RJ Abarrientos back in Gilas Pilipinas? Tim Cone weighs in on including Ginebra rookie on national team roster

RJ Abarrientos returning in a Gilas Pilipinas jersey? We wouldn’t say no to that for sure.

Brgy Ginebra coach and Gilas tactician Tim Cone sees RJ Abarrientos as part of the future of Gilas Pilipinas basketball program | Photo C: RM Chua/One Sports, FIBA

Tim Cone will finally get another shot of coaching another Abarrientos in the PBA.

After the legendary Johnny Abarrientos, the Brgy. Ginebra head coach did not waste another opportunity of taking another Abarrientos under his wing, selecting the Flying A’s nephew in RJ as the no.3 overall pick in the 2024 PBA Draft on Sunday, July 14.

Now that the former KBL Rookie of the Year is a Barangay Ginebra King, and Cone currently at the helm of Gilas Pilipinas, can we see RJ back in action for the national team anytime soon?

The winningest coach in PBA history is non-committal to that idea–for now– but sees a possibility that it may happen in the future.

“That’s a long way away right now. And again, he’s a young guy. He could be, three or four years from now and you know what the team’s gonna be,” Cone said in a press conference on Monday, July 15.

Abarrientos is no longer strange for playing for Gilas Pilipinas, suiting up in the 2021 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Serbia under then coach Tab Baldwin.

The former FEU Tamaraw also played in a pair of games in the FIBA Basketball World Cup Asian qualifiers in February 2022 and the 2022 FIBA Asia Cup in Jakarta, both under Chot Reyes.

Inserting RJ to the current Gilas Men’s Roster means taking off someday for the team, which Cone is not a fan of. “But I keep emphasizing, every time you put somebody in on a team, (like RJ), you have to take somebody out.”

The 66-year-old tactician, however, sees a possibility of including the second generation Abarrientos since he would be able to learn Ginebra’s famed triangle offense, which is currently the national team’s main offensive system.

“RJ might be a different example because he’ll be practicing with us and he’ll know about the Ginebra system which we’re using in the Nationals and Gilas, so he might be an exception,” Cone said.

This was also the reason Cone opted to include veteran Japeth Aguilar as one of the Gilas reserves in the last FIBA OQT in Latvia since his familiarity with the triangle is well-documented.

“That’s one of the reasons why Japeth was the guy who stepped in for us aside from his size and athleticism — he knew our system really well,” he said.

Abarrientos emerged as one of the best up-and-coming ballers in the collegiate basketball scene when he played for just one season with the Far Eastern University Tamaraws in Season 84. He then decided to take his act overseas and joined the Ulsan Hyundai Mobis Phoebus in the Korean Basketball League, where he would eventually cop the Rookie of the Year award.

After being released by Ulsan Hyundai in just one season, the spitfire 5-foot-11 guard signed with the Shinshu Brave Warriors in the Japan B.League, where he averaged 7.8 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 2.4 assists in 49 games.  But the Brave Warriors finished last season with a 10-50 record and is one of two teams, alongside the Toyama Grouses, that are relegated to the B.League second division.

Abarrientos and Shinshu eventually parted ways which paved the way for RJ’s decision to apply for the PBA Draft.

The 24-year-old guard is also suiting up for the Strong Group Athletics team in the Jones Cup where the team is still undefeated at 3-0.