Juan Gomez de Liano finally got the opportunity he’s been hoping for.
The Converge guard has been named part of Gilas Pilipinas’ 12-man lineup that’s set to take on New Zealand to start their Window 2 campaign in the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 Asian Qualifiers on Thursday.
Gomez de Liano was inserted into the squad in place of a contemporary in RJ Abarrientos, who suited up twice during the first window in which the Philippines mightily swept Guam.
His inclusion has been a long time coming for the UP product. He last played for the men’s team during the early stages of the previous World Cup Qualifiers, when the program was still under Chot Reyes’ leadership.
A member of the ’23 for 2023′ batch, Gomez de Liano is set to play for a third coach at the senior level, having been a part of a group that was being developed by Tab Baldwin back in the early 2020s.
Now under Tim Cone, the highly touted PBA rookie is bringing with him a wealth of experience, having played professionally overseas in Europe and in Asia before returning home by joining the Season 50 Rookie Draft.
The no. 2 overall pick will be sharing backcourt duties with vets Chris Newsome and Scottie Thompson.
He’ll also be reuniting on-court with fellow Baldwin students in Dwight Ramos, Carl Tamayo, and Calvin Oftana.
Completing the team tasked to continue Gilas’ unbeaten run in the ongoing World Cup Qualifiers are Justin Brownlee, AJ Edu, June Mar Fajardo, Quentin Millora-Brown, CJ Perez, and Kevin Quiambao.
The Philippines would need to take down the Tall Blacks to assure themselves a spot in the Second Round.
Also serving as a tough cut is Justine Baltazar.
