:16 all the things that we were really emphasizing there,
11:20 really showed up in the game.
11:22 So that means the guys are buying in.
11:24 And they're really-- it's just a matter of--
11:29 we have limited time.
11:31 And the teaching becomes important.
11:34 The more important, the learning becomes important.
11:37 So these guys are really trying, trying hard to learn.
11:40 And I've been beating them up.
11:42 I'll tell you, I've been beating them up.
11:44 It's just a note.
11:44 I believe you.
11:45 Yeah.
11:46 Because we just don't have the time to rest and play.
11:48 So we're really-- everything is crammed.
11:50 And everything is hard.
11:52 And everything is long.
11:53 We have long practices.
11:55 So again, it's just that the buy-in is really nice.
11:58 They're buying into not only what
12:00 we're doing, what we're trying to achieve on the court,
12:03 but they're buying into what we're trying
12:04 to achieve off the court.
12:05 How far that takes us, I have no idea.
12:08 I really don't have any idea.
12:10 You know, that team we had in 1998,
12:14 we had three months of preparation.
12:16 We had Jones Cup.
12:18 We had the trip to the States.
12:20 We played 10 games against major colleges.
12:23 We had a lot of preparation in that thing.
12:26 So it's hard to compare the two with that one and this one.
12:30 Plus, again, there was no Justin Brownlee back then.
12:34 It would have been different if you had this guy, Justin
12:36 Brownlee, on that team.
12:38 And you know what?
12:38 I was speaking with LA Tenorio yesterday.
12:40 And he was saying, 10 days?
12:41 You know, it took LA 14, 15 years to learn a system.
12:44 And to teach it to some of these guys, or just a couple of days,
12:48 it's just really asking much.
12:50 But again, we do it what we have to do.
12:53 Who do you think will be the toughest competition there,
12:55 Coach Tim?
12:55 Of course, China.
12:58 I think China is going to be really tough.
13:00 I assume Korea will be tough.
13:02 And I assume Jordan.
13:04 I think Jordan may be the best team out there.
13:08 Rondae, and they have another import, plus their seven-footer.
13:13 They have Ibrahim, who's a 6'6" point guard,
13:15 a Division I player.
13:17 I think they may be the strongest team.
13:18 But we'll see.
13:20 I haven't seen Korea in quite a while,
13:22 because they shut down during the pandemic.
13:25 So we haven't seen them much.
13:26 That's why it was important that we play a Korean-type team
13:31 tonight, just to get a feel for the kind of movement
13:34 and the way they shoot the ball and stuff.
13:37 I thought that was real important for us
13:39 to have that game.
13:41 So we'll see.
13:43 But our own group with Bahrain is playing great.
13:46 Thailand has like four or five Thai-ams.
13:51 And they are getting better all the time.
13:55 And Jordan is in our group.
13:56 I still think they might be number one.
13:59 Coach, Justin, Bahrain guy in Evers heart and soul,
14:02 of course, El Etenorio, the teniente.
14:05 I had him here one-on-one yesterday, live in the studio.
14:09 And of course, we're happy for LA.
14:12 He recently defeated cancer.
14:14 And his return to the court is coming up soon.
14:16 He told us that you wanted--
14:18 coach, you wanted him to play for the national team.
14:20 I was teasing him.
14:21 Can you be playing, coach?
14:23 And if the good news came weeks earlier,
14:26 he probably would have made his return to the Asian Games.
14:29 Can you tell us more about it, coach?
14:31 And then I'll get to you, Justin,
14:32 because I know you also went with him to Singapore.
14:34 But coach, I'll start with you.
14:35 Go ahead.
14:35 Well, the problem was I would have put LA on the team,
14:38 without a doubt.
14:40 Even if he wasn't going to play every minute,
14:43 problem is he's not on the list.
14:44 So as everybody else, nobody's on the list.
14:48 So he wasn't able to play because he's not on the list.
14:50 It's that infamous list, coach Tim.
14:52 Yeah, infamous list.
14:54 That was our joke.
14:55 I go, LA, you would have played.
14:56 But guess what?
14:58 He goes, what?
14:59 You're not on the list.
15:00 [LAUGHTER]
15:03 Are you sure Justin Brownlee's on the list, coach?
15:05 Just making sure.
15:06 Yeah, Justin.
15:06 Justin and Jordan Clarkson are both on the list.
15:09 OK.
15:09 It's probably good to have gotten Jordan over here.
15:12 I imagine putting Jordan and Justin together,
15:15 how amazing would that be?
15:18 Right away, I'll treat you to steak,
15:20 wherever Justin's eating right now.
15:21 Steak on me, you and your wife, Christina, right away.
15:24 I'll hand you that gold medal.
15:26 JB, how cool is this, having LA?
15:28 I know you went with him also to Singapore
15:32 for one of his chemo sessions.
15:34 But you're very, very close to LA.
15:36 He's like a brother to you, man.
15:37 You've won championships with the guy.
15:40 Now having him, not being alongside with him--
15:42 I'm sure you would have had him on the floor with you.
15:45 But having LA as an assistant coach,
15:47 how has that been like for you, JB?
15:50 Man, it's huge.
15:52 It was a point in time in the game
15:56 today where he gave me some instruction.
15:59 And as soon as he told me to do it, I did it.
16:04 And it worked.
16:05 And stuff like that, he's always been that help on the court.
16:10 But just having him off the court, being a coach,
16:14 and he's the type of guy when you talk,
16:17 you really listen and focus on what he's saying,
16:20 because you know he has so much knowledge of the game.
16:22 So it's definitely going to benefit me, and the point
16:26 guards, and just everybody, because he's very intelligent
16:30 on the court.
16:31 And he sees stuff before it happens.
16:33 Yep.
16:33 So he's that type of player.
16:35 Yep.
16:35 Very, like, tremendous basketball IQ,
16:38 just off the charts.
16:40 And I was talking to him, coached him yesterday.
16:42 He also told me, now he understands,
16:44 like being with you on the sidelines,
16:45 why you'd probably-- why you'd get mad at him at times,
16:48 even your Alaska days.
16:49 Now he understands, because you also see things there
16:52 that are out there.
16:53 Coach, JB, we're running out of time.
16:55 I wish we had more time.
16:56 But of course, I also don't want to keep you guys hanging here
16:59 on a Friday night after a win.
17:01 Let's talk about Ginebra.
17:02 Coach, how satisfied are you?
17:05 With, like, your draft selection,
17:06 also adding a guy like Maverick Ahanisi on your team.
17:11 Let's talk about Ginebra.
17:13 Of course, the PBA season has been moved to November 5.
17:16 But your thoughts on the recent draft,
17:18 and also the acquisition of Maverick Ahanisi, coach Tim.
17:21 Well, I tell you what, the PBA is bending over backwards
17:25 for us.
17:26 The fact that they moved it all the way back to November 5
17:29 is not an easy decision for them.
17:31 So that's awesome that they're backing us the way
17:34 they are.
17:35 And that's going to give me time to go back and continue
17:38 to work with Ginebra after this is all done.
17:42 And I'm really, really happy about that.
17:44 You know, I'm a guy with blinders on.
17:46 I try to plan one plan at a time.
17:49 When I'm focused on Gila, I'm totally just thinking
17:52 about Gila.
17:53 And at this point, I'm leaving it to my guys, Olson, Rosella,
17:58 Coach Kirk, Collier.
18:00 They're the guys that are handling the Ginebra team.
18:03 They're working on the triangle actions and all that stuff.
18:07 And they're conditioning.
18:08 So I know when I get back, we're going
18:11 to have a team ready to play.
18:12 And so it's not going to be a lot of work for me.
18:15 I'm so happy about that.
18:16 But I'm looking forward to getting back with a Ginebra
18:19 and really focusing there.
18:20 OK.
18:22 Lastly, I want to get your message to the fans.
18:24 JB, I'll start with you.
18:26 What do you want to tell all the Filipino fans, the supporters
18:29 who were disappointed in the World Cup?
18:31 But of course, it's like you guys are the redeemed team.
18:34 I know it's asking much, but I like what I saw earlier today,
18:38 that heart, the effort.
18:39 What do you want to tell all the Filipino basketball fans?
18:42 JB, go ahead.
18:44 Yeah, just I always love the fans.
18:46 Thank you for staying with the team, for supporting the team
18:51 through the World Cup.
18:52 And now coming up to the Asian games,
18:54 I know the fans will be there to support us.
18:57 I just want to thank you in advance.
18:59 And I love you guys always.
19:01 Let's go.
19:01 Let's go try to win the medal.
19:04 Let's go.
19:05 Laban Pilipinas Puso, Coach Tim.
19:07 I leave you-- I give you the final seconds.
19:10 Go ahead.
19:11 Well, I'm just happy.
19:12 I thought it was really cool for people to show up tonight.
19:14 Awesome.
19:15 So happy they were able to come in and enjoy the game
19:19 and not worry about the finances of having to buy a ticket.
19:22 And I just wish I could bring all those people to China
19:25 with me and put them in the stands in China.
19:28 And that would be a huge help for us.
19:30 So we're going to miss the fans in China.
19:34 But they're great people.
19:37 The fans have always been really, really good to Nebra
19:40 and me and myself and Justin.
19:43 So we're just really happy that they
19:45 came to be able to watch tonight.
19:47 And we're just going to go to the Asian games.
19:51 And we're going to lay it out there on the line.
19:54 And hopefully we can do something special for the fans.
19:59 Let's go.
19:59 Let's go.
20:00 Have a safe flight to China on Sunday, Coach.
20:02 Thank you so much.
20:03 Maraming salamat.
20:03 Tell your wife, Christina, thank you as well.
20:05 Good win today.
20:06 Happy weekend.
20:07 JB, I'll follow there.
20:09 My treat, buddy.
20:10 Thank you, as always.
20:11 Thank you for not forgetting me, man.
20:13 Again, we just spoke to the winningest coach in the PBA,
20:16 Gilas Pilipinas interim head coach Tim Cohn,
20:18 and arguably one of the greatest imports ever played in the PBA,
20:21 Justin "Noipi" Brownlee.
20:23 Thank you so much.