Scottie not going to Cambodia says Cone

As much as Barangay Ginebra head coach Tim Cone would want his best local player and the Philippine Basketball Association's reigning Most Valuable Player to go to war with Gilas Pilipinas in the Southeast Asian Games in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, he just couldn't.

Cone knows how special it is for Scottie Thompson to be with his wife Jinky when she gives birth to their first baby any time soon.

“No, he's not going with us to Cambodia,” was Cone's short response when asked by the Manila Times about his do-it-all guard out of Perpetual Help.

The 29-year-old Thompson has seen his stock rise the last few years under Cone, who was responsible for selecting him fifth overall in the 2015 PBA Rookie Draft.

Scottie Thompson PBA IMAGE

The 6-foot-1 Thompson was already a gem of a player since his collegiate days, having been part of the national squad that took home the SEA Games gold in the 2015 edition in Singapore.

Since turning pro, he has raised the ante behind his all-around and unselfish plays, qualities that Thompson brought to Gilas Pilipinas after suiting up in the recent windows of the FIBA World Cup Asian qualifiers.

While Thompson's plays will surely be missed, the Philippine men's basketball team will not be lacking in talent, considering the team still has veterans Chris Ross and Marcio Lassiter in the pool. Both San Miguel Beer guards were members of the 2019 Gilas batch who played under Cone that swept the SEA Games basketball tournament in Manila.

The pool also has Meralco's Aaron Black and Chris Newsome, who are eager to make a big splash if selected in the final 12 for Gilas Pilipinas.