Cone gets record pay in new Alaska pact

To whom belongs the most lucrative deal in all the wheelings and dealings in this PBA off-season?

It’s not Romel Adducul. Neither Mike Cortez nor Eddie Laure.

The luckiest man of them all in the PBA nowadays proved to be American coach Tim Cone after getting a fresh contract from Alaska Milk worth P18 million in three years.

Include the perks and bonuses, the contract could be the biggest ever given to any coach in the country’s premier cage league.

Coach Perry Ronquillo is believed to be receiving P.5 million a month at Shell. And sources said Alaska team owner Wilfred Uytengsu based his new deal with Cone on Ronquillo’s pact.

Cone was not available for comment at presstime.

Sources said Uytengsu gave Cone his new contract Thursday, on the eve of the former’s departure for India to preside over a congress of the Young Presidents Organization (YPO), which he heads.

Incidentally, YPO is an organization of young chief executive officers of business corporations around the world, counting no less than 40 members from the Philippines and thousands from around the globe.

With Uytengsu and Cone closing the deal, they cemented what is now the longest enduring team owner-coach relationship in the league, besting the 14-year stint by Robert Jaworski as player-coach at Barangay Ginebra.

Cone, 45, has been coaching the Uytengsu franchise since 1989, leading the team to 17 finals stints and 10 title conquests.

He was the recipient of the Coach of the Year honors in the PBA Press Corps Awards Night in 1994 and 1996. Only Ronquillo and Chot Reyes have matched Cone’s feat, winning the Coach Baby Dalupan Trophy two times already.

With Cone at helm, Alaska produced MVP winners in Johnny Abarrientos in 1996 and Kenneth Duremdes in 1998. He also made big stars in Jojo Lastimosa, Bong Hawkins, Jeffrey Cariaso and Poch Junio among others.