Tag: Carl Tamayo

The result stung, but for Gilas Pilipinas coach Tim Cone, Friday’s heartbreaking double-overtime loss to New Zealand also revealed something far more encouraging — the next generation of the national team is beginning to arrive.

 

Despite falling 106-102 to the Tall Blacks in Auckland to slip to 2-3 in the 2027 FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers, Gilas drew optimism from the emergence of its young core, with Juan Gomez de Liaño, Kevin Quiambao, and Carl Tamayo carrying much of the offensive load throughout the marathon contest.

 

Cone believes performances like these are exactly what the program has been building toward.

“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 been developing over the last year and a half, two years. Every time they’ve come into a window, they’ve gotten better,” Cone said.

 

The trio delivered one of their best collective outings in a Gilas uniform.

 

Gomez de Liaño finished with a team-high 23 points, matching Quiambao’s output while also adding six rebounds, four assists, and a steal. He repeatedly answered New Zealand’s runs with timely baskets, including clutch shots late in regulation and the first overtime that kept the Philippines alive.

 

Quiambao continued to showcase his all-around game, contributing 23 points along with three rebounds, two assists, a steal, and a block, while Tamayo chipped in 17 points, four rebounds, one assist, and one steal.

 

For Cone, their steady rise has exceeded expectations.

 

“They have evolved along with the team. That was the vision from the very beginning when we put this team together. That they, at one point, would be the main guys,” said Cone.

 

“It may be coming a little more quickly than we thought, but they are certainly stepping up and playing at a much higher level than they were when they were first on the team. We’re real proud of those young guys for continuing to improve.”

 

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The coach admitted, however, that the progress offered little consolation after Gilas let another opportunity against New Zealand slip away.

 

After losing another tight contest to the Tall Blacks — who now own an 8-1 advantage in the all-time head-to-head series — Cone acknowledged just how close the Philippines came to stealing a crucial road victory.

 

“It would have been nice to be able to come down here and steal a game. That would have been special. And the fact that we got as close as we did obviously is a huge disappointment,” he said.

“Once you feel like it’s in your grasp and you let it slip away, it makes it tough. We had chances in both overtimes. Regulation and overtime to win that basketball game and we just came up short.”

Still, Cone refused to question his team’s effort after watching Gilas battle one of Oceania’s toughest squads for 50 minutes.

 

“The bottom line was our guys came to play. They expended an incredible amount of energy just staying in the game,” he said.

 

Gilas now shifts its attention to another daunting challenge as it closes out the first round of qualifiers against Australia on Monday.

 

The Philippines has already secured a place in the second round but hopes to snap its three-game losing streak before carrying its record into the next phase of the World Cup qualifying campaign.

 

Meanwhile, New Zealand officially clinched its own second-round berth by improving to 3-2 behind Reuben Te Rangi, who paced the Tall Blacks with 22 points, three rebounds, one assist, and one steal. The Kiwis will face Guam in their final first-round assignment on Monday.

 

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