MANILA, Philippines – Tim Cone expressed concern over Troy Rosario after the sweet-shooting forward missed his second Gilas Pilipinas tuneup match in their buildup for the upcoming Southeast Asian Games. 

Rosario was once again sidelined as Gilas Pilipinas failed to reassert its mastery over Alab Pilipinas following an 89-93 loss on Monday, November 11. 

He was missing in action as well in a 98-95 victory against the same opponents last week due to a sore calf muscle. 

“The one I’m concerned with is Troy,” said Cone, who also missed the services of Greg Slaughter owing to a dislocated thumb. “Troy had an Achilles problem, now he has a finger problem.”

“We need to get him on the floor so we can get used to playing with him. He’s one of the guys that we are really looking to rely on, to give us the versatility that we need to play,” Cone added. 

With Alab Pilipinas bringing in new import Nick King, who waxed hot for 23 points, Gilas Pilipinas had a number of defensive lapses which Cone said would have been remedied if he had Rosario at his disposal. 

“We could’ve used him as a 3 or 4 to match up with their size,” Cone said. 

As he waits for Rosario’s return to tiptop shape, Cone underlined the need to capitalize on his wards’ expertise, something he did not do against Alab Pilipinas. 

“We’re not taking advantage of our skills right now, we’re just running the motion offense and keeping everybody involved. But hopefully, if we have the time, we’ll be able to do some of that, take advantage of guys’ skills.” – Rappler.com