THREE players with experience in South Korea, past and present, played pivotal roles in Gilas Pilipinas’ game against New Zealand in the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 Asian Qualifiers.
Juan Gomez de Liano and Kevin Quiambao led Gilas Pilipinas in scoring with 23 points apiece, while Carl Tamayo got off to a strong start to end up with 17 points against New Zealand on Friday.
READ: Gilas falls just short as New Zealand escapes in 2 0T thriller
Unfortunately, Gilas Pilipinas fell short, losing a double-overtime game against the Tall Blacks, 106-102, despite their strong performance.
Despite the setback, Gilas Pilipinas coach Tim Cone praised the three players whose experience playing overseas contributed to their development.
“That’s how you evolve the team, you try to win with your veterans and you develop your young guys,” Cone said on Friday.
“Our young guys have been developing over the last year and a half to two years. Everytime they’ve come into a window, they’ve gotten better."
Gomez de Liano currently plays for Converge, but before he applied for the Season 50 draft, the former University of the Philippines standout played two years with the Seoul SK Knights.
Quiambao is currently playing in the Korean Basketball League for the Goyang Sono Skygunners where he recently won the Rookie of the Year.
Tamayo already has a KBL championship in his name, copping a title in 2025 while playing for the Changwon LG Sakers where he remains under contract.
Cone is glad that the three are starting to evolve with Gilas Pilipinas as seen in their performance on Friday.
“When we first got them on the team, they were like 21 years old. Now, they are 24, 25. They have evolved along with the team," he said.
“That was the vision from the very beginning when we put this team together, that they, at one point, would be the main guys. They 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 team. We are real proud of those young guys for continuing to improve.
“They both play in Korea, KQ and Carl. They get a lot of improvement there. And Juan is becoming one of the premier point guards in our league back in Manila. They have great, great futures ahead of them."
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