Even in defeat, Kevin Quiambao’s eyes are already fixed on the road ahead.
The 6-foot-6 all-around forward stood tall despite Gilas Pilipinas Men bowing to the powerhouse Australia Boomers, 84-60, in the FIBA Asia Cup 2025 quarterfinals — a loss that ended the country’s campaign in Jeddah.
For the two-time UAAP Most Valuable Player, the setback is just another chapter.
The next one, he believes, will be bigger.
“We’re having a hard time executing our system, and we couldn’t buy a basket,” Quiambao admitted.
“It’s a great learning experience for us, and we will carry this over to the next one, which is November.”
That “next one” is the FIBA World Cup 2027 Asian Qualifiers — a long road beginning in November with back-to-back encounters against Guam, first on the road and then at home.
Looming large in the same group are giants: Australia and New Zealand.
(C) FIBA.basketball
Quiambao, who entered the Asia Cup as a promising piece of the Gilas future, left it having cemented his place in Tim Cone’s core rotation.
Though his minutes were limited in the group phase, he made them count when it mattered most.
In the do-or-die qualification game against host Saudi Arabia, Quiambao delivered a breakthrough performance — 17 points and three assists — helping Gilas punch its ticket to the quarterfinals.
Against Australia, he refused to back down, scoring nine of his 17 points in the second quarter alone, a spark amid a tough night.
“For this game, I think right from the start, they were having a run. They hit their early three-pointers,” he said of the Boomers. “We’re having a hard time catching up. The system was not there and the shots were not falling. So, for me as a young gun here, I want to execute the system and follow the game plan. Unfortunately, it did not work out.
“On to the next one and we will keep our heads high for this one.”
Come March 1, Gilas will once again see the Boomers, this time on home soil.
Quiambao will surely have a bigger role in that game.
