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Cone named B-MEG Llamados' new coach


Success comes in all shapes and sizes. But for the B-MEG Llamados, it might just come in the shape of a triangle. Tim Cone was at the B-MEG Llamados practice Wednesday and was introduced as the new head coach. He will tap former Alaska players Johnny Abarrientos and Jeffrey Cariaso as assistant coaches. The two new assistant coaches will be joined by current assistant coach Koy Banal. Former acting head coach Richard del Rosario, who confirmed the news to GMA News Online, will slide back to the other assistant coaching spot. Del Rosario, who is the current coach of the College of St. Benilde Blazers in the NCAA and the PC Gilmore Wizards in the PBA D-League, replaced Jorge Gallent as the Llamados' acting head coach two weeks ago. Gallent will now head over to either of the two San Miguel Corporation (SMC) teams (Ginebra or Petron), while assistant coach Art dela Cruz will move to Ginebra. Cone found a new home within the SMC group in the PBA just two weeks after leaving the Alaska Aces. His acceptance of the head coaching job with the Llamados means that the team will now be adopting the triangle offense that he popularized in the country. “It’s an honor to be part of the San Miguel family. B-MEG is a great team and I am excited about the new challenge and the opportunity to bring my coaching skills to an entirely different level," said Cone, who pioneered the triangle offense in the country. He added that he is delighted that he left the Aces in a very good shape. “It’s time to move on and release that trapped energy to do more. I am eager to take on this new role and I look forward to working with James (Yap), Kerby (Raymundo) and the rest of the team." The American has started to direct practice for the Llamados Wednesday. To catch up, Cone has the team practicing twice a day in preparation for the All Filipino Cup opening on October 2. The B-MEG team management and players, led by two-time Most Valuable Player (MVP) James Yap, welcomed Cone’s appointment and vowed to tally behind the veteran coach. The triangle offense yielded championships for teams like the Chicago Bulls and the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA through coach Phil Jackson and assistant coach Tex Winter, who learned it as a player for the University of Southern California Trojans coach Sam Barry. In the Philippines, Cone used the triangle offense with the Alaska Aces, which resulted to 13 titles and a grand slam in 1996. — JVP/OMG, GMA News