Juan Gomez de Liaño in action for the Philippines against New Zealand in the FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers, February 26, 2026 at the Mall of Asia Arena. FIBA Basketball
MANILA -- Gilas Pilipinas head coach Tim Cone lauded the performance of Juan Gomez de Liaño in his return to the Philippine men's national basketball team on Thursday.
This, even as Gilas absorbed a painful 69-66 defeat against New Zealand at the Mall of Asia Arena that kept them from entering the second round of the FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers.
READ: Gilas falls to New Zealand, absorbs 1st defeat in WC Asian Qualifiers
Gomez de Liaño came in for CJ Perez in the first quarter of their match against New Zealand, quickly making his presence felt by scoring five points in over three minutes.
The rising PBA star finished the match with 10 points and 2 assists, including 2 triples.
"He has been playing, you know, he was playing maybe one of our best, if not the best player in our whole practice camp that we had in preparation. So we're not surprised by what he came out and did," Cone said of Gomez de Liaño during the post-game press conference.
The Converge FiberXers player was called up for the Gilas training pool in the first window but failed to make the Final 12.
After his performance against New Zealand and in the Gilas training camp, Cone said he sees Gomez de Liaño suiting up again for the national team.
"You know, he's going to be a mainstay on this team, he's going to be, he's going to get a lot more, remember this was his first game in front of a big crowd and, you know, a lot of pressure," Cone said.
"He's going to get comfortable and he's going to do a lot more than he just did today and he did a lot today but he's even going to do a lot more going forward, he's a special talent," he added.
The Gilas mentor said he believes Gomez de Liaño will further get into the system, as he plays more games with the team.
Gomez de Liaño and Gilas seek to bounce back in their game against Australia on March 1, Sunday at the Mall of Asia Arena.