Tim Cone tips hat on ‘calm’ Newsome

(UPDATE) TIM Cone described Meralco guard Chris Newsome’s presence in Gilas’ recent FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament (OQT) as “calming,” while noting the former Ateneo standout as “mentor” to the young players in the national squad.

Cone made this observation as he took note of the maturity of the 6-foot-2 Newsome with Gilas where he also took over the playmaking spot in the absence of Scottie Thompson.

“Without Scottie, we were dependent on Chris,” Cone said. “That was, I guess, another question that we had. Could Chris step into Scottie’s shoes and do some of the things that Scottie does? And he did but he did it in a different way.”

Chris Newsome FIBA PHOTO
 

Though Gilas faced world-class squads in Latvia, Georgia and Brazil in the OQT in Riga, Cone marveled at the fact that Newsome had a way to calm things down for the team during pressure-packed moments in the tournament.

“He was very calm. He was a calming influence on the whole team. He never was rattled. And he took over that initiator spot,” shared the 66-year-old Cone, whose Gilas side shocked world No. 6 Latvia, 89-80, in the group stage.

“In the triangle, we don’t call the lead ball handler a point guard. But we call him an initiator. And Chris was just a tremendous initiator.”

In fact, Cone said the calmness Newsome displayed throughout the OQT was the same demeanor he had when Meralco beat Barangay Ginebra in the semifinals, followed by the team’s Philippine Cup title conquest after beating powerhouse San Miguel Beer last June.

“He is the veteran. He played like a veteran and he was treated like a veteran. All the young players went to him, Carl (Tamayo), Kevin (Quiambao). They all went to him and got advice from him. He was the true leader of that team,” shared Cone, who steered the Philippines to the Asian Games basketball crown last year, marking the country’s first gold since 1962.