GILAS Pilipinas coach Tim Cone is excited about the national team's future after seeing the performances of Carl Tamayo, Kevin Quiambao, and Mason Amos on Sunday against Hong Kong in the FIBA Asia Cup 2025 qualifiers.
The trio are the youngest and least experienced among Gilas players and were sparingly or not used at all when the national team took on Pacific powerhouse New Zealand last Thursday.
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But against Hong Kong, a team much smaller and ranked way lower than world No. 22 New Zealand, the three young players got their minutes and to everyone's fair assessment, passed the test with flying colors.
After Gilas beat Hong Kong, 93-54, for a 4-0 card in the FIBA Asia Cup qualifiers, Cone heaped praises on the talent-laden trio whose time, he said, will probably come in the next few years.
Cone said Tamayo surprised him.
“In the first half, he got out, he hit a three-point shot, he went to the basket, he had a post-up, he had an offensive rebound, all scores. And that’s what we are looking for from our young guys,” said Cone.
After not seeing action in the match against New Zealand, Quiambao and Amos also showed what they can bring to the team.
Quiambao, the 22-year-old reigning UAAP MVP, had eight points, five rebounds, and four assists, while Amos, the 19-year-old who is still underdoing residency at La Salle, had three points, two rebounds, and one block.
“We want to use their total game. That’s the case with him (Tamayo), with KQ, and even Mason. Mason is a specialist in terms of taking three-point shots, but we are trying to get him to expand his game as well,” said Cone.
As they continue to hone their skills as part of the Gilas pool, Cone said it’s going to be a matter of time before Tamayo, Quiambao, and Amos can reach their potential and deliver what they are asked to do with the national team.
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Accepting and playing their respective roles with Gilas, according to Cone, will also be key in their individual growth - and eventually the team's success.
“I won’t stop saying this. They are the superstars of this team down the road. And they are still learning, feeling their way," said Cone.
"I get on Carl hard as he knows. We all come into the team with different habits. It’s really trying to get us all on the same page, creating the same habits so we can all play together, and read each other together,” he added.
“As we always keep saying, this is not an All-Star team. We are not out there to showcase our individual skills. We got to come together as a team. Sometimes, it takes some hard coaching.
"That’s what I love about this team. They really accept that idea. And it makes it so much easier from a coaching standpoint to handle this team,” Cone said.
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