San Mig Coffee coach Tim Cone’s son Kevin is 6-3 and at only 18, could grow a few more inches. Since Cone’s wife Cristina Viaplana is Filipina, Kevin is considered a Fil-Am and eligible to play in the PBA as a local. But that’s way into the future. At the moment, Kevin is an incoming freshman at Santa Clara University, a private Jesuit school in Santa Clara, California. He was a varsity player at Brent during his high school years.
“Santa Clara is an NCAA Division I school so it’s not likely Kevin will get to play for the varsity,” said Cristina. “Tim and Kevin are looking around the area for leagues he can play in so he stays active in basketball. Maybe, when Kevin is finished with his studies, he can come back and try out for the PBA D-League and maybe, even the PBA.”
Santa Clara has produced several NBA players including Steve Nash, former PBA import Harold Keeling, Dennis Awtrey and Kurt Rambis. The varsity Broncos play in the West Coast Conference and are coached by Kerry Keating. Last season, the Broncos posted a forgettable 14-19 record. Keating, 43, has been at the Santa Clara helm the past seven years. His best records were 24-14 in 2010-11 and 26-12 in 2012-13.
“When Jeff (Cariaso) and Olsen (Racela) moved from San Mig Coffee to Ginebra, Tim asked Kevin to help out at practice because they were short-handed,” said Cristina. “They talk basketball a lot, they’re very involved in following the NBA. Since Kevin was finished with high school and on a break, he joined Tim at practice and enjoyed his time with the team.”
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Kevin has athletic genes from both sides of the family. Cone played two years with the Menlo Junior College varsity under coach Bud Presley. A teammate was Fil-Am Kurtis Townsend whose brother Raymond was the first Fil-Am to play in the NBA. If rookie Jordan Clarkson sticks with the Los Angeles Lakers and plays this coming season, he’ll be the second. Kurtis is now an assistant coach with the University of Kansas varsity. Aside from Cone and Townsend, another coach whom Presley produced at Menlo was Jeff Van Gundy. So the Cone side is rich with basketball tradition.
On the Viaplana side, Kevin has basketball roots, too. Cristina’s father Carlos and brother Eddie were former La Salle cagers. Eddie, in fact, was one of the top three-point gunners in the UAAP during his five years of eligibility. He played on two La Salle champion squads with teammates Jun Limpot, Dwight Lago and Johnedel Cardel. His other Archer teammates included now Alaska team manager Dickie Bachmann, Joey Santamaria, Dindo Pumaren and now San Miguel Beer team manager Gee Abanilla. Eddie suited up in the PABL under coaches Derick Pumaren and Chot Reyes and even played in the Jones Cup in 1991. An ACL injury prevented his ascent to the PBA. Eddie was once offered a coaching job in the PABL but declined to concentrate on the family business.
Cristina is quite a competitive athlete herself. She used to run marathons but lately, because of work commitments, is content to jog four or five days a week. Cristina and Gilas coach Chot Reyes’ wife Cherry are active investors in the four Toni & Guy salons in Metro Manila. A fifth will soon be opened in Alabang. While Cherry is a London-trained accomplished hair stylist, Cristina moves around the four salons to check on the operations. In all, there are seven investors in the highly-successful franchise, including Anton Gonzalez, Susan Reyes and Gil Coscollluela.
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Curiously, both Cone and Cristina come from a family of three girls and one boy. Cristina is the third of four children while Cone is the youngest. They’ve now been married 23 years. “We met on a double date but we weren’t paired off,” she recalled. “Later, we bumped into each other and he asked me out. We dated about seven years before we got married.” The Cones have three children Nikki, 22, Kevin, 18 and Trevor, 8. Nikki is now in her sophomore year taking up law at the American University in Washington, D. C.
Cristina said the support group for the San Mig Coffee team is intimately linked. “We’ve got a viber group,” she said. “We’re all very close, we pray together, we coordinate what to wear for games. Sometimes, I feel like some of the players’ girlfriends are my kids. Nikki, after all, is already 22. But the wives and girlfriends are quite close and of course, very supportive of our team. Our core includes Beth Pardo, Cindy Patrimonio, Annie Abarrientos, Yvonne del Rosario and Manina Jose. Personally, I believe in the power of prayer. When Tim has a game, I’m praying the rosary, going to Mass and doing novenas.”
Cristina said moving from Alaska to San Mig Coffee was a hard decision for Cone. “It was a career move,” she said. “It was difficult for Tim and our family. It was very emotional. Tim was getting older and it was like he was battling his own legacy. I think he was challenged by the thought of how he would do with another organization. We owe a lot to Fred (Uytengsu) and Alaska. It was Fred who gave Tim the chance to coach. Now, Tim is tracking Phil Jackson’s transition from coach to team president of the New York Knicks. Tim has always been a Jackson fan, not only because he’s a good coach but also because of his life philosophies. I think when Tim finally decides to retire from coaching and that’s not coming soon, he’ll still want to be connected with sports and that’s why he’s closely following how Jackson does with the Knicks.”