Ginebra training camp under Cone the best so far for Sol

MANILA, Philippines -- Barangay Ginebra and new coach Tim Cone will face two tough opponents right in the first week of the PBA’s 41st season.

But veteran guard Solomon Mercado stressed they are not looking too far ahead, except to get better executing Cone’s patented triangle offense and play defense the way they should.

“We’re taking it day by day,” Mercado said in a talk with Philstar.com.

“It isn’t gonna be any easy week because any team we would have started off (for the season) is a strong team,” he added.

“We just gotta take it one game at a time, not look too ahead.”

Cone makes his much-awaited coaching debut against a retooled Meralco side on Oct. 21, before facing his former team Star Hotshots four days later in an early face-off between two long-time PBA rivals.

Emotions are expected to be at a high in Ginebra’s match against Star, a team the American coach guided to five titles in the last four seasons, including the 2014 PBA grand slam.

Cone transferred to Ginebra more than two months ago in a stunning move that drew mixed reactions from PBA fans at the micro-blogging site Twitter.

The six-foot Mercado recognized Cone’s glittering achievements in a coaching career that has spanned 27 years, saying he’s had the best one and a half months of training with Ginebra thus far.

“Coach Tim is great in what he does. I have had lots of great coaches in my career and so far, this is the best month and a half I’ve had,” beamed the former Biola University standout.

“He’s definitely great (paying attention) to details, in doing the little stuff. We know it’s gonna take time (to learn the triangle) because it’s such an intricate offense,” he added.

Ginebra is 1-1 in the current preseason games under Cone.

The Gin Kings whipped the visiting Jordan national squad, 94-85 last month, before dropping a close 92-94 decision to a vastly-improved GlobalPort last Wednesday.