Tim Cone praises Gilas Men and Women teams in SEA Games victory

Gilas Pilipinas head coach Tim Cone congratulated Gilas-SEA Games head coach Norman Black and the rest of the Gilas 5x5 men’s and women’s teams for their victory in the 2025 Southeast Asian Games.

Both teams won the gold medal in their respective divisions in the recently-concluded biennial meet.

The men's team defeated host country Thailand, 70–64, in the gold medal match while the women's team reclaimed the gold medal by also beating Thailand in the finals, 73-70.

“From Game 1, there was never an easy game… but still finding ways to win,” Cone said on Sunday.

“I don’t know if I should even say this but I think everybody forgets how great a coach Norman Black is. He won 11 titles in the PBA, five straight in the UAAP, the guy is a championship coach. I had no doubts, although other people did. I had no doubts, so I’m really happy for him he had that chance to remind everybody how good a coach he is. Not only he is a great coach, he is a great person.”

He also praised the likes of Jamie Malonzo, Robert Bolick, Ray Parks, Matthew Wright, who are also part of different Gilas iterations.

“Those guys, I know that they really want to represent the country and they brought home the gold so kudos to them.

Cone, however, also emphasized the growth of the women’s program, especially with their recent gold medal.

“I’m also really, really proud of the women’s team,” he said.

“That’s a huge accomplishment for Coach [Pat] Aquino. Huge. From where our program was eight, ten years ago to winning a gold medal. Amazing job by Coach Aquino as well.”

—JMB, GMA Integrated News