DWIGHT Ramos liked the Juan Gomez de Liano that he saw in their Gilas Pilipinas reunion on Thursday night.
Gomez de Liano delivered 10 points, two assists, and a rebound in his debut for the Tim Cone-era national team - one of the bright spots for the hosts in a 69-66 loss to New Zealand in their FIBA World Cup 2027 Asian qualifier.
READ Cone praises NZ defensive game plan after Brownlee fires blanks
The Converge rookie was fearless from the moment he came off the bench, making an immediate impact with a drive and a three-pointer. He made another trey in the second half as he finished 4-of-11 from the field.
“He played great," said Ramos, who was teammates with JGdL at Gilas during Tab Baldwin's time in charge. "First game in a long time, maybe a little bit of nerves, but for a first game you can’t ask for more. He’s just going to get better."
Cone agreed, saying Gomez de Liano was his best player from the time Gilas started practice for Window 2 of the qualifiers less than two weeks ago.
“[He’s] a special talent. He was one of the best players during our practice camp, so it’s no surprise,” Cone said. “Once he gets more comfortable, especially playing in front of a big crowd, he can only get better.”
As for Ramos, he led the team with 16 points, eight rebounds, and two steals but isn't happy with the way the game turned out.
“It’s tough. I missed a lot of shots, including that last one. I feel bad. I just have to be better,” he said in a brief postgame interview. "All I could think about are my mistakes. I really feel bad, but we’ve got to move on to the next game.”
Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph
NOTICE ON UNAUTHORIZED AND UNLAWFUL USE, PUBLICATION, AND/OR DISSEMINATION OF SPIN.PH CONTENT: Please be notified that any unauthorized and unlawful use, publication, and/or dissemination of Spin.ph’s content and/or materials is a direct violation of its legal and exclusive rights to the same, and shall be subject to appropriate legal action/s.
