MANILA, Philippines — Former Alaska Milk coach Tim Cone apparently doesn’t have to wait long to get a new job.
Less than two weeks after severing his ties with the only other team he has ever coached, Cone has agreed to handle B-Meg, one of San Miguel Corporation’s three teams in the Philippine Basketball Association.
Although Cone announced last week that he was leaving Alaska after 22 years with no firm offer in sight, the suddeness of his transfer to B-Meg indicated that this job offer must have been in the pipeline for sometime especially when taken into context that his departure from Alaska was just a month or so before the opening of the new PBA season on Oct. 2.
Cone was at B-Meg’s practice session yesterday, handling the scrimmage as he begun his new job in earnest.
Sources said he had signed for a five-year contract although other details were not divulged.
Noli Eala, who has a corporate role with the SMC group, confirmed the appointment of Cone yesterday.
"Tim Cone will officially be joining the SMC group as head coach of B-Meg starting the first conference," said Eala in a text message. "He took over the practices of the Llamados starting (yesterday).”
Cone will join a team that dealt him numerous title defeats in the past when B-Meg used to carry the Purefoods franchise.
The American mentor lost four times to the Hotdogs in the finals (1990, 1994, 2002 and 2010) but was able to defeat the same squad in the 1996 All-Filipino, 1997 Governors' Cup and 2000 All-Filipino championships.
Cone takes over a team, who recently added Smart-Gilas Pilipinas member Mark Barroca after a post-draft deal with Shopinas.com.
“It’s an honor to be a part of the San Miguel family," said Cone in a statement. "B-Meg is a great team and I am excited about the new challenge and the opportunity to bring my coaching skills to an entirely different level.”
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