HEAD coach Tim Cone made certain that he stood between Gilas Pilipinas veteran Japeth Aguilar and the hate targeted at him following the fans’ disappointment with his performance in the FIBA Olympics Qualifying Tournament (OQT).

Netizens criticized the experienced big man’s performance in their knockout semifinals match against Brazil, where he only had four points, six rebounds, and two vital turnovers. 

Aside from what the stat sheet revealed, Aguilar made multiple defensive lapses that may have provided their opponent a chance to punch back and barge into the game during their second-half surge. 

Photo Courtesy: FIBA 

This caused a social media frenzy among Filipino basketball fans, who blamed Aguilar for the loss. They even questioned why the 37-year-old was selected for Gilas’ final 11-man lineup. 

Cone’s message

However, Gilas head coach Cone took to X (formerly Twitter) on Tuesday to defend and express gratitude to his Barangay Ginebra big man, saying that his presence was more than adequate to lead the team in qualifiers.

“I begged Japeth to join us in Latvia. He wanted to let the young guys do it and spend more time with his wife and new baby. Kept begging him,” shared Cone.

Even before the OQT, the 6-ft-9 Aguilar made it plain that his time with Gilas was up. He indicated that the 2023 Asian Games were his “last dance” with the national squad. 

However, he obliged and came out of retirement, accepting the call after AJ Edu was ruled out due to an injury. “When AJ Edu went down, he finally relented after more begging,” said Cone. 

Photo Courtesy: FIBA 

Statistics may not reflect Aguilar’s impact on this special team but Cone named him as the team captain. “He led us, he was our team captain. His sacrifice for (the) country was total,” added Cone.

Furthermore, the former Ateneo Blue Eagle played only 14 minutes in the team’s first two games. Since Kai Sotto was out with a rib ailment, Cone had no choice but to give him additional minutes. 

Aguilar and Mason Amos replaced Edu and Jamie Malonzo. Both players were also nursing injuries that prevented them from playing well for the national team. 

It must be acknowledged that Gilas Pilipinas made every effort to qualify for the Olympics. Nobody wants to watch someone point fingers after a loss while congratulating Gilas on their historic victories.