Gilas Pilipinas head coach Tim Cone believes Juan Gomez de Liaño is poised for a bigger role moving forward after an impressive showing in their 69-66 loss to New Zealand Tall Blacks in the 2027 FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers on Thursday night.
Gomez de Liaño tallied 10 points, two assists, and one rebound in 15 minutes off the bench in his first game under Cone, providing an immediate spark for the Filipinos.
“Well, that happened for the day, he just came off the bench. You just don’t know what kind of lineup we’re gonna come with on Sunday (against Australia). We could change the starting lineup, we could put one to start it off,” Cone said.
Despite coming off the bench, Gomez de Liaño’s performance did not come as a surprise to the coaching staff. According to Cone, the Filipino-Spanish guard had been one of the standouts during training camp.
“He has been playing, he was playing maybe one of our best, if not the best player in our whole practice camp that we had in preparation. And so we’re not surprised by what he came out and did,” Cone said. “He’s gonna be a mainstay on this team, he’s gonna get a lot more.”
Cone also emphasized that the outing marked Gomez de Liaño’s first game back with Gilas in front of a large crowd and under intense pressure — factors that could only fuel further growth.
“Remember, this was his first game in front of a big crowd and a lot of pressure. He’s gonna get comfortable, and he’s gonna do a lot more than he just did today. And he did a lot today, but he’s even gonna do a lot more going forward,” Cone added.
Calling Gomez de Liaño “a special talent,” Cone expressed confidence that the young playmaker will continue to expand his impact as Gilas moves deeper into its campaign. (AC)
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