Cone finds it ‘odd’ to see James Yap in RoS jersey

MANILA, Philippines – It's been more than a year since Tim Cone and James Yap parted ways.
 

And in the span of almost 14 months, a lot has happened to the mentor and the player.

They've have seen each other on opposing sides, but on Sunday night, Yap was in a totally different one.

Yap, a grizzled veteran, met Cone for the first on the hardwood as a member of the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters. The latter, shortly after helping the Gin Kings secure their first win in the conference, couldn't help but share that fateful meeting.

"Wearing a different uniform? That's really strange," he said of Yap. "He bumped into me and I was like, 'Woah, it's James! I forgot!' He was wearing a [new] uniform.'"

Yap, who won five championships with Cone, was involved in a blockbuster October trade that moved him to Rain or Shine in exchange for Paul Lee. He and Cone won a total of five championships, within it a Grand Slam in 2014.

Cone's former ward hung 10 points over his new team, in a way delighting the tactician.

"We had a tough time matching up to him," Cone admitted. "They were giving him a lot of [isolation plays], and he's very good at that. Like you've said, he's a 'Man with a Million Moves.'"

The Gin Kings coach, meanwhile, noted that another legend, now under his wing, also did a good job bodying his former ward.

"I thought Mark Caguioa did a good job on him actually," Cone said. "And he got (Yap) back a couple of times on the other side."

"It was kind of fun watching the two legends against each other, head-to-head," he added.

Caguioa, for his part, scored six points in the game. Both he and Yap played for roughly 17 minutes of action, but it was the Gin King who went home with the win.

Ginebra is now 1-1 in the Philippine Cup. Rain or Shine, on the other hand, just suffered their first loss in three outings.

The Gin Kings take on the GlobalPort Batang Pier next on December 11.