MANILA, Philippines — As netizens wonder if it’s time Gilas Pilipinas to replace naturalized player Justin Brownlee following his quiet offense on Friday against New Zealand, coach Tim Cone was elated with the way his young guns performed in window 3 of the FIBA World Cup 2027 Asian Qualifiers in Auckland.
Juan Gomez De Liaño, Kevin Quiambao and Carl Tamayo stepped up big-time on offense as the trip fought with grit against the Tall Blacks before Gilas fell, 106-102 in double overtime in a tough road loss.
The loss was a difficult pill to swallow, considering how close the Philippines was to pulling off a shock win against the home team.
But the Tall Blacks defensive effort was on point, shackling Brownlee all game-long as the well-loved naturalized player was held down to just five points on three field goal attempts.
But Brownlee’s struggles and the absence of injured stalwarts Scottie Thompson, CJ Perez and Calvin Oftana provided the perfect opportunity for the Gomez De Liaño and Co. to rise to the occasion.
“We’re really proud of those young guys for continuing to improve,” a beaming Cone said during the post-game interview.
“They both play in Korea, KQ and Carl, so they get a lot of improvement there, and Juan is becoming one of the premier point guards in our league back in Manila, so they have great futures ahead of them.” Cone noted how the games of the three have evolved, thanks to their overseas exposure.
“When we first got them on the team, they were like 21 years old, and now they’re 24, 25, so they have evolved along with the team,” shared the 68-year-old Gilas mentor.
Gomez De Liaño and Quimbao along with Tamayo accounted for 10 of Gilas’ 13 threes made against the Tall Blacks.
Gomez De Liaño, the Converge rookie guard, as well as Quiambao, the 2026 Korean Basketball League Rookie of the Year, scattered 23 points each, while Tamayo had 17.
But then again, one can’t discount the impact made by RJ Abarrientos, the recent PBA Season 50 Commissioner’s Cup Best Player.
For one, the shifty Ginebra combo guard finished with an all-around stats line of six points, 10 assists, and five rebounds. “That’s how you evolve a team, right? You try to win with your veterans, and you develop your young guys. Our young guys have developed over the past year and a half, two years, and every time they come into a window, they have gotten better,” said Cone.
Seeing the younger players step up augurs well for the Gilas program since Cone took over in 2024.
But following the national team’s third straight defeat in the Asian Qualifiers, Cone and Gilas face a major uphill battle when they go up against world basketball power Australia on Monday in Perth.
Gilas got soundly beaten by 27 points in its last meeting with the Boomers last March in Manila.
Yet, Cone is hopeful Gilas can pull off a surprise, and draw from the solid fight the team showed against New Zealand.
