By now, the country knows this already—Tim Cone is a big fan of Scottie Thompson.
And on Sunday, the former MVP showed why it’s easy to like him as a basketball player, tallying 25 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals, and 1 block while presiding over Barangay Ginebra San Miguel’s third-quarter storm en route to a Game 3 victory over the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters. He also helped slow down the bigger, highly physical Jhonard Clarity and hit a dagger three to boot.
Naturally, Cone was gushing over his do-it-all guard. “There’s nobody better than a guy who comes out and does his job literally every game. And I tell you, he does it every practice, too. He comes out and he does his job,” Cone said of Thompson. “He does all the stuff that no one else wants to do—and it’s just amazing to watch that day in and day out.”
Scottie Thompson Has Been Doing It All for Years
Cone wasn’t done marveling at Scottie Thompson, who came into the PBA in 2016—coincidentally, the year the league’s winningest coach transferred to Ginebra. The former Perpetual Help Altas playmaker didn’t burst onto the scene right away, but once he did in the 2016 PBA Governors’ Cup—the conference Ginebra first won a championship under Cone—he hasn’t turned back one bit.
And on Sunday, Cone couldn’t help but acknowledge Scottie Thompson’s years-long excellence in doing it all for Ginebra. “I’ve had that opportunity [watching and coaching Thompson] what, seven years now? Eight years? Ten years? Damn, that old? Ten years I’ve been able to watch him do that day in and day out,” Cone said. “It’s just—it’s an amazing thing. He just comes to work every day, every game.”
Yes, Thompson has been a constant for Ginebra all these years, especially in the playoffs—and Cone and the barangay will keep banking on him to do it all, game in and game out.
