MANILA, Philippines — Tim Cone defended veteran big man Japeth Aguilar who was bashed by basketball fans online following his recent stint with Gilas Pilipinas in the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Riga, Latvia.

Cage fans were particularly critical on the 6-foot-9 Aguilar’s performance in the crossover semifinals, which saw Gilas blow an early 11-point, first half lead and eventually bowed to Brazil, 71-60.

“I begged Japeth to join us in Latvia,” Cone wrote in his X/Twitter account @manilacone as he defended Aguilar’s inclusion at Gilas.

Tim Cone philosophy on assembling PH teams unchanged: Get the best players

Cone shared that the veteran Barangay Ginebra big man wanted to be with his family, especially since his wife Cassandra just gave birth to their second baby in February, or during the time Gilas saw action in the FIBA Asia Cup 2025 Qualifiers.

But with young big man AJ Edu still recovering from a knee injury he sustained while playing in the Japan B.League late last year, Cone felt Aguilar’s veteran presence will be needed.

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The slam-dunking Aguilar, eventually decided to play for the Philippine team.

“He wanted to let the young guys do it and spend more time with his wife and new baby. (But I) Kept begging him. When AJ Edu went down, he finally relented after more begging.”

Aguilar saw minimal action in his three-game stint in the OQT where he averaged 2.7 points and 3.3 rebounds.

Still, the American mentor insists Aguilar made a lot of sacrifices for Gilas, for which he served as the team captain.

“He led us, he was our team captain. His sacrifice for country was total,” said Cone.