With Justin Brownlee limited by a rare off night, Gilas Pilipinas’ young core took center stage in what served as a glimpse of the future of Philippine basketball.
Kevin Quiambao, Juan Gomez de Liaño and Carl Tamayo provided the spark in Gilas’ 102-106 double-overtime loss to New Zealand on Friday, July 3, pushing the Tall Blacks to the limit before running out of steam.
That left Gilas head coach Tim Cone in awe, saying the team’s young stars are developing even faster than expected.
“They may be coming in a little bit more quickly than we thought, but they are certainly stepping up at a much higher level,” said the Barangay Ginebra mentor.
Quiambao and Tamayo, both 25-year-old standouts for their respective clubs in the Korean Basketball League, played key roles as Gilas erased a 12-point deficit.
The former De La Salle University star finished with 23 points, three rebounds and two assists, while his University of the Philippines counterpart added 17 points on 3-of-4 shooting from beyond the arc to help keep Gilas within striking distance earlier in the match.
Meanwhile, the 26-year-old De Liaño showed nerves of steel, knocking down two crucial three-pointers late in the match to finish with 23 points, six rebounds and four assists.
AJ Edu and RJ Abarrientos, both 26 years old, as well as 24-year-old Mike Phillips, also showed they could be counted on.
Abarrientos, despite receiving criticism from fans after the game, contributed six points, 10 assists and five rebounds. Edu chipped in six points and four rebounds, while Phillips provided energy in limited action with two points, three rebounds and a steal in his FIBA debut.
Even the 27-year-old Dwight Ramos, a mainstay of the national team, proved to be reliable with 18 points, four rebounds and three assists.
With veterans Brownlee, June Mar Fajardo, Troy Rosario, and Chris Newsome now in their mid-to-late 30s, Cone welcomed the emergence of the younger core, saying he expects them to take on bigger roles as Gilas continues its bid to return to the FIBA World Cup.
Gilas returns to action on Monday, July 6, against Australia at 6:30 p.m. as the nationals conclude their assignments in the first round of the qualifiers. (ABS-CBN News)