BARANGAY Ginebra San Miguel plays struggling Terrafirma on Wednesday without head coach Tim Cone—who’s in Las Vegas attending the Miami Heat’s campaign in the National Basketball Association’s Summer Camp.
Taking Cone’s place is assistant Richard del Rosario, who’s proven his worth by steering the Gin Kings past Converge, 105-89, for their third straight victory and a 5-1 win-loss record that kept them at solo second in the standings.
Terrafirma may be an easy opponent for Ginebra as the Dyip have yet to win in six games. But Del Rosario isn’t resting his guards and takes into high consideration the trust team management has bestowed on him in Cone’s absence.
“Management won’t simply allow coach Tim [Cone] to take a leave if they do not trust me,” Del Rosario said. “I just want to pay back that trust.”
The Gin Kings will shoot for one of the two twice-to-beat bonuses in the quarterfinals when they face the Dyip in the 6 p.m. game of the Philippine Basketball Association Philippine Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Meralco, meanwhile, seeks to bounce back from a 89-90 setback to Blackwater when it squares off with another skidding team, Rain or Shine, in the first game at 3 p.m.
The Bolts are holding a 3-3 record while the Elasto Painters won their first game and lost five straight since then.