Gilas Pilipinas may be in an unenviable position as far as its FIBA World Cup bid is concerned. But national coach Tim Cone is happy with how his two young stalwarts Kevin Quiambao and Carl Tamayo performed during the third and final window of the FIBA World Cup 2027 Asian Qualifiers.
The 25-year-old Quiambao erupted for 23 points, knocking three triples in Gilas’ narrow 102-106 double overtime loss to New Zealand.
Tamayo, on the other hand chipped in 17 points, spiked by three triples while courageously battling the rugged and physical Tall Blacks.
Cone said these two former UAAP stars have “evolved into the kind of players he envisioned them to be.”
“They have evolved into the players we envisioned when we first selected them as the youngest players on the team,” Cone told the Manila Times.
“They have earned their current roles on the team.”
Tamayo showed he is not afraid to bang bodies with the Tall Blacks in their face off last July.
Quiambao meantime, is fast developing into a lethal scorer for the team, given his ability to knock down threes.
As the Philippines brace for a tough competition against Jordan and Iran late this August in the second round of the Asian Qualifiers, Cone expects the former UP and La Salle superstars to spread their wings and show their grit.
The Philippines (2-4) is part of the expanded Group E for the second round, which includes unbeaten Australia (6-0), Iran (5-1), Jordan (5-1), New Zealand (4-2) and Syria (2-4).
The Philippines plays two home games late this month, starting with Jordan on Aug. 28 followed by Iran on Aug. 30.
