Gilas Pilipinas Interim Head Coach Apologizes to Justine Baltazar for Miscommunication
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Gilas Pilipinas interim head coach Tim Cone has issued an apology to basketball player Justine Baltazar for his “hasty remarks” regarding the player’s availability for the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup. Cone expressed his desire to have Baltazar in the national team’s pool for the World Cup but mistakenly claimed that the young big man was not interested or available.
Baltazar, however, disputed Cone’s statement, clarifying that he never received an invitation from the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) to join the national team. In a post on his official X account, Cone apologized to Baltazar for the misunderstanding and expressed his regret for causing controversy at the beginning of their journey together.
“I apologize to Justine Baltazar for my hasty remarks regarding his exclusion from the World Cup pool,” Cone stated. He clarified that his intention was to highlight how much Baltazar was wanted by the national team, rather than insinuating that the player didn’t want to play for Gilas. Cone admitted to speaking out of turn during the press conference and acknowledged that he was not involved in the process of contacting Baltazar.
“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,” Cone added. The head coach expressed his admiration for Baltazar’s skills and emphasized that he never intended to run the player’s name through controversy.
Baltazar was considered as one of Gilas’ up-and-coming big men under former head coach Tab Baldwin, but he was surprisingly left out of the team’s World Cup pool formed by Chot Reyes. Cone wanted to make it clear that Baltazar’s absence was not a deliberate decision but rather a miscommunication.
“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,” Cone stressed.
This apology from Cone signifies the coach’s commitment to clear any misunderstandings and reinforce a positive relationship with Baltazar as they move forward in their basketball journey together.
