Bigger role looms for Gomez de Liaño

Juan Gomez de Liaño’s rousing debut for the Tim Cone-coached Gilas Pilipinas may have built his case for a starting spot against Australia in the 2027 FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers second window home match tomorrow.

The energetic guard provided the spark off the bench, scoring 10 points in an impressive performance in front of the host crowd against New Zealand.

Although his effort came to naught after Gilas ultimately lost to the Tall Blacks in a 66-69 heartbreaker on Thursday night at the Mall of Asia Arena, Gomez de Liaño’s outing got Cone’s attention.

“You just don’t know what kind of lineup we’re going to come with on Sunday. We could change the starting lineup. We could put Juan in to start it off,” Cone said of his newest addition to his final 12-man lineup in Gilas’ first of two homestands.

De Liaño, who was a member of the Gilas team under Tab Baldwin before, drilled two three-pointers and shot 4-of-11 from the field. He had two assists and a rebound in 14 minutes of playing time.

The University of the Philippines product subbed in for CJ Perez with 5:17 remaining in the first quarter.

With just 12 seconds in, he immediately made his presence felt with a speedy driving layup that gave Gilas its biggest lead of the game at 14-7.

Cone was not surprised at all with what Gomez de Liaño could bring to the table for Gilas.

“He was maybe one of our best, if not the best player in our whole practice camp that we had in preparation,” he said.

“So, we’re not surprised by what he came out and did. He’s going to be a mainstay on this team.”

Cone expects more from the spark plug he called a “special talent,” especially against a tall and agile Boomers side.

“He’s going to get a lot more. Remember, this was his first game in front of a big crowd. And a lot of pressure. He’s going to get comfortable. And he’s going to do a lot more than he just did today,” Cone said.

“And he did a lot today, but he’s even going to do a lot more going forward. He’s a special talent.”