Coach Tim Cone quits Alaska Aces, the end of an era.

Earl Timothy Cone, better known as Tim Cone, is the American head coach of the Alaska Aces in the Philippine Basketball Association. He is known for leading the Aces to 13 PBA titles in its franchise history while leading the 1996 Milkmen to a rare PBA Grandslam. He also once coached the Philippine Centennial Basketball Team in 1998.
Cone was born in the United States and grew up in Oregon. He moved to the Philippines when he was nine years old after his father came to the country to work in the logging industry.

Coaching career

In 1989, Cone took over as the coach of the Alaska Air Force with players such as the famed Bruise Brothers duo of Yoyoy Villamin and Ricky Relosa, and Abet Guidaben. A year later, Cone led the Air Force to the finals of the 1990 PBA Third Conference. Alaska blew a 2-0 lead in the best-of-five series to suffer one of the biggest collapses in PBA history, losing to Purefoods in five games. But in 1991, Alaska won its first championship by defeating Ginebra San Miguel in the 3rd Conference. That team was led by Jojo Lastimosa, Eugene Quilban and Bong Alvarez. After several struggles, Cone's team would have a strong team of locals Johnny Abarrientos, Jojo Lastimosa, Bong Hawkins, Jeffrey Cariaso and Edward Juinio, while having import Sean Chambers for the Milkmen. From 1994 to 1998, the Milkmen won eight titles in 14 conferences during the stretch. The highlight of that run though would come in the 1996 season when Alaska won the coveted PBA Grand Slam, becoming the third franchise and the fourth team to win a Grand Slam in the history of the PBA.
While Alaska continued to dominate by adding Kenneth Duremdes in 1997. Duremdes, playing a limited role with the Pop Cola franchise, rose up to the occasion in 1998 under Cone's tutelage, winning the PBA Most Valuable Player Award at 24 years of age. That year, Cone was hired as the coach of the Philippine Centennial Team led by Duremdes, Abarrientos, Lastimosa, three players on Cone's Alaska team, and PBA stars Alvin Patrimonio, Marlou Aquino and Allan Caidic. That team won a bronze medal in the 1998 Asian Games in Bangkok, Thailand.
Alaska won the 2000 All-Filipino Cup, but afterwards, the team faced rebuilding and traded away several remnants of the old Alaska. Cone, however, would lead the young team of John Arigo and Ali Peek to runner-up finishes in the 2002 Governors and All-Filipino Cup. A year later, the Aces added UAAP star Mike Cortez and fil-am Brandon Cablay, leading Alaska to the 2003 PBA Invitational Cup championship, Cone's 11th title.
Cone is a proponent of the triangle offense.

Coach Tim Cone has called it quits. 

Cone ends 22-year partnership with Alaska, Banal is new coach

09/01/2011 | 03:46 PM

Tim Cone, who pioneered the Triangle Offense in the PBA, decided to leave Alaska to look for other challenges in his two-decades long coaching career.

The American mentor, who ended his storied career with one of the PBA's most successful franchises, said he wanted to "explore more options and challenge himself."

Aces assistant coach Luigi Trillo confirmed to GMA News Online that Cone asked to be released. Cone still has two more years left in his contract.

Cone, accompanied by Alaska's top management, made the announcement Thursday in a press conference.

Joel Banal, one of Cone's deputies, will take over the Aces' top coaching post for the All-Filipino Conference in October.

In his 22 years of coaching Alaska, Cone won 13 championships with the Aces including the PBA's fourth Grand Slam in 1996.

Minutes after the press conference announcing Tim Cone's departure, fans took to Twitter to express their sentiments. The former Alaska head coach became part of the top ten trending topics worldwide.

PS:Thank you coach Tim for showcasing your coaching skills in the PBA and Asian Basketball. Good luck on your future endeavours.