A heartbreaking double-overtime loss to New Zealand denied Gilas Pilipinas a statement victory in the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 Asian Qualifiers, but Friday night’s thriller may have revealed something even more valuable — the clearest sign yet that the program’s next generation is ready to step up.
The team had Scottie Thompson, Calvin Oftana, and CJ Perez sidelined. Justin Brownlee was unable to impose his usual dominance in the 106-102 defeat in Auckland. So Gilas turned to its young core, whose fearless performance nearly carried the Philippines to a stunning road win.
Kevin Quiambao and Juan Gomez de Liaño delivered timely baskets that repeatedly gave Gilas opportunities to take control in both overtime periods.
Earlier in the game, Carl Tamayo caught fire offensively, keeping the Filipinos within striking distance throughout regulation.
Quiambao more than doubled his scoring average of 9.4 points through his first four qualifying games, finishing with 23 points, three rebounds, and two assists.
Gomez de Liaño also turned in one of his finest performances in a Gilas jersey, matching Quiambao with 23 points while adding six rebounds and four assists after averaging just 5.0 points in his previous two outings.
Tamayo likewise bounced back from a slow start to the qualifiers. After averaging only 3.0 points through his first four games, he erupted for 17 points on three triples while collecting four rebounds.
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“We’re really proud of those young guys for continuing to improve,” said Gilas Pilipinas head coach Tim Cone. “They both play in Korea, KQ and Carl, so they get a lot of improvement there, and Juan is becoming one of the premier point guards in our league back in Manila, so they have great futures ahead of them.
“KQ — when we first got them on the team, they were like 21 years old, and now they’re 24, 25, so they have evolved along with the team.”
Returning guard RJ Abarrientos also made an immediate impact, orchestrating the offense with six points, 10 assists, and five rebounds. Meanwhile, Mike Phillips provided his trademark energy despite modest numbers, finishing with two points and three rebounds while extending possessions through his relentless hustle.
For Cone, the emergence of Gilas’ young core is exactly what the coaching staff envisioned when assembling the current national team.
“That’s how you evolve a team, right? You try to win with your veterans, and you develop your young guys. Our young guys have developed over the past year and a half, two years, and every time they come into a window, they have gotten better,” said the Ginebra head coach.
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Although Gilas fell just short of pulling off the upset, Cone believes the rapid development of the team’s younger players is an encouraging sign for the future.
“So that was the vision from the very beginning when we put this team together. That they, at one point, would be the main guys and that 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 the team.”
The young core will have another opportunity to build on that performance on Monday when Gilas Pilipinas closes out the first round of the Asian Qualifiers against unbeaten Australia.
Despite dropping to 2-3 after the heartbreaking loss to New Zealand, the Philippines remains third in Group A and has already secured a place in the second round of the Asian Qualifiers alongside Australia and New Zealand.
