JUAN Gomez de Liaño is glad to have an opportunity once again to play for Gilas Pilipinas after being called up to become part of the pool for the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 Asian Qualifiers.
Gomez de Liaño previously played five games with the senior national team when he was still playing overseas, and is now making a comeback after being selected by Converge at No. 2 in the PBA draft.
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“It’s truly special,” said Gomez de Liaño, who played for three games in the FIBA Asia Cup 2021 qualifiers, and two in the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 Asian Qualifiers. “It’s a special moment for me and especially [for] my career.
"Just to have that Pilipinas across my jersey, especially just being part of the pool, and training with the guys, it’s a different feeling. We are doing this for something bigger, for the whole nation. It’s something to be proud of so I’m happy to be back with the Gilas squad.”
Gomez de Liaño said he got the news that he will be joining Gilas Pilipinas after Converge beat Barangay Ginebra, 106-96, in the PBA Philippine Cup where he exploded for 32 points.
He was on a short vacation then at that time before Converge returns to practice, and never thought that it was during a quick getaway where he would learn that he will practice with Gilas Pilipinas.
“The day after, because we had a two-day break, I went to the beach with my brothers. I went to La Union. It was an overnight [trip]. I was quite surprised because I got a phone call from Coach Tim [Cone]. We spoke for about 20 minutes and then I spoke to Boss Al [Chua]. It’s an honor to be included in the pool.”
“I’m a beach person. I love the island. I had one day to spend time at the beach with my brothers just to relax, kind of a quick breather from basketball. It’s a day. I’m back to work,” said Gomez de Liaño.
Gomez de Liaño insisted that his explosion against Ginebra had nothing to do with the Gilas stint even as he mentioned during the postgame interview his desire to play for the national team again.
“I’m just coming to every game giving my 100 percent and giving my best. It just so happened that I had my best game against them. I’ve always had that (Gilas) in the back of my mind. Hopefully, one day, I go back to Gilas and that's why I just kind of brought it up,” said Gomez de Liaño.
“Now that I had a chance to be back, it’s just something I wouldn’t take for granted. I'm going to make the most out of this opportunity, honestly,” said Gomez de Liaño.
Cone said Gomez de Liaño brings a different dimension to the point guard position such as scoring. The Converge guard intends to meet the expectations of Cone.
“Coach Tim also emphasized that we're trying to come in with a quicker pace. So I do a lot of running, a lot of fast breaks. I feel like I’m going to complement it well with my playing style, being a facilitator, being quick with my size, being athletic.
"Hopefully, I just continue to do the right things and make the right plays for the team,” said Gomez de Liaño.
He also doesn’t see any problems learning the triangle system especially that he got a preview of it during the preparations of Converge against Ginebra.
“I’m still trying to get familiar with the system but I’m glad I really have good teammates, good coaching staff that's there to guide me throughout our practices so I'm definitely excited,” said Juan GDL.
“It’s going to be my first time to be part of the system but I’m quick with learning and I’m trying to adapt quick. It’s been good so far. I’m glad we played in Ginebra just a couple of days ago so we had a week of preparation.
"We were doing a lot of triangles during our practice with Converge so I was kind of familiar with the flow and how Coach Tim runs his offense so there’s a gist in it.”
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